I am perfectly serious, and not referring to unpolished apps. Let me qualify:

I am supremely happy with the standard N900 UI. i want to get frm A to B as fast as possible. Swappolube and Overclocking enhance this and all but remove the transitions that I personally regard as superfluous.

However, I fear I am in a minority. Away from these hallowed pages the market is very much for these handheld 'special effects', to wit: iOS and Android.

How many times do we hear Symbian (still a very capable and efficient OS) criticised for being dull or uninspiring by some Apple or Android-myopic journo-pundit?

My experience of phone retailers is that the sales staff are more impressed about what 'looks cool' than what can be delivered.

Beauty is skin deep - that's why if you peel an apple you lose the taste and substance. Trouble is, most smartphone buyers are pretty shallow themselves.

My concern is that if Meego does not appeal to th mass market enough, we may never see another device like the N900, and I think that would be a shame.