You are correct, it is the next evolution of the tablet line. N700, 800, 810, 900. None of those were phones. None of them had a GSM radio. They were strictly "pocket computers".

As a tablet, the N900 is in fact a pretty nice advance over the previous versions. It is more pocketable, has a better user interface, faster CPU, more memory, more flash, a pretty good camera, VOIP, etc.

Plus it can be used as a phone. So for someone like myself who is coming from the N800 rather than from some smartphone the N900 looks pretty good. I get all my tablet stuff that allows me to leave my laptop home in a lot of circumstances. Plus it can now make and receive phone calls so I don't have to carry a separate phone.

I think that was what the OP was trying to get at. If you think of the N900 as another smartphone, you may well be disappointed. If you think of it as an Internet Tablet with a phone bolted on, then you will probably be pretty happy with it.

It seems clear to me that the N900 was never intended to be like a Blackberry where there are a bazillion phone-features. And I did not buy it with that idea in mind, I bought it because I liked my N800 and thought the N900 would be an improvement.

The problem seems to be that some people bought it with the idea in their head that it was a Blackberry or something and now they are upset and come here to yell at the rest of us as if we are somehow supposed to be disappointed like they are.