I was lucky enough to have a good play with an N8 at launch and have to say that Symbian has improved a lot.

People are hacking Symbian^3 now and the list of apps is growing daily. Many of the features and functionality we enjoy on N900 will be there on E7 - albeit with limitations and an arguably less sophisticated user experience compared to Maemo 5

Symbian^3 also retains excellent power management and efficiency compared to Maemo 5.

The new Symbian Browser should bring a browsing experience on a par with MicroB, and when the first big FW update brings this it will be accompanied by many improvements across the OS.

What puts me off the E7 is the hardware; although E7 has a better-spaced keyboard I doubt it will have the shortcuts we enjoy on N900. Although the case and glass screen will be more durable than N900, I would miss the resistive screen that allows you to handle the device without inadvertantly answering a call or buying something on eBay by mistake.

Above all else, I would miss the auto-focus camera of the N900, complete with its sliding cover to protect the lens from rease and scratches and the magnetic switch to launch the camera. EDOF ("Full Focus") has its uses, and 90% of the time will take pics as good as N900, but the lack of Macro and general flat photo detail does it for me.

Oh - and the non-replaceable battery...

...might get an N8 to keep my N900 company, though f they are now very good value on the used market here in the UK.