I finally got my hands on an N800 today, one at Comp USA. I wanted to express my thoughts and ask some questions, as I am contemplating a purchase.
*It seems really sturdy, I was pleasantly surprised. Almost, reminded me of a brick. -In a good way.

*Buttons were better than I expected. Alot, more tactile than pictures let on.

*It would not build a Google Video page correctly, left bottom fourth of video below frame and could not scroll down. What's up with this?

*Somtimes, when selecting a WAP, it would crash apparently but it would boot back up normally. -This happened two or three times. Has this happened to anyone else?

*Screen was nice, although seemed to quickly loose niceness after lowering brightness below full under harsh flourescent light.

*Internet performance was somewhat slow although I believe that was due to the internet connection.

*Video (non-streaming) was choppier than I expected. I was watching the included movie and it was rather dissapointing. Is this improved in the new version of the OS? Sound, on the other hand, was really nice.

*Finger typing was pretty good. Just wish buttons such as "go" in the web browser, were more finger friendly.

*Comfortable device to hold in hand.

*If I do purcase, I would be really concerned about that big, beautiful, screen. Are there any plain, not-so-bulky cases for the N800?

*Adjustable stand was surprisingly not cheap feeling. Has anyone had one to break off?

Overall, it is a wonderful device. After today, I have begun to think of it as a Jack of All Trades, Master of Most. In short, a dream come true. I just wonder if it is a little ahead of its time, and might not last through many iterations. My only real complaint, the price, quite a dent in the wallet. Well, that is all I have to say for now.

bvsciguy

>*Buttons were better than I expected. Alot, more tactile than pictures let on.
I don't like the way my buttons slide around.

>*It would not build a Google Video page correctly, left bottom fourth of video below frame and could not scroll down. What's up with this?
Zoom. It shows properly at 100%, optimized view off. The video only fills about 1/4 of the screen area though. For smooth fullscreen playback I download the videos and play them with mplayer.

>*Somtimes, when selecting a WAP, it would crash apparently but it would boot back up normally. -This happened two or three times. Has this happened to anyone else?
Maybe a problem with the old os?

>*Screen was nice, although seemed to quickly loose niceness after lowering brightness below full under harsh flourescent light.
Half brightness looks pretty good to me under normal lighting. Of course, full brightness usually looks better.

>*Internet performance was somewhat slow although I believe that was due to the internet connection.
The n800 is slower than a desktop, but not so much as to annoy me. I bought my n800 on jan 8 after learning that it was significantly faster than my 770.

>*Video (non-streaming) was choppier than I expected. I was watching the included movie and it was rather dissapointing. Is this improved in the new version of the OS? Sound, on the other hand, was really nice.
The new os release improves this greatly.

>*Finger typing was pretty good. Just wish buttons such as "go" in the web browser, were more finger friendly.
Pressing return on the keyboard is equivelent to pressing go when entering a url.


>*If I do purcase, I would be really concerned about that big, beautiful, screen. Are there any plain, not-so-bulky cases for the N800?
I haven't had any catastrophes using the included "sunglasses case." I use a screen protector, much easier to replace than a scratched touchscreen. There's more on both of these in other threads.

> My only real complaint, the price, quite a dent in the wallet. Well, that is all I have to say for now.
Somehow, Nokia knew that I decided not to buy an n800 if it was priced more than 400.

If you bought it today, chances are it's still running the original release firmware. Check the software version in Control Panel -> About, if it's version 2.2006.51-6 then you should upgrade to the latest software released on 23 March, version 3.2007.10-7. The latest firmware improves general stability, video and Adobe Flash performance.

To reflash your device with the latest firmware, if you have Windows read this HowTo and if you have Linux follows this HowTo.

Nokia announced a case accessory (protective cover) when they launched the N800 on 8 January - availability would be during Q1, it's now 3 days late. You can see it on Expansys here, they seem to be getting the run around from their supplier, not sure who is to blame.

Don't forget to try the Rhapsody application (see the announcement in News, and it should be listed in the N800 Application Manager) - it is rather good.

Thanks for the replies. I am seriously considering a purchase, once I get the money.