I previously had a Blackberry Bold, but after two years decided to change. After spending quite some time researching high-end smart phones, I went from the Nexus One to the HD2 to the N900. The N900 is, in my opinion, altogether better by a large margin than the other two. Had I known about some key features it offers in comparison to other high-end smart phones on the market, I would have tried it first, saving me significant time and return fees.

The N900's keyboard and UI are amazing, allowing for a much better phone experience over the other two phones. For instance, when on the home screen, I can start entering a contact's name to quickly view and call/message him or her. This feature, while seemingly insignificant, is something very important to me. Making phone calls on the N1 was a pain. It was much better on the HD2, however.

The UI of the Maemo OS is much better than that of WinMo 6.5 and even Android 2.1. Doing everything is extremely easy and intuitive. The multitasking interface leaves the other two devices in the dust. Words cannot describe how perfect of an experience it is switching between applications and web browser windows. I just discovered ctrl+backspace, too, making it even better.

COPY/PASTE/TEXT INPUT: Based on my experiences, there is simply no replacement for a good hardware keyboard, not even Swype. Copy/paste is absolutely !@#$ing terrible on the Nexus One and HD2. Period. Yes, I did edit the registry of the HD2 to enable the iPhone-esque copy/paste mechanism, but it was still awful. Maybe I am just spoiled from the BB, but copying text from messages/internet/[insert commonly used app here], then pasting it into other applications, is something I find myself needing to do quite often--something I did not realize until after getting rid of the Blackberry. Before deciding which smartphone to get, think long and hard about how inconvenienced you would be without effective copy/paste functionality. The N900 has been a godsend in this regard. It is so easy to highlight text accurately--stylus or finger--then ctrl+c and ctrl+v it. There are two reasons: the nice implementation of the mouse in Maemo and, bringing me to my next point, the extremely accurate touch screen.

I was originally hesitant to order this phone due to the resistive touch screen and lack of multitouch. Let me set the record straight. First of all, I had never used a touch screen device before I started shopping for a new phone. So based on what I had been reading online, I assumed (keyword here) that resistive was outdated and a major disadvantage compared to capacitive with multitouch.

Well, after having used these three phones, I PREFER the resistive screen of the N900. The biggest reason is that it allows for much greater accuracy and therefore ease of use. For example, using my fingers to click small links on web pages is less frustrating. Moreover, interactions that require finger swiping are just as smooth as on the other two phones. Lack of multitouch is a non-issue. I don't understand what the big deal is. The only time I really ever used it on the other two phones was when zooming on web pages. Zooming on web pages is just as easy, if not easier, in that you use the volume up/down hardware keys. The swirl motion is also perfectly fine.

As for the lack of apps in comparison to the Android and WinMo platforms: who cares? Every application I need as of yet is available for the N900. I feel as though the hyped notion of how exciting it is to have thousands of apps available for the iPhone (with the Android platform's growing rapidly) is unsubstantiated. In my opinion, this app craze is a mere creation of clever advertising that is iterated over and over in online reviews of phones. Based on the reviews I have read, it is made to seem as though buying anything that is not the iPhone or running Android is like buying a house in a ghost town. But I felt no lack of essential applications or functionality with Windows Mobile, nor do I now with the N900. With the new firmware update on its way and the beta release of nice development tools from Nokia, it can only get better. Not to mention all of the software either released for safe-use by the general public, available for testing, or being developed by the community of Maemo.org.

Lastly, it is hard to describe, but the very "essence of Linux" on the N900 is everything good. How bad *** is it that I can open an X-terminal or run Easy Debian in its own window, transforming my phone into a mini-linux computer with full phone/messaging functionality? I have not used Linux for a few years, but the N900 has motivated me to start reading, learning, and getting my hands dirty so that I can develop and port applications myself to the Maemo platform.

The only real disadvantage of the N900 versus the other two phones is its size. It is much thicker. However, with this thickness comes the keyboard, which for me is an absolute necessity. Typing on the Nexus One was awful, and just a little better on the HD2. And although it has the same resolution and more colors than the HD2, the much larger screen of the HD2 is still better. Reading text on web pages was much nicer with the Opera browser and HD2 (though the default Maemo browser demolishes HD2's implementation of Opera in every other aspect). Simply double tap on some text to zoom in and, most importantly, re-align the text body to fit across the width of the screen--much like "column view" of the Blackberry browser. Having to scroll horizontally with the N900 is, for me, a drawback. I am hoping someone will make me look ignorant and point out that this feature is already available or being developed for the N900 browser(s).

The one thing I am truly upset about is the lack of push email. I was expecting support of push for multiple email accounts via Nokia Messenger. To my dismay, this feature is not realizable (as far as I know) in the U.S. on T-Mobile. In contrast to the push email features described on the "normal" Nokia N900 website and every single online retailer, the Nokia US website only lists support for push email with Exchange. Though, of the three phones, I would say that none have impressive email functionality. All pale in comparison to the Blackberry. Nexus One: no copy/paste in email! (one of the biggest reasons I returned it). HD2: slightly better, and can setup Outlook with push for a non-Exchange email account. But text selection and typing is still far behind the N900. The text messaging experience on the N900, however, is extremely good. And for email, I have use its email application to update my main work email every 5 minutes. For my other, less important email accounts, I have shortcuts on the desktop to their respective mobile-version sites, which I have set to keep me logged in always.

All in all, the N900 is an amazing device from the inside out. If you rely on your smartphone first and foremost as a phone with sufficient email and internet capability, do not be turned away. The N900's UI is as user friendly and easy to use as can be. Reading reviews online had me expecting a computer-scientist-only mini-computer on which doing anything would involve writing 100 lines of commands in a Linux command prompt. Definitely not the case. The N900 is something to get excited about whether a super geek or super layman.

We are in the middle of a firmware update. released today so i think you will have a few more post in a few hours or tomorrow.

unlucky for you.

I 100% agree!