Eh, it's debatable whether Apple's implementation of multi-tasking is good or bad. For example, the N900's multi-tasking is more like a computer's multi-tasking. Apps run full throttle (unless they are coded to pause or stop when they lose foreground focus). You have a task manager that manages all the different applications Apple's multitasking (along with Android and I believe Windows Mobile Phone 7 Series) is more for smartphones, where you may or may not need an app to run full throttle.

It's an interesting implementation, I personally don't like it Android's (well maybe not as much I don't know enough about Android's but I heard some apps are closed or save state), Microsoft (I'm going quit saying Windows Mobile Phone 7 Series) and Apple's version of multi-tasking since they seem too restrictive. I much rather have a system where I get to learn yes it's a bad idea to have gpodder, and feedingit update at the exact same time. =P

my understanding is that android do it much the same way as iphoneos, only that they leave it to the devs to figure out what parts to background rather then stop.

You have a multi touch laptop???

Putting an iPad on the dash board may NOT be such a good idea for the LCD to expose to direct sunlight under greenhouse effect 24/7

bun

This is a misleading statement. It could suggest computer-savy users, that N900 apps are running all the time eating CPU cycles and battery power.
When in fact Maemo (Linux) is a modern, event-driven operating system, where most of the apps most of the time are 'sleeping' and doing nothing, waiting for some event (user action, data packet on the wire, etc.) to happen. Processor is able to lower its MHz clock and even stop completely if nothing is really happening. It just sits idle waiting for an interrupt signal to wake it.

Of course, when you run CPU or I/O intensive app, the events are coming so quick, that the processor scales its MHz to the full, and app is working all the time. This is a case for games and interactive apps.

But most of the time (even if you are listening to music in the background) the machine is just idling, doing nothing.

i think the fear is that one badly coded program that do not correctly idle in the background will "kill" the battery at the worst possible moment.

but then thats why i go for a two device setup. One tablet, one phone, and use the phone to connect the tablet to the net as needed.