Of course these are subjective matters.

But I do know what you are talking about.
Unfortunately this is the price we are paying for real multitasking. There are times that swapping activity or cellular network activity hogs I/O so much, that it reaches noticeable level.

I'm going to investigate could we port some interactivity-patches and io-schedules patches to MeeGo to make user experience more pleasant. There is a lot of good work done to improve desktop experience of Linux. We just need to try whether it is useful for us.

I've also noticed that sometimes it slows down noticeably when a message is arriving and the whole arrival notification isn't swift. Doesn't stutter but it sort of lags. You can see the system slowing down is all I'm saying.

Sure its the price we are paying for true multi-tasking. The whole point was to suggest an alternative mode if possible.

shanrizvi you make some good points:

I think there is a case for a device like N900 to have two modes - one for the 'mass market/everyday user who seem to favour sexy transitions and will only make limited demands of their device, and one for 'advanced/multitasking' use. The ability to switch between modes at the flick of a switch (so to speak) would only enhance the appeal of a device across market segments; one hardware package, multiple sales opportunities.

I'd be interested to hear how jailbroken iPhones perform - anyone have any experience to share?

Your other points about, shall we say, entrenched positions and opinions on Maemo OS and comparisons with other devices are equally sound. MOST people will compare N900-type devices to iPhone, BB and Android because they consider them to be PHONES first and foremost. We have to get over this bug up our collective backsides...

All this 'it's an IT with phone functionality' is sounding as lame as the iPhone antenna excuse. N900 is sold as a PHONE in MOBILE PHONE shops. It's listed on Nokia's website with their other PHONES and is critically reviewed across all media as a MOBILE PHONE.

That said, I find it to be a pretty damn good 'phone. Desktop dialing icons, apps and widgets like K9 Call, MyContacts and Horizontal Call add functionality way beyond other devices. My (iPhone) friends are amazed that I can play back all old calls (Recaller) and are impressed by how easy it is to find contacts and select media.

To get back on message, the concept of a dual-mode device is appealing to everyone by its very definition - but I think that may be a whole new concept for a future device.

I'm kind of sick of this rationale again and again.

Fact: N900 is an internet tablet with phone functionality scotch-taped in the last moment. You cannot deny it.

As for the "it's sold as a phone" argument:
If somebody painted a horse in black-white stripes, marketed it as a zebra, and sold to your zoo as a zebra. Then someone comes to you and says, "yo know, this is really a horse painted black and white", you're saying "I bought it az a ZEBRA and want it to behave like one", just kind of doesn't make any sense.

I truly sympathize with you being tricked by Nokia into thinking N900 is as good mobile phone as other mobile phones. Marketing did a hell of a job here advertising it as a phone. Many people bought this. But... it's really a horse and the paint does not stay long...

Smoku,

It is possible to agree and disagree at the same time, you know. Far from sitting on the fence on this one, I'm trying to burn the damn fence down:

Far from being a victim of Nokia's marketing, I have simply spent time getting to know my N900 and trying out new concepts. As a pure PHONE nothing will ever replace good, old-fashioned physical buttons for ease of use in my book because they offer tactile feedback - I could unlock and speed-dial my old 6210 Navigator blindfolded.

However, my N900 allows for multiple desktop contact icons and widgets like K9 Call and MyContacts allows dialling options way beyond anything I have ever seen.

Phone Speaker Switch allows me to automatically activate the excellent loudspeakers when I open the slide to search for a contact or open Conboy whilst on a call. Recaller allows me to replay & review all my old calls (unless I'm on BT headset)

These are real, tangible and valuable improvements in the PHONE that my friends' devices just cannot compete with - so I'm afraid your argument just does not hold water with me.

I have even been largely untroubled by the incoming call bug reported elsewhere. I can get a solid signal when other manufacturer's devices fail. Maybe I am lucky, but I am certainly not stupid...

To me N900 is a very good phone that can do so much more courtesy of its computing and input abilities (resistive touchscreen, physical buttons).

To you it may be something else - but these are our opinions and we should respect them mutually. What is fact is that N900 is almost universally regarded as a PHONE and is inevitably and almost universally compared to other PHONES by manufacturers, retailers, media, prospective and existing owners alike.

I just don't think we need to make excuses for it being a 'bad' phone anymore.

A zebra may not be a horse, but they are of the same Equine genus. There are people who have broken them, saddled them, and ridden them.

Incidentally, the word Zebra derives from the old Portugese word for 'Wild ***' - something you may care to reflect on...

I don't think people compare the N900 to iPhone, BB and Android because the latter are "phones" per se. They do so solely because those are the N900's competitors. The lines between "mobile computer", "phone", "smartphone" and the likes are fading and its futile to delve into definitions here. Imagine Apple had released the iPhone priced the same but without a browser and an e-mail application because its a phone and not an internet tablet.

To be honest, ironically, I think most problems with the N900 are NOT related to the phone functionality, which seems quite fine to me. So you say its an internet tablet and not a phone. What do you have to say about the fact that the E-Mail Application on the N900 is shittier than those on other "phones"? What do you have to say about the fact that other "phones" are getting Flash 10.1 support while this "internet tablet" isn't? What do you have to say about the fact that other "phone" platforms have better and more applications than this "open" "internet tablet OS" community?

The analogy of a Zebra and a painted Horse may be true; whether you blame the buyer for getting fooled or the seller for deceiving is another story.

I, for one, still love my N900 (writing this post from it) but I just think it has been treated carelessly. I just need a quality e-mail application, quality maps application, smoother UI (though I could live without it), Flash 10.1 support and quality applications.

Yep - better email would on my list.

The lack of an effective Satnav (like just about any Nokia featurephone) is a major drawback, IMO and I think Nokia should work to redress that.

Flash10 and smoother UI are not so important for me, but I can see how N900 has gone from 'Look - we have full Flash' to 'Wot no Flash?' in a few months.

With Meego just around the corner Nokia have a last chance to redeem their reputation by fully sorting N900 before the first Meego device. This would disarm the critics who will point to N900 and N97 and say 'Nokia are just going to do it again with Meego'

Unfortunately, Common Sense and Business Sense do not usually concur...

Tell me about it. It is horrible for GPS navigation and Maps. It just hurts me when I see someone using Maps on an iPhone. It seriously does.