I got the N900 today at around 11:00am and I am now ready to return it. I was extremely excited about the device having owned every single N series tablet since the N770. My biggest gripe with the other units was that they did not have a phone. Now that the N900 is here, I am all too disappointed. I pre-ordered this thing in september and went through the entire cancellation process and re-ordering and the worse customer support that I have ever had. But I was very determined to get the device.

But before I return it, I wanted to see if anyone here has the same issues or has some solutions. So here I go in order of importance:

1. No Exchange 2003 Support - Yes. I read the bug reports. But still, my company is using exchange 2003 and has absolutely no intentions to upgrade to 2007 anytime soon. To make things worse, my company blocks IMAP and SMTP since just about every other device that we use (iPhones, Motorola Droids, and Blackberrys) support 2003 out of the box.
2. Email client is a joke - I have two personal email accounts - gmail and yahoo. I had both setup via Nokia messaging. I then configured Nokia Messaging on the N900. Each time I go into either of the accounts, the inbox is missing (the outbox, trash and drafts are there). It comes back after about 30 seconds. Once I go into it, each email takes around 5-10 seconds to come up with complex emails taking as long as 30 seconds. Whats the deal? Each of our other devices downloads the email and keeps it on the device. This truly makes the email unusable when it takes such a long time to get to an email. I thought it might be Nokia Messaging, so I removed Nokia messaging from the device and configured gmail as its own account. Same issue. To add wood to the fire, I am no longer able to configure Nokia Messaging on the device anymore. I get an error 04 when the device tries to bring down the settings and the wizard restarts.
3. Application Manager - Takes about a minute to load each time an installation takes place. The other N tablets did the same thing but at least came up with a message that they are re-loading. Also, the repositories don't always update and are very buggy. I can try to refresh them 9 out of 10 times they will fail and once work. I am on a 20mb connection so I know it is not my internet connection.
4. Bluetooth - I drive a car that has a built in bluetooth system. The phone connects up to it just fine, but it picks up the system as a bluetooth audio system as well and then all sound on the N900 is disabled since it is trying to pump it through the car. Problem is, the car's system is not a bluetooth audio system. When I disconnect the bluetooth audio, it also disconnects the bluetooth phone so its a catch-22. You can make calls but not listen to music.
5. Overall Performance - The overall screen navigation feels very responsive but the apps do not. They feel like they are lagging for some reason.
6. Battery life - I had charged the phone completely and took it off the charger at around 4:00pm. By 8:00 pm, the battery was almost dead. What gives?

I must be spoiled. I had replaced my iPhone with a Droid and was looking at the N900 being my ultimate device. But these issues are just a little too much.

I am interested to see what others have experienced, how others have resolved the issues, and what was the final action that others have taken.

Thanks in advance,

Jim

OMG!!give it to me then!!!!!!

return it and go get another cellphone phone, whichever suits you best.

I do see some valid points and concerns that I have as well.. I believe that n900 is a beta product at this stage.. you have to wait for couple of updates

Exchange 2003 support will come with a FW update at some point. If I understood 2 correctly, there is also a bug report of inbox choking when there are a lot of messages. Relief is also coming with a FW update.

There are threads discussing battery life. Maybe you can find hints there because 4 hours seems quite bad.

I went from the iPhone to Druid to My Touch to N900, so we're coming from a similar path. Your points are valid but the N900 (like any new Nokia product) is an evolving product.

I've had the N900 for almost a week and half now and like it very much.

Email - I use gmail and my email is extremely responsive. It dings when I receive new email and I see no signs of a lag.

Application manager, maybe I'm not understanding but don't you have a bar at the bottom of the screen telling you the status of the download/install?

Bluetooth -- I have the exact same problem. I don't even use it anymore and am hoping it will be addressed in a future update.

Battery life -- I had the same problem but managed to fix it. My battery died way too fast but I took off the facebook and OM weather applications and my battery now lasts for more than a day with moderate use.

How did you get past the initial disappointment? Coming from such a refined product like the iPhone, it feels like a product that was rushed out.

So my options are to continue and try to use it or to return it. I am very conflicted...

Regarding the Battery Life, did you "uninstall" the Facebook and OM weather app, or just deleted it from the desktop?

I am not trying to bust your balls, but if the iphone is so refined, why did you abandon it? It seems like it worked for you.

I didn't have any initial disappointment. The iPhone was nice, but lacked in areas where the N900 is the strongest (ie camera, browser, keyboard, multitasking).

I never used any of the aps on the iPhone. And the aps I did use I don't really need on the N900 because the N900 has a full browser. I just use a bookmark on my desktop as my pseudo-ap because it will take me to the website that I need for that particular purpose. I use my PSP to play portable games, so I don't miss that. Video playback on the N900 is a lot better. What I do miss is iTunes...in my opinion it is iTunes what makes the iPhone so good.