For my use I'll need it to run a jabber client connection though it can be connect/disconnect every 15 minutes or so since I can get the server to send me the messages. That will really be my main use case. Jabber anywhere I go. I might give an email check to it as well but that shouldn't mess a lot.

If I can get it to run for 2 days with that I'll be happy. The data sheet claims: Always online 2-4 days with active tcp/ip connections though

http://www.nokia.com/NOKIA_COM_1/Pre...data_sheet.pdf

So just maybe it can happen. But I'm certainly looking for a more powerfull battery for it as well. It makes a difference once the need is to use it for longer.

I had not seen this data sheet! Thanks!

My thought about the small battery after Ari-Jaaksi interview was that they used small one to ensure that devs dont get lazy and optimize their apps.

When the time comes to extend them into S60, they will have to cope with very small batterys in some devices, also when everything is settled on Qt and with improvements on battery tech, all day power usage will be a reality on future devices.

Any other 'real' updates on battery? Even the pre-production firmware shouldn't be 'too far off' from real battery usages weeks before release.

I just went to the NYC flagship and played with the n900 for 5 mins (had to get back to work).

Can report the following facts based on whatever firmware they had:
- with only the following open: photobrowser (no pic loaded), calculator, xterminal, web browser with cnn.com open there is 5MB free physical free out of the 256MB
- with no apps open, there is 30MB physical free out of the 256MB
- device feels solid, nice heft. very good build quality. Barely pocket-able but can be done
- screen response good, no complaints
- keyboard ok, maybe not as nice as the E71 but could get used to it
- screen quality good, crisp and vibrant
- UI design a little quirky as there's alot going on but shouldn't be a problem after you get used to it
- camera response ok, comparable to N95 reponse when taking a pic
- feels like a real gadget, more stuff to play/interact with than iphone.
- GUI response is very good, no lag when the apps are open. OVI maps took over 20 seconds to open though. Felt a slight lag when opening apps for the first time (same as you'd expect from your desktop)

initial response is good would pre-order if I can get a clear idea of battery life, if it can't last a day with average usage then its a no-go for me.

To put in perspective (to assure you I'm no fan-boy), my initial response of the n97 at the NYC flagship was horrible. screen quality horrible, keypad horrible, touch screen response horrible and UI design disgusting. Form factor excellent.

Nokia definitively have an iphone contender here if the battery holds up.

Efficiency of operation like Gen. Antilles described is one of the most important aspects of future smartphone design......affordable battery technology isn't keeping up at all.
I've got extra batteries for both NITs and my N82 phone. I wish there were more and better options for the spare battery charging units......mostly it's just cheap crap out there.

When you say free physical, is cache and buffers counted in that as free or not? Measuring memory use is probably one of the most difficult tasks in a modern OS

I ran 'top' in the x-terminal and just noted the free memory reported from there. I guess it depends on Maemo definition of free

How much would the battery life be extended without a SIM card? I'm planning on tethering / connecting through my company provided EVDO phone via bluetooth when WIFI is not available.

Hmm

I wonder how they define active online usage. And what does 1+ day mean? Meaning battery will last for one day or up to one day at most?

I also wonder how much average life you'll get by say leaving music on all day..

Let's take this apart. We have three pieces of information here: 1, +, and day. Clearly "day" tells us the unit the "1", then, tells us that we how many of said unit we have, and, finally, the "+" seems to tells us we also have an indeterminate fraction of additional units.

So, roughly translated, it appears to me "a day or more".