That's the ONLY case because that was a design choice.
Nokia made a similar choice.

Nothing prevents them to bring a rotate desktop with a fully functional rotated virtual keyboard.

Hmm. Well, with jailbreak you can put autorotate off.

What about a device which is default portrait mode with hardware keyboard in portrait mode. If it also has an accelerometer, is it expected all software on device supports landscape mode? Maybe the way the hardware looks and is designed should give some hints. Or maybe we are spoiled. Or expecting some kind of iPhone way of using.

Could we not take the"on-screen-keyboard" of Android for Maemo?
It's a FOSS. (no?)

Most of the interaction with the media player, web browser, etc. rarely require the hardware keyboard for navigation.

The G1 with it's hardware keyboard still emphasized portrait orientation as the default use case.

Clearly, there are situations where each orientation has advantages.

I'm not arguing that there are not advantages to each orientation. What I am saying is that if there is a hardware keyboard, whichever orientation the hardware keyboard is used in is going to be the default orientation that consumers expect. Same thing applies to the N900.

Tons of phones with slide out which support several orientations...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_Communicator
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_N95
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_E70
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_E90
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTC_Dream (T-Mobile G1)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_E75

Especially the last 2 contradict your assessment.

We're arguing on a design choice.

The N900 was designed with landscape mode as default.
Portrait will come (at least that's what was hinted by Jussi).

What's the point now?

Aniello

I have now used E90 for over 2 yrs, had 9300 before that for few years. They both have landscape AND portrait hardware keyboard, so they kinda don't contradict anything. They have a keyboard for each orientation. Actually all Nokia phones that you mentioned have two sets of HW keyboards. N900 have only one. That makes the supposed default orientation kinda obvious to me.

I read this whole thread last night at work, all ~44 pages of it at the time, and since I am not a developer nor heavy user of previous tablets of anykind, I felt little bit shy to participate. Still, having used the E90, pretty wonderful form factor, I have started to miss more usage in the portrait mode. But also, since it has the communicator/PDA inside with the best HW keyboard so far, I know I need the landscape too. I am torn between features and usability on this. I hope the portrait gets more official support tho.

But, I need to say this more, whoever says that portrait is not important, is equally wrong as are they who say portrait is more important than landscape. People should get choices, options, chance to choose. I am glad 3rd.party software have the option to choose to support portrait.

On the thread as a whole, I reckon people should use the device a little more before passing judgements on design/development failures on Nokia's part.

The last 2 simply prove to me that the people that designed the phones were high as a kite when they were working on them and nothing more.