also, their products lack the tech press attention of the fruit-phone...

I don't want to sound like a Troll, because I am not, but I just went ahead and pre-ordered the Archos 5. I went for the 32 GB Flash version. What tipped me over is the included software for editing Office docs. Besides, I think that at the moment Android has quite a bit more apps and momentum. The fact that the Archos 5 handles multimedia so nicely (the only one to handle ogg out of the box) and its 800 mHz ARM processor (faster than the N900) is just icing on the cake for me. The company has committed to providing several free updates shortly after the device is released, such as an Android OS update and the Thinkfree update to allow editing (currently it only provides viewing). I am willing to wait for those.

I like Maemo so much conceptually, that if Nokia had an up to date non-phone tablet at a similar price point, I would probably have gone with it, even it had some disadvantages, like a slower processor, and less applications. The N810 is a bit long on the tooth. I am willing to spend a little over $150 over what an N810 is going these days to get a state of the art device, but paying over $350 over that, and all because it has features that I do not want or need (the phone and the camera), is just not appealing (enough).

Actually ... Google's Cease and Desist letter to one of the Android hackers has me backing away from Android at the moment. Not saying I'm abandoning it, just saying I'm a bit more cautious about it.

That problem had to do with some apps (closed source) that were being distributed without permission, not with the OS. It really is mostly a legal/copyright issue. They were on the right (if you allow for the existence of closed source apps). The developer is now complying with the law and there is apparently a workaround way of obtaining those apps. And Google doesn't care much about that as long as their copyright is respected. Google has to defend its copyright otherwise it risks loosing it.

Any way, I keep thinking of how much I would have preferred to get a Maemo device instead of the Archos 5, but I can't afford to spend that much money and I am not interested in an aging, about to be obsolete, underspeced, N810. However, I must admit that If the N900 played ogg out of the box and worked as a USB host, or better yet a standard SD card slot, I would have probably thrown all caution to the wind and sold something else to get it.

i cant help think that the android part of google is run as some personal fief of andy rubin.

with little or none of the "don't be evil" thinking that some tried to give google back in the day (and have now left).

first of, the defend or loose is related to trademark, not copyright.

second, the only issue i see with the google apps (basically apps to access google services) is that they are supposedly only available for devices that google have certified, yet they seem to be given away free of charge.

so while its all being put in the copyright box, it seems to be a control issue, and one that kinda smells of apple style thinking

in the end, it seems the android part of google is confused about how to handle android...

Never mind. I just found out that the battery on the Archos 5 is not removable. That is a deal killer for me. I just canceled my order. Once again I am in the market and on the lookout for the perfect (for me) device.

Really? It was my understanding that he had, instead, abandoned Android. I suppose that's a form of "complying", but not what your statement implies to me.

A new version of the firmware is out which backs up the proprietary applications from original firmware and uses these backups instead therefore they're not distributed with the firmware.

Chippy says the software is too buggy to buy:

http://www.umpcportal.com/2009/10/ar...ressions-long/