I just had an idea for an application that could detect, via the accelerometer, when the phone is on a flat surface and if it is plugged in to show a large digital clock and any alarms set instead of going black.

The purpose of this would be for people who plug their phone in at night. They can prop it up on their nightstand making it easy to read the time and alarms from bed.

Is it even possible to substitute an application for the screen timeout? And would anyone else be interested in this?

Yeah, me, I even opened a thread on the same topic a few weeks ago..
That, and car mode.

Hmm sounds interesting.

Yes please, i have used mobile phones for my alarm for past ten years and charge everynight as charger next to bed. Last few mornings the phone has not litup when alarm has gone off meaning i had to use the lock button befor i could turn it off.

so it set YOU for sure in "online mode" *lol*
' know what you mean - I had the same proplem - but the setting 'stay on when on charge' was a way out of that

did i read somewhere the n900 had a light senseor? would be great if the screen dimmed right down when the clock displayed in the dark and when in light the screen came back up