Can someone answer me these questions three (well two actually, but that didn't rhyme)

1) when the phone is fully charged (ie battery indicator on full/green light) - does the phone draw power from the chargerm thereafter or is it constantly drawing from the battery and recharging it as it does?

2) with the location setting on "Enable" - does this actually mean the phone is constantly monitoring GPS signals etc. Does unticking this box mean that OVI maps will then not be able to use the internal GPS or does it only affect things like geotagging photos and such.

I'd be grateful for some definitive information on these as you can get completely conflicting answers by reading around the forums on both subjects...

Ok here your three (two answers):

2) Enable means that apps can use it, not that GPS will be constantly enabled all the time, so leave it checked.

1) Not sure about this one, but I think it draws power from the charger directly (I repeat, not sure so I prefer to leave it to the experts)

I thought as much re: GPS. there are quite a few people advising you turn it off to make your battery last longer in idle in various threads around the forums - evidently that is not going to do anything for you.

Disabling things which check location (if there are any widgets that do, or where something uploads your position to google or something) certainly would help. The camera also has a geotagging option to locate where your photos were taken - make sure that's off if you don't need or use it.

1. It always draws from the battery.

Actually there's only a widget that activates the internal GPS, the Location one, but it has not an automatic searching feature, you have to manually click it and enable. Anyway, everytime an app uses the internal GPS a little satellite-looking icon appears in the status bar, so you'll know whenever the GPS is on.

...and the contradiction creeps back in. Well, which is it... anyone?

Turning off location in the settings does actually prevent OVI Maps from working - it tells you that it needs switching back on when you load it. If enabling it genuinely means that the N900 is constantly checking where you are then there needs to be some way added to disable that rather than all GPS completely.

There's certainly a misunderstanding in progress...
Ok let's have a summary:

- In Settings, Location has to be Enabled: this means that apps can use it when they need it. It does NOT mean that GPS is costantly searching for your position. Having it enabled keeps your battery full, don't worry.

- When GPS is working, so that it's searching for your position, a Satellite-looking icon appears in the status bar. So, when you see that icon, GPS is working and draining your battery.

Nothing more.

what if you plug the charger in and take out the battery from the phone? would it work? would it be safe to try it? if it works, could it be useful for any reason (i.e. keeping "young" the battery)?

Does not work :/

Hi phortize, a battery can't be kept young, as you suggest. Many people think that if you don't use a battery, it remains new, but that is not true.

I'll make you an example for a better understanding:
buy two IDENTICAL batteries for your N900, and put one of them in your phone. Use your phone every single day of your life with that battery you put in, never change it and recharge it every day. After 3 years, remove that battery and compare it with the one you have never used: they'll be nearly identically worn-out (just few differences).

This happens because inside lithium batteries there are many security circuits that consume the battery. Additionally, even if you do not use a battery at all every year its capacity decreases.

Every recharging of the battery worns it a bit, but the self-worning out is much more relevant than that.

If you want to deepen:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium-ion_battery