After reading other comments from around the web I think the real problem was that Nokia have been caught out with the enthusiastic welcome the N900 has been getting. They were expecting the N97 Mini and the 2 new music phones to be the devices of the show because they were announced at the show whereas the N900 was announced the week before.
I think they thought that the N900 would be a slightly more popular version of the N800/N810 but still a niche device. So they did not put much effort into keeping the network providers happy. Now its getting rave reviews they may be regretting that.
However I hope they keep the open nature of the N900 and keep any network provider interference of the device to a minimum. I think the open nature gives it a good distinction from Symbian and keeps both platforms viable.

There is always a chance that the network providers will take up the device if it proves popular and they get enough requests for it. If one takes it on and it does well the others will have to follow or risk losing custom. Yes I know they are big ifs!

I hate to say it, but I just don't see the N900 being offered by a US carrier. Look at it this way: The N900 is designed as an always-connected computer, a pocket desktop with broadband if you will, with all the usual desktop web-based functions, that oh, by the way, happens to make phone calls. That's how it's described by Nokia people themselves. A 'net connection is vital to it's basic concept and functionality, obviously. I'm wasting time repeating what many have already said...but bear with me a bit.

Anyway, point is, there are 4 carriers in the US Nokia could make deals with, again obviously. But the are serious problems hooking up with any of them.

1. T-Mobile. The obvious choice since as the N900 is presently configured, T-Mobile is the only US carrier that can offer the GSM 3G connection so vital to full functionality on the N900. They showed with the G1 they are willing to risk introducing a new Linux-based OS. But T-Mobile has their hands full with Google-branded Android phones right now and they likely don't want to jeopardize a Good Thing with Google by offering direct competition. 3G service is good where available and growing, but still limited.

2. AT&T. The only other GSM provider so the easiest to adapt the N900 to, but understandably unwilling to do anything that might upset Steve Jobs, who has his hands wrapped tightly around AT&T's throat. Note their recent cancellation of Android phones. In many areas the 3G network is so overloaded it might as well be Edge - if it works at all.

3. Veri$on. CDMA service, difficult to make a deal with as they're almost as bad a control freaks as Apple is. No doubt also not wanting to tick off Jobs & Co. so they can help themselves to a large piece of Apple pie.

4. Sprint. CDMA service, incompetent management, poor infrastructure, very, very shaky financially. So inept they turned over running their network to Ericsson. Would make a human sacrifice for an exclusive iPhone deal.

Add to the above:

1. Training CS staff to support a root-enabled real Linux device. Android/Google made CS easier for T-Mobile by sandboxing all apps, denying root access, etc. No such protection for them with Maemo (thank god).

2. Most US customers are unfamiliar with Nokia. Is there an app for that?

3. The N900 will require a heavy-duty subsidy to price it competitively with BB, iPhone, Android phones, etc.

4. Few US users know anything about unlocked phones or would be willing to pay unlocked prices. They never heard of CDMA, GSM, SIM cards. Are there apps for those?

5. In the US, smartphone = iPhone. Business phone = Blackberry. The end.

But the story isn't yet written. Nokia's not stupid, they're fully aware of everything I listed and more, appear to have a plan and the resources to back them up. So the situation's certainly not hopeless, just serious. There's no room for more N97-type errors in the US. The hardware and OS will have to be excellent from now on to generate 'Net buzz and positive reviews, backed up with plenty of ads to generate public awareness.

Sorry for the long post, I know stating again things most readers here already know. I just wanted to put together an overview of some the potholes in the road to success in the US that Nokia and the N900 faces. A very, VERY rough road. Nokia will need to kick in the 4WD and bring spare tires.

I agree with Crashdamage's astute assessment of the US market.

One possibility is that T-Mobile will introduce the N900 without much subsidy. They've done that with the HTC Touch Pro 2, which has a suggested retail of $550 but sells for $350 with a two-year commitment at T-Mob. That means a $450 N900. Only the fans will buy it at that price.

As for T-Mob's 3G network, they are rolling it out at a furious pace, but neither it nor its retailers are ready for prime time. My town got 3G early last month, but the rollout is incomplete. Half of the suburbs still don't have 3G and there's no firm ETA. I have to assume that's typical of T-Mob, so 3G will be hit-and-miss for at least the rest of the year, if not another 6 months.

Here's an interesting sidelight on the MyTouch. When 3G hit, I stopped by a T-Mob company store and asked about the MyTouch 3G. The salesman was very reluctant to sell it, and wanted to push me into a Blackberry. He was obviously a very experienced T-Mob salesman, knew the phones and plans well. My guess is that people bought the MyTouch expecting an iPhone experience and were dissapointed. The T-Mobile forums have 24,000 posts (10X any other topic) on MyTouch:

http://forums.t-mobile.com/tmbl/

T-Mob clearly needs devices for their shiny new 3G network. If MyTouch is a disappointment, maybe T-Mob will roll out the N900 with a decent subsidy. But they could just as well wait for the next Android device or get the Blackberry Bold, both of which have far more brand recognition than Nokia in the US.

Well X6 probally is the phone that gets less atenttion, but in the end is the phone that sells for masses.
Eldar said in his blog that N900 and booklet was released earlier because they would have stealed the whole show.

Or, Faux-style applied: "Some people say..."

T-Mobile would be crazy to pin that much on Google phones and not have some sort of alternative. I doubt adding the N900 to the portfolio jeapordizes anything with Google, either. It's typical business.

Does anyone have any 3G network capacity numbers? I mean, it's reported that iPhone users have saturated up to 75% of AT&T cell data capacity... even when the device was already optimized to be 'friendly' to AT&T's current capacity. They've put in place cellular limitations such as:

- can only install <10MB apps from the AppStore
- Defaults to 'normal' YouTube quality, not HQ
- VOIPs are only useable with WIFI connection
- No continuous background downloads other than the ones from AppStore or iTunes Store

(Of course the above limitations are easily lifted after it's jailbroken). But.. with such insane usage numbers, wouldn't N900 success spell capacity doom for the carrier?

This is my first post here.
I am from Greece and a lot of people here have the same question.Will it be available in Greece,full Greek with the hardware keyboard including Greek letters;
I do not know if i can get an answer from here,and i am realy sorry if this is not the place for this question.

problem is that with such a price (i am looking at at least 50% increase vs a N810 locally, and i am not sure i want it as my primary phone device, as having multiple points of failure appeals to me) it may well get anyone but the very hardened enthusiast to think twice about committing.

now if nokia had announced Qt for world compile at the same time, so that third party software could compile on all existing nokia platforms in one go, and maybe even windows mobile, it may be a easier sell.

but as it stands, its to much of a dark horse on the phone market, even given its tablet pedigree...

where is that non-phone device, nokia?

the way i see it, t-mobile is using the android phones as an alternative to the hiptop (or whatever they are called), given how similar they are in overall software design...