>>buy N9
>>install Nitdroid
>>buy Capacitive stylus
>>buy Tiny BT keyboard
>>Do your business
>>get profit
>>get an Android
>>play with it
>>get bored with android
>>sell android
>>Buy N900

TBH I don't really know if I love or even like the N900. I've never seen one in real life. I have an N800 that I love and I put a Maemo 5 theme on it for a bit. I ended up thinking Diablo was better for the N800, but the Maemo 5 theme still seemed like a better UI than any other mobile OS I've seen.

task switcher in ICS is a MixBag of running and Recent Apps.. and yes mostly it closes App when you Swipe them off...

^The swipe actually closes it and resets it the way you are referring to/want. It is true that the older method was just a pausing mechanism and you didn't know what was going on in the background, or for certain apps it would reset everytime you opened it. ICS is different from that in which whatever is open will be in the task switcher window and once you close it, it's gone, similar to maemo/meego.

My opinion is that you should not rely on Nitdroid. I love my N900s, but based on no experience, I guess that what you really need is the N9, because the N900 can be temperamental, meaning it might suddenly not work in a way that a business can't tolerate.

If you definitely need some Android programs, maybe you should just go with an Android phone. It won't have the razzle dazzle of the N9, but it will use the same programs the other businesspeople use, and that is handy.

My two cents...

If you plan on using the phone data only, then the N900 or N9 aren't that bad of an option (NITDroid doesn't have working cell phone, AFAIK). But I'm pretty sure you'll quickly stop using NITDroid once you see that Meamo/Meego are so much more powerful, multitasking and all. If screen size is an issue, go with the N9. I personally would have a hard time without a keyboard or resistive screen (gotta love the stylus), but I'm sure you have your own priorities.

The N900 is about $200 new on ebay (or are they refurbished?), in any case, $100 less than the N9 is just crazy, where did you get those prices.

And finally, try to USE the phone (N900, N9) before purchasing, as that's the best way to go.

Good luck!


EDIT: Why not get a cheapo Android device for phone calls, and the N900/N9 for data? I doubt the apps you listed use lots of bandwith...

Definitely go with Android. We don't need more demand on the supply chain of N900's, lol!

On a more serious note, based on my own use/needs of such devices:

- If you NEED a particular app found only in certain devices, then your decision has already been made.

- The N900 on AT&T is not as good as the N900 on T-Mobile (in the U.S.) Sometimes, I just need that 3G and don't want to wait for a wifi hotspot.

- I can't live with or without my N900. I wouldn't say it is a love hate relationship since it is mostly love but I really want Nokia Maps on this damn thing and the hate would go away.

If you can't make up your mind, others have already mentioned it, Cheapo Android + N900/N9. I myself am using an N8 + N900 combo, but I just don't want to lug around 2 devices with me all the time.

A dead on arrival, a stalled and slowly fading, or a rapidly maturing and expanding OS?

Thanks all for the comments and suggestions. AS far as the Android apps go, need is maybe too strong of a word. It's more like there are apps available on Android that I wouldn't necessarily use daily, but they are things that can make my life a bit easier when the need comes up. I currently use my wife's Android phone for this as the need comes up, and she's mostly been patient with this, but it would be nice to have the capability on my own.

As far as the various plans go, I'm in kind of a unique situation in that I currently don't pay anything for my Verizon voice plan. If I was to upgrade to a smartphone on Verizon I would start paying for both voice and data, and my company would reimburse me for the data portion...but that would still mean I'd end up paying about $30 more per month than I currently do. The other option is to go with a T-Mobile no contract plan, which will give me "unlimited" data and unlimited texts, plus 100 minutes of voice per month. My company would pay for the T-mobile plan, and I wouldn't lose my free voice minutes on Verizon. But it does mean that doing a cheap Android phone + a dumbphone + either a N9 or N900 would be one too many devices to carry around with me.

Though I love my N900, I still can't trust it fully. Sometimes there would be missing messages in my inbox, other times I'd miss a call because it becomes unresponsive. It's a great mini computer but wouldn't rely on it too much as a phone.