I picked N900 because I could trade stock better on the go, 3G freq for T-mobile and needed a new PHONE... yes phone. (Don't like Mytouch or HTC TP2)

Flash, 32GB+16Gb, unique, Maemo 5/Linux, touchscreen with K/B were all a plus.

because it is basically a computer.

I wanted an iphone
I didnt want an iphone (and follow the masses)
I got way way better than an iphone!

I researched for a long time before commiting to the n900. I have a itouch(first gen) and at first I loved the darn thing but apple with the paid updates ruined it for me. I jailbroke it and getting a paid update for free left a bad taste in my mouth. So I flipped it back legit and paid for the update but the direction apple was head made me toss it aside.

I picked up a zune 120 and they required me to install microsoft updates, I did a brief search for a work around to find out the older zune software that would allow me was nowhere to be found so I promptly returned it. I grabbed a cowon O2 plus a s
9 and never looked back.

So the need for a smartphone resurface despite my general hate for them, well most of the hate is directed towards the industry. I researched for 2 years and during that time 2 competitors emerged. The palm pre and the nokia n97, but the price of the n97 put me off. Compared to other phones it was lagging behind in the cpu/gpu department. I felt it wouldn't last long before I would need to replace it, despite it being packed with features.

The palm pre had decent hardware but lack even the simple feature of a mSD/SD slot alongside low amount of space. I debated for a while and when it became clear that it constantly needed to connect to the internet that my info would be "in the cloud" and urge to buy one floated away.

So back to the lab again, the n900 codename with pics are released. I'm curious, excited while being cautious not to get my hopes up. I start snooping around andriod phones and saw too many law breaking privacy concerns. I searched to see if I could download andriod compile it and install it on the device. The answwer came back that "if I knowingly signed a contract knowing the restrictions of said device and went and removed those restrictions by flashing the phone would be a violation of the contract" hmmm well I need a unlocked phone then.

I start out searching again and more info on the new nokia tablet was available. Checked the hardware............WoW....... then I looked into the OS, it's linux WOOT! Wait wait wait wasn't andriod linux based too ? So I start comparing the 2 as much as I could, as time allowed. Now it had been some years since I used unix/linux but to my understanding Maemo was more of a "pure" mobile linux OS while android is more of a java hack.

To recap
I didn't like the iphone restrictions on use, nor the cloud aspect of the pre or google services. I don't like google at all because I value privacy, storage expansion is a must, putting the power to configure my device as I see fit minus piracy is a must.

That's why I choose the n900 but I've been disappointed and I'm considering returning it. I hate stuff forced upon me(ovi plugin, google search in microb) especially when it was marketed "
your desktop in your pocket" sorry but I can change google and uninstall anything one way or another on my desktop. The ironic thing is had planned to use ovi I just didn't see any reason for a autologin plugin.

Add in the recent removal of redpill which I despite the fact that I didn't use it their will come a time when I will want to tinker with it and the option will be gone. If it wasn't a bug or something like that it shouldn't have been removed, period. It's all adding up to a returned device or my last ever purchase from nokia.

Because my iPhone 3G was way too crappy in too many areas...

I had an SE Xperia X1 and Windows Mobile was insanely unstable. I hated how every day with the device was a struggle to operate the UI that only works with a stylus, for every little thing. Then I got the cracked case design flaw, so I thought "this is not worth the hassle" and stumbled onto someone in the same situation who mentioned the N900.

As soon as I read the words "full Linux" I was hooked. My main OS at home has been Linux for a few years now. Granted, its desktop performance is still a lot more rough than Windows (PC Windows that is, not Windows Slowbile), but no licensing issues and the fact all the free software is written for Linux anyway meant it seemed silly running Windows with its many issues just to run open source software that comes with Linux as standard. I had been using Linux as a web server and router for years anyway, so it made sense to converge together on a single PC and save some electricity. Plus it means I never need to boot my desktop anymore, as its running 24/7 and just a simple login away, from anywhere with Internet access remotely too.

So the idea of having the Linux advantages on a portable device was a killer feature. Obviously it still needed a lot of work to have a usable UI but it was clear Nokia were doing that work, it just looked gorgeous. The fact I can SCP files over from Linux, SSH into my N900 to do command line work rather than having to type on its (granted fantastic for its size) keyboard. Then of course there is the web browser which blows Opera Mobile on the Xperia X1 away. Its far more stable and doesn't take years to do everything.

But by far the most useful is IM. I no longer use it on my PC I keep it logged in on my N900, so instead of forgetting to logout when I leave the house I just take it with me. Every time someone sends me a URL thinking I am on the PC I curse, then I open the URL and realise it works perfectly. Quite frankly, the N900 surprises me every day with how well it works for the stuff I wanted it for.

Its even more amazing when you think its only been out a month and things have already improved dramatically. I feel like I have had it six months, things have changed so much in such a short time. Its not perfect, but as long as Nokia and third-parties keep working on it rather than dropping it for the latest thing, we are not going recognise it by the end of the year, it will be such a difference device compared to its "not quite ready" status at launch.

Lots of reasons:

• It runs Linux. But more than that, it provides access to it in ways that other Linux-powered devices do not.
• It uses Open APIs (GTK, Qt) and a variety of languages (shell scripts, C, C++, Python) instead of just one (or none!)
• Nokia saw it fit to include an X Terminal out of the box, and access to the root account via a repo package.
• Speaking of repos, it uses APT. A pocketable device that uses APT. How cool is that?
• It was a pocket PC that could handle all my cell phone duties
• It had a cellular modem, which truly made it an internet tablet, IMO. Wifi is nice, but not as ubiquitous as even EDGE.
• The development environment was, for someone who works on Linux, nothing special. As a result my favorite scripting language, Ruby, is available with lots of bindings.
• It was available unlocked.

Got it for VoIP (the real one: SIP, not skype), still waiting for PR1.2 ... :P