Had to run 'apt-get -f install' a few times, and also 'dpkg-divert --remove /etc/hildon-desktop/home.plugins' since it seemed hildon-desktop-applet-settings-205 didn't uninstall properly.

Waiting for the last few packages following an 'apt-get upgrade' after the actual upgrade completed, to get a few stragglers.

Success. Settings->About product shows 20.2010.36-2.

Will reflash power-kernel later for wifi-hotspot, but gotta run home.

The 'Network Approval' sop is BS! Whilst branded firmwares for locked phones of course need to be approved, why would the networks have to approve the Generic UK firmware for SIM-free phones?

One of the reasons I paid over the odds for a SIM-free N900 was to get new firmware as soon as it was available rather than wait for network approval Grrr......

It is one thing being made to wait for the UK version but not giving us a date when it will be available and then sending us an SMS telling us it is available when it isn't. Really? Serves me right for paying over the odds direct from Nokia to try and avoid this kind of problem. Thanks Nokia. But I am not going to get (keep repeating).

Is there any other way of getting the update besides either -

a) waiting for the update
or
b) flashing the device?

Thanks

No - those are your two options. Well, I suppose you could sleep with/bribe/kidnap/blackmail the right people at Nokia UK, but that's a bit of an extreme option.

Could the delay be because Nokia loves us Brits so much that they want to test it on the rest of the world first and then release to us a new version with all the kinks ironed out? n.b wouldn't work for me though as I have quite a bit of Ray Davies on my external card....

LOL, that's extra care

I agree that it's the networks that are the problem where firmwares are concerned.

When PR1.2 was released it was months before Vodafone finished "testing" their version. I'm pretty certain all bases are covered by Nokia in this respect.
People were boasting actually purchasing "unbranded" N900s with PR1.2 pre-installed and using the Vodafone network weeks before Vodafone approved the firmware. Vodafone simply used the old BS line "The Vodafone firmware is still in testing".
After more pressure they finally revealed that they hadn't even started the testing stage because they couldn't install it on their testing devices, so had to send them all to Nokia to be flashed.

With regards to Skype and other software, Vodafone have openly expressed the desire to block these at network level at least. So no surprises if they are pushing Nokia to remove them.

Ok, so I have tried everything that you guys have kindly suggested and it looked like it was updating a load of things! including some python scripts. I now have 10.2010.19-1.203.1. Didnt look what I had before stupidly, but have I got the update or not?