most of my friends have iphones and androids ... but mostly iphones, and all of them rely on IM messaging apps like Viper and What'sapp on their communications, unfortunately the N900 hasn't been supported and I was left out because of it (I think this is the price I pay of being a geek), now I am looking for a qwerty android phone to combo with my n900, I simply can't abandon my n900.

I want some help picking up the right phone.

*budget 375$ (cheaper phones are welcomed)
*screen size same or slightly larger than n900 (3.5~3.7 inch)
*no less than 8GB of internal memory
*not looking for a fancy blazing fast dual-core processor, just a decent performance well do.
*rear camera res no less than 5mp
*unlock-able to use with carries outside the US/EU

any suggestions ?
also is this the right section to post?

Tell them to use Skype, its cross plattform in a better way then Whatsapp.
Anyway, I guess HTC Desire Z could fill upp your needs.

I did, but it is really hard to convince apple fanboys I am wasting $375 because of these idiots

I have been looking for similar for ages. It just doesn't exist yet. It's weird that 2 years later nothing can beat the n900 yet. It'd be like a downgrade if something didn't have a a qwerty and multi tasking.

Motorola droid 3 looks like it might fit the bill. BUT it's only in the USA at the moment
SonyEricsson xperia pro looked good a couple months back, but it keeps getting put back and still not released.
HP Pre 3 looked good but webos has died now and reports are the phone is actually a bit of a disaster to use, which is a shame.

Manufacturers just don't seem to be making many qwerty's, and also putting decent hardware in there. The Z is just rubbish imo. Wasn't even good spec when it came out and it is just about obsolete now. I know loads of people who would want 'hardware buttons' but are having to go for phones with only about 2 buttons that rely on touch screen stuff because that is all that is available..
Manufacturers and phone shops look at the sales figures and think 'no one is buying qwderty phones'. Well DUH, if there are none in the shop, people can't buy them. It's a bit of a self perpetuating myth that people only want phones with no buttons.

No android can combo with our N900. It will be like a toy next to our N900

hehehe, Now, seriously. Toraxis is right. I have tried it, when your friends take a look of skype they will love it. BUT, your android friends maybe will be more dificult to convince beucause skype on android was not as good as on our N900 for very ver very long time.

In other hand, if you want another device, take advantage of the technology and go for one dual core/maybe 3D phone. That way you don't lose your money in and outdated device.

I personally use facebook chat and that's it, everybody is on facebook all day.

Change friends
Most of open minded people will combo with your N900 better than any android

Motorola droid 2 is 350€ in finland. Better than desire Z imo. And best qwerty alternative to n900 right now i would say.

I can vouch for the HTC Vision (aka G2/Desire Z). Root it, install Cyanogenmod7 ROM (nightly build available if you feel adventurous), does effortlessly 1.4GHz-1.5GHz overclock, good batt life with JuiceDefender installed. Most common N900 features like terminal emulator, SSH etc are readily available. USB host mode seems to be a WIP for the Vision, it has worked for some Android models on CM7 ROM.

Not saying the Vision is an N900 replacement, but I have to say my N900 has been "reduced" to a testbed rather than daily workhorse.

For $300-350 you should be able to find a new still-in-the-box HTC G2/Desire Z; I say it's well worth the money.

currently considering Droid 2 .. is it unlock-able ?

For someone coming from the N900, but who likes the iPhone as well I can recommend Android 2.2+ which has root, no locked bootloader, and community support.

It also needs a Cortex A8 clocked above 500MHz with over 400MB RAM. A slide out physical qwerty is a godsend, and you need the standard ports etc.

According to that criteria here is the list of all Android slide-qwerty phone contenders arranged from best->worst:
(choice depends on your gsm/cdma frequency, language and budget).

1) Motorola Droid3/Milestone 3 (locked)
2) Samsung EPIC 4G
3) HTC Desire Z / T-Mobile G2
4) HTC Evo Shift 4G
5) Sony Ericsson Xperia PRO (locked--unlockable)
6) Droid2WE / Milestone 2 (locked)
6) Droid (original OG)
7) Sony Ericsson Xperia Play (locked)
8) Cliq2 (locked)
9) Milestone (locked, but custom ROMs available)
10) Samsung Transform (BoostMobile)
11) Xperia Mini Pro SK17i (locked--unlockable)
12) Samsung M920
13) LG Optimus Q
14) MyTouch 3G Slide

-------vv beyond here, not worth it:
15) LG Ally / LG Axis / LG Apex / LG Aloha
16) Samsung Transform
17) Xperia X10 mini PRO (bootloader locked--bypassed!)
18) Motorola CLIQ / DEXT (750MHz + CM7 possible)
19) LG KH5200 Andro-1
20) Samsung Moment II / Samsung Intercept
21) The first consumer-Android device
HTC Dream / T-Mobile G1
22) Samsung Galaxy Indulge
23) Samsung Moment
24) Samsung Acclaim
25) LG GW620

These are the options, don't forget the Thanks button