I have been ghosting the forums trying to learn what I can before I get my device. I often see that lots of the experimental applications and tech level mods can lead to a "bricked" phone.

But I wonder exactly what that term means here. For me as a person who also ghosts the Nintendo wii modding forums it means the device is permanently broken and can not be fixed.

If you say somebody bricked there wii, its now a paper weight. If its fixable they just say semi-bricked.

After reading so many things that can brick this phone (even just the random reboots that happen to it can brick it I just read) I am worried because i cant just replace a $500+ phone if it decides to go out on me.

Now I am a computer guy, that is my field and I know no matter how messed up a computer gets at a software/os level as long as the hardware is ok it can be fixed, with in a worst case scenario a new install of the OS.

Since the N900 is supposed to be running basically Linux and its a "computer" I am hoping to hear that you can indeed flash the phone back to stock factory state no matter how bad the "brick" is on the device, and that the term here is mostly just used to describe a temporary non working state and not a permanent one.

Im actually selling one of my laptops just to get the N900, but if the phone is prone to perma death, Id rather keep my laptop

I'd quess there is no cases where devices have really been bricked outside hw mods (please correct me if I'm wrong).

and I have a link to bug that "bricks" the device, it has been fixed and fix should be in next sw update in my signature.

I don't think any device has been genuinely bricked.

Some issues, like the nontrivial sequence to reflash, and the requirement that the battery must be charged in order for flashing to work, and battery charging not working if n900 is not booting, contribute to many cases where people think they've bricked tgheir devices for real.