[miffed]

If I was asked to make this decision for someone else (a "normal" person) , as their primary device , there would be absolutely no question ! , I would recommend the HTC Desire .

....But we are talking about me here ! , I am going to keep my iPhone anyway (whether it will be my main device or second device remains to be seen - but it will always be on hand !)

I was all set to pick up a Desire , but while it is a lovely device , I can't help thinking it isn't actually going to fill the gap in my "toy" fleet , and that the N900 would actually provide me with more "fun" in the long run

I'd also like to give Nokia a chance to redeem themselves - Listening to me talk lately you'd think I hated the brand , but to be fair I owned (and loved) pretty much every model in the Communicator series from the 9110 on at a time when most people didn't know what a smartphone was.

I don't know what it is about the Desire , but I feel like I'd be buying yet another mainstream device , when really I'd like to go back to the days when people looked at my Phones and said "Wow ! .... WTF is that !!!??"

Any thoughts ?

[Hands0n]

If you are after the WTF factor then the Nokia N900 has to be your baby. That said, it may be worth checking with our very own Getti who had one briefly, which in his terms is an eternity :D

I tend to lean towards the N900, given your criteria, simply because it is using an OS that you probably are not familiar with, and certainly no one else in your circle is going to be.

"Is that one of them Android things?" ... Nope!
And so the conversation starts off ... unlikely that anyone would have knowledge, let alone experience, of Maemo (me included).

The only question on my mind is whether or not you can trust Nokia not to cock up Maemo given their history of Symbian. Have they made Maemo behave like Symbian or have they been able to capitalise on the new [to them] OS and make it fly like an eagle?

A final though - the N900 is rather old hat now, a bit long in the tooth ;) having been around for a while since the last half of 2009. So what have Nokia done with the model? No sign of an N901 or something similar which makes me think that Nokia's flirtation with Maemo was more of a concept release than anything else. That is not to suggest that buying into a Maemo is a bad idea - but if the support for the format is weak you may well end up with a bit of a lemon with few if any apps and stuff to be getting along with. In effect an N900 paperweight.

Meanwhile, the Android format is taking off big time, 2010 is likely to be its flagship year, putting Android firmly in the psyche of the mobile phone users across the world. Not even a poor man's iPhone!!

So what's your choice then?

[miffed]

....Hmm , you've pretty much mirrored my thoughts there !!

Well the situation is this , I am probably 75% for the Desire , and 25% for the N900 :)

Really want to resist iPhone 4.0 ! I have said this about previous models ,... but if I put my hand on my heart , I can honestly say I could go back to the 3G , or even the 2G for that matter and be "as" happy as I am with the 3GS .... So other than the obvious matter of aesthetics , I think I don't NEED iPhone 4 , now that the rest of the world has caught up (or are at least in the same ball park !) I don't feel I need to obediently buy every new device Apple turn out , and now there ARE viable alternatives I am keen to shop around a bit !! ... A few years ago this simply wasn't the case - there were no other viable choices and because of this people like me were labelled as "Fanbois" , It is great to be able dispel that misconception now and proove that I have no blind loyalty to anyone !

On the subject of Aesthetics , I did consider an HTC Legend - which I can only describe as beautiful !! , as one reviewer said , it looks like the lovechild of an HTC Hero and Macbook Pro , absolutely stunning , and well specced too , BUT , the Desire is better specced and only marginally more expensive - so it's a bit of a no-brainer really , I can't bring myself to part with that amount of cash for the legend and not the Desire.

[solo12002]

well if three have any in stock it took me allmost 3 weeks to get on in NI. they currently selling them on PAYG at £350.

Due to three branding issues, any they currently sellling are SIM free unlocked and unbranded. cant say how long that will go on for like. Lovely mobile like, Ive been using mine not as much as i should as I want a case for protection. this is one time a comdon is no use no matter the kit mark lol

[Ben]

Hm.

Lets face it, if you want to go against the mainstream then IMHO the N900 would be where it's at. But it'd be better to wait for a 'new' Nokia niche phone now, the N900 is a bit old and we all know that phones are the most fun when nobody else has them! ;)

Android already looks to be the clear winner of the new phone OS wars, which makes it a little boring - and I haven't even owned an Android yet.

[miffed]

Agreed that Android appears to be where its at ! - and the most amazing thing IMO is ....... Well , this !!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScPbfdUnk4Q


Yeah , OK it's a cheapy ..... but look at what you get for your �99 ! Android 2.1 , GPS with sat nav software
Camera with flash etc

Come on ? that is BLOODY good !!

Smartphones are now readily availably and usable by all - and it seems to be Android that has made it happen , what we are seeing now is the "Revolution" that Three promised us in 2003 (and failed to deliver by a long shot)

...After years of expensive (hard to find) devices , Networks making it difficult and expensive to use data services , and trying to dictate how we use that data , they are finally catching on and giving us what we want !!

And not before time either !

[Hands0n]

Good heavens, that is one attractive little muvva :)

You had a Pulse - did you manage to get it unlocked to any network? Who by, T-Mo or an independent?

[miffed]

The Pulse is a cool little (Big ? ) Device ! , I still feel that pound for pound it's one of the best phones I've ever bought ! - As I have a T-mobile account and there appears to be oodlles of T-mobile HSDPA everywhere , I never really felt the need to unlock - Although apparently IMEI code is the way to go , and there is a guy that unlocks on Modaco for £12 to members ! - OK so it's no powerhouse , but for what it is , I love it ! Put it this way , hand on heart I'd rather use the Pulse than the HD2.

Anyhow ......

Popped into CPW Westwood Cross this morning - Not sure what was happening (Something about a £10 promotion ? ) - But I ended up queuing for 20 minutes before having a chat with a sales rep , I mentioned I was interested in the Desire , and was curious to know what the score was with Network branding , He confirmed that CPW's Desires were all SIM free and unlocked , Which is what I suspected.
Now I know I could probably have got one cheaper on the internet , but there is a lot to be said for the "here and now" , so I thought "what the hell" and told him I'd take a PAYG (read - SIM free) HTC Desire for £399 plus a £10 top up - so £409. The sales assistants face lit up and he bounced out the back , only to return two minutes later to tell me they were out of stock :(
Anyway , I had a taste for it now :) so I stopped off at CPW Herne bay on the way home and picked on up there - Just getting it's initial charge at the moment but I'll report back with my findings

....One little whine though (on a different note) - I was going to look in the Three shop (Glad I didn't bother now , having got an unbranded beast) ... But the lazy sods don't even get out of bed till 10.30am !!! Unbelievable , they aren't even trying !!

[Hands0n]

You are very unlikely to be disappointed with the HTC Desire, trust me. I personally have a preference for the Nexus One purely and simply for its noise cancellation technology, but thats just me. The HTC Desire is as awesome, and the UI is dead cool. :)