Recently I was inspired to buy a Nokia n800 by all of the recent fuss, so I sat on the idea for a while, and I'm starting to think that this may be more than a sudden "instant gratification" craving, and that I might actually use the thing. Before I sink $400 into a handheld, I'd like to know that it is the BEST for the cheapest. I'm looking for something I can hack a little, at least get a terminal going. Expansion is a must, speed is not too essential but is certainly something to be considered, as for connectivity I'd prefer it to be usable as a phone as well, Wifi is pretty much a must, although for the right price I could be persuaded to live without it. To further clarify, I'd like a Linux phone I can use to do some basic system maintenance when I don't have my laptop with me. I'm liking the OpenMoko neo1973, but I'm not yet ready to spend $300 on a product labeled "experimental". I found a Nokia n770 on Craigslist for $250, but since you can't install apps on memory cards and it uses RS-MMC, I don't think it's such a great idea. Also it's not a phone. I'd appreciate any input on the subject.

I would say wait a little bit and get the Nokia N810. I got to play with one the other day (I love my job) and it was very nice.

I feel kind of dumb asking this, but is it a phone as well? Also, when does it come out?

N770/N800/N810 are not phones. The other features you have requested fare reasonably well:

- cheap : N770 for ~$130 and N800 for ~$240.
- hack a little : you can hack a lot! terminal is there, you can ssh and everything.
- expansion : two memory slots with N800.
- speed : moderate, sufficient for all apps except playing youtube videos smoothly.
- phone : nope.
- wifi : yes. you can browse internet(at 800x480 resolution), check email, read rss feeds, text chat, make VoIP calls, video chat over IP, etc. when wifi is not available, you can hook up with your phone's internet connection if you want to.
- mini-laptop - yeah, this is it. I view it more as a mini-computer than as an Internet tablet.

But if you are basically looking for a phone, this doesn't fit the bill at all(even if some blogs report otherwise).

go for Motorola A1200, its a linux smartphone at a decent price. I am replying you right from this device! Then thr are sites like modmymoto.com to guide on some hacking.

Another dumb(ish) question: how does one buy/find prices for the Moto A1200? I found it on the Moto site, but there is not "Buy" link. I'd prefer to buy one unlocked.

Just search for unlocked A1200

Amazon even has em...

http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-A1200.../dp/B000FDZLZQ

Try this link too. Unlocked guaranteed. But I am not sure if they will ship it to your country.

http://search.ebay.in/motoming-a1200...0QQsacatZ15032

So has anyone tried to hack this thing? Can you get a terminal on it? Easy to use? It looks really awesome, I looked at this phone a while a go, but I expected it to be a lot more than $269. Also, does "Unlocked" mean "not locked to a provider" or "someone hacked it to unlock it"?

Ming is old, E6 is the newer version of Ming technology. It got EDGE but no 3G/Wifi

General : Log On, Desktop1, Desktop2, Messages, eKonsole, Menu, Log Off, Browser

Experiments : TurboC, DOS, Windows

Visit my blog and motorolofans.com and modmymoto.com to know more.

Unlocked means not locked to provider. No hacking thing here!

Could always check out the roundup Wired did on Open Source Unlocked Phones as well..

Ok, so I checked out the blog, I guess that eKonsole is the application one would use as a terminal? The E6 is pretty awesome as well, and even if it's not as sleek as the Ming, I think it's a better decision. I'll think on it. How dangerous is it to install apps on it? I'm a little nervous about killing it right out of the box. Any problems with the E6 that anyone has experienced?

Don't worry I have googled enough, you won't find native E6 apps. unless you develop one for yourself.There is an unofficial SDK outhere somewhere!However J2ME apps. will run pretty well on all these phones. Don't forget to download Opera browser, its a beauty.

@amitabh: What?! How many native apps do you want? Even visit motorolafans.com or my blog? Your signature fits you well [no offence hehe]

Consolidated List of Apps for E6

@worldgnat: No major problems and no serious issues unless you want to rip the phone apart. AS with everything, there are problems and there are solutions but the pros outweigh the cons.

Please visit here to get an idea of the things on E6. Cheers