The Nokia N900 might be part of a line of "Internet tablets," but when I tried it today, it seemed like it could be a great smartphone if it didn't cost an absolutely fatal $649.

The N900 is the latest in Nokia's series of Linux-based tablets, which includes the older N770, N800, and N810 WiMAX edition. But this is the first one that's a phone, the first one that's small enough to fit well in your hand, and the first one with a range of top-of-the-line smartphone features, including a 5-megapixel camera and built-in document editing software. The phone runs on T-Mobile's 3G network, or AT&T's 2G EDGE system.

I came away from an hour with the N900 impressed with its functionality - it definitely seemed more powerful and smoother than the Nokia N97. But the price limits it to a thin sliver of crazed Linux geeks. That's a pity. Check out the full details of my hands-on on PCMag.com.