After several unofficial leaks, Nokia on Thursday officially unveiled the N900, the company's first Linux phone. It's a good first step to rejuvenate Nokia's smartphone line, but will the N900 have what it takes to go head-to-head with the iPhone and Android Phones?

"The 5 real reasons to avoid iPhone 3G:

** iPhone completely blocks free software. Developers must pay a tax to Apple, who becomes the sole authority over what can and can't be on everyone's phones.
** iPhone endorses and supports Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) technology.

After a delay of several weeks, Nokia is finally shipping its Maemo Linux-based N900 smartphone for 500 Euros ($750), says eWEEK. Meanwhile, a research note supports rumors of an upcoming Maemo-based, mass-market smartphone designed to compete directly with the iPhone, says an industry report, and LWN.net reports on last month's Maemo Summit.

We've looked at three Linux-based phones that give the iPhone a run for its money. There's the Palm Pre, running WebOS; Nokia's Maemo 5-based N900, and the HTC Legend, running Android. Each is a strong challenger to Apple's device, and they beat it today in significant areas. So, which is best for you?

The iPhone hype hides a basic problem with the product – Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) inside the iPhone means that it wont be under your control. Apple has built this “smart” phone to dumb you down.

Today I’d like to tell you about Firefox Mobile on the N900, running in conjunction with the new Mozilla Weave web service. I’ve been testing them out on my handset for about a month now since the beta release of Fennec (the codename for Firefox Mobile). The N900 is the first device to get Firefox Mobile but it should also appear on Google Android phones in the near future.

With the slogan "The clean form fits your fist. The open system frees your mind," the NEO has been optimistically punted by some as a potential iPhone killer. However, it is unlikely to compete with iPhone's popularity and trendy image... More realistically, it could be seen as an iPhone injurer.

Take a stroll through an AT&T store this holiday season and you can't help but notice that it's deja view all over again. Apple is making the same mistake with the iPhone that it made with the PC. Android phones come in all shapes, sizes, price points. Off in that lonely corner is the iPhone in two models: the latest iPhone 4 and the older iPhone 3GS. That's it.

The iPhone and iPod Touch haven taken the mobile market by storm. Apple's AppStore is full of interesting applications that take advantage of the two devices's capabilities. But what's in there for Linux users?