As someone mentioned, you can use the ConnectBot app which is easy to use. The keyboard can be a bit of a pain if you type fast, but it might just take some getting used to (of course the on screen keyboard is unusable for fast typing until they release some sort of multitouch support for it).
You can also find free FTP and VNC clients in the app store.
The android marketplace is easy to use. It’s searchable and the downloads are fairly fast.
Are you talking about tethering? Like someone mentioned, Verizon charges another $30/month to do that… there might be a way around it through an app; I haven’t checked.
I have not had a problem with grainy youtube videos. There is an option to watch high quality videos (even through 3G) and they look great (fullscreen and good quality). Maybe you were watching in low quality.
I think this phone is mature and professional. Easy to personalize if you want, and runs simultaneous programs very well. I tried listened to Pandora radio, and watching TED talk videos at the same time, and there was no lag in either.
The phone app is simple – there are tabs at the top that can switch between lists of contacts, recent calls, favorites, and the dial pad. The contacts list is searchable and easy to use, and the dial pad (and screen in general) is very responsive. There’s also the proximity sensor that dims the screen when you put it to your ear. The reception is clear and isn’t a problem.
Email: It automatically syncs your gmail chats, emails and contacts, and you everything is searchable. It also syncs facebook contacts which can be annoying, but you can turn it off if you want. It also can combine contacts with the same name, and you can join contacts manually.
There is an email app that lets you sync POP3 and IMAP accounts to your phone and they can notify you when you get a new email.
I believe you can download WAV files, and I assume the Droid can play them, though I haven’t tested this.

In general, it’s a great phone. Depending on how much you use it and what you use it for, though, you might be disappointed with the battery life. Also, Verizon is supposed to be coming out with new Android 2.0 phones. If you are hesitant about getting the Droid, you might want to wait to see what they deliver.

Besides, being vzw & moto, it already has two notches in the negative column.

2) Need an SSH client.
(There are a couple, best results if you root your phone)

3) Would like to be able to turn it into a hotspot like I could do with the Windows phone I took back. Can that be done?
(Yes, verison charges an extra $30/month for this “feature” cap at 5gb/month)

4) Youtube video was pretty grainy. I’m wondering why?
(quality is based on available bandwidth, try it on wifi should look like youtube HD)

5) Where are good sites to get apps for this platform.
(Built in android market place is a solid start, you can download apk files from other sources and there are third party market place replacements.)

Additionally the iPhone battery goes dead really fast if you are in an area with poor AT&T reception. Let me simplify that. The iPhone battery goes dead really fast. I have to charge it twice a day.

If what you want is a phone, get a phone. If you want an iPhone get an iPhone. But the iPhone is not a phone.

After a year and then some with the iPhone best I can say about it is… Seemed like a good idea at the time… I would rather have a phone that worked as well as my verizon free with service agreement phone I used to have and a nice windows 7 netbook.

The one downside for me is the PDF reader is weak without a landscape view. And apps load a tad slow coupled with occasional delayed responsiveness. Probably dual core hardware would cure this.

All in all, satisfied. Of course YMMV.

The downside is that it uses T-Mobile’s 3G network here in the US, although they just introduced better pricing (and no contract) if you buy the phone instead of subsidizing. Since the N900 isn’t being picked up by them (yet), you’ll save a little on the monthly bill. And keep an eye on their “coverage” map. They’ve been adding 3G cell sites in my area all year.

The nice thing about the N900 is that it is extremely easy to get root and that the only thing that happens when you try to install an “unapproved” program is a warning that Nokia doesn’t offer any warranty on this software, use at your own risk, etc.

It’s like being treated like an adult. Tough concept for some, but I’ve come to prefer it over the alternative.

The best place for information about the N900 is http://talk.maemo.org. This is the main site for the Maemo developer community (and a lot of users). Right now it’s like waiting for Santa Clause (so much for adult behavior) until Nokia releases the darn thing, but once we get through this it should get interesting again.