Nokia N900: Gorgeous phone thinks it's a tablet

Nokia finally officially announced its sweet-looking N900 phone, and strangely enough, the company's calling the pocket-sized device a tablet. The Nokia N900 runs the Maemo 5 operating system, a tablet-oriented variant of Linux that's looking delectably user-friendly, especially since it'll be able to run Firefox. We're also digging that 3.5" resistive WVGA screen, but wish it were capacitive for that easy control we've gotten so used to lately.

Not only does Nokia trump its own highly capable N97 with this little hand-held computer — it's catching up to the iPhone. The N900 smacks down Apple's darling in a variety of ways, starting with its Flash 9 compatibility and a 5-megapixel camera with a flash, and adding a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and multitasking for good measure. It's off to a good start.

Too bad the thing is so expensive, rolling out in October for $718. But that price will certainly come down when cellphone companies start slathering on the subsidies. Like it? Before you make up your mind, take a look at a couple of videos that demonstrate the Nokia N900's prowess:

Who's returning for the upcoming Hancock sequel?

scifiwire.com has been reporting details about a proposed sequel to the Will Smith superhero movie Hancock for a while now, and Variety is now confirming that Smith, Charlize Theron and Jason Bateman are gearing up to reunite for the sequel.

Peter Berg, who directed the original film, is set to direct the action-comedy follow-up, the trade paper reported:

Berg disclosed the news at the Toronto Film Festival where he said, "Everybody's going to come back for a sequel."

The director has been working with TV scribes Adam Fierro (24, Dexter) and Glen Mazzara (The Shield) to pen the script.

Plot details are being kept under wraps, Berg told us that a sequel would elaborate on the film's mythology, in which Smith is a god who loses his superpowers in the presence of his former goddess companion (Theron).

"There might be another god out there," Berg told us in an exclusive interview in July in Pasadena, Calif. "Might be another one."

Sony has yet to set a release date, and the studio stressed that no official talent deals had yet been signed, given that the script is not yet complete.

D23: 5 good signs about the Disney-Marvel merger

News of Disney's acquisition of Marvel might have inspired nightmares of a Mickey vs. Hulk spin-off or out-of-work actors dressing as Wolverine for the Electrical Parade. But Walt Disney Co. president and CEO Bob Iger put those worries to rest when he spoke about his company's acquisition of Marvel studios today at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, Calif.

In his opening address at the first annual Disney fan convention, Iger's brief Marvel-related comments offered promise for the merger of the two behemoths. At a press conference later in the afternoon, Iger expanded on Disney's plans for Marvel and respect for the legacy they've already established.

1) Marvel stays Marvel. Paying homage to "The Mouse"'s tendency to water down material for its family audience, Iger addressed the big worry. "There will be no Disneyfication of Marvel," he said in a press conference. He added that Marvel will continue to work independently. "We plan to keep Marvel as an entity and to respect both the talent that is there, working as one, and also respect what Marvel is and what the essence of Marvel is."

2) It's all about story and character. Twice in his address, Iger referred to the characters and storytelling in the Marvel universe. Later, he added that the studio behind Captain Jack Sparrow and Donald Duck recognizes good fictional talent when they see it. "It's a business we're very familiar with," Iger said. "Well-known characters and weird stories and a product that transcends gender and age and geographic territories."

3) For now, no Tony Stark's Haunted Mansion. During his morning address, Iger touted the possibilities of Disney's global resources to expand and tie in with Marvel. Later, he specified that Disney will respect previous Marvel deals. For example, Universal theme parks currently run Marvel-themed rides. Also, studios like Fox and Sony still distribute franchises like X-Men and Spider-Man, respectively. "There are also some legacy agreements that Marvel has in a variety of ways, to the theme park with Universal, to the distribution of the live-action films," Iger said. "So until some of these things work their course, or until we get a better sense when the deal closes, there isn't much planning that can be done until we reach an agreement."

4) Pixar is paving the way for Marvel. Remember when Disney thought they could do without Pixar? They were going to make their own version of Toy Story 3 and everything. Then they realized that only Pixar is Pixar. Well, same with Marvel. Iger even brought in John Lasseter to help him make the case to Marvel. "There is a whole culture attached that was a huge part of their success, and I didn't want to do anything that messed with that culture," Iger said. "I had John Lasseter [talk to Marvel] with me and then without me, so that he could talk to them more about Disney. He gave them some perspective on that, and it was very positive."

5) As Hannah Montana says, "It's the best of both worlds." Rather than harp on potential conflicts, edgy subtext vs. lucrative merchandising, etc., Iger focused on the potential for pooling Marvel and Disney resources. They already travel the same ground in creating story and characters for movies, television, literature and more. "When you look at it as a part of the Walt Disney Co., the presence of Marvel is virtually in everything that we're in," Iger said. "You can expect that over time, that's what you will see. We became impressed with the talent of Marvel as we got to know them better."

New Stargate movies finally ready to begin shooting?

Amanda Tapping says that a new Stargate SG-1 movie could begin production later this year, as soon as the first season of Syfy's upcoming SGU: Stargate Universe wraps. A new straight-to-DVD movie was announced a while back.

"As far as I know, we may start in late fall or early winter this year," Tapping said in an exclusive interview. "And I will slip back into Sam Carter very nicely; I'm looking forward to it."

Martin Wood would again direct. "They asked me to direct the Stargate SG-1 movie, and they are waiting until Universe is finished, and then, of course, they ask me when I'm available," said Wood, who was also a co-producer on Stargate SG-1 and a supervising producer on Atlantis, as well as an executive producer, with Tapping, on Syfy's Sanctuary. "Then that may get done by the end of the year. That's what everyone is hoping, at least."

What about a new Stargate Atlantis movie? "Atlantis is still being talked about for this year," Wood said. "Right now, I'm so far removed from it, but they'll let me know, and I'm happy to do it."

The SG-1 movie is green-lighted, and the Atlantis film is in the works, but both Wood and Tapping are already committed to the second season of Sanctuary, which finished filming in July but still needs work to be done. The first season's four-disc DVD set is coming out next Tuesday.

Wood spoke this week from his car, driving to finish up sound editing on season two of Sanctuary. He's eager to see Tapping put on Carter's fatigues again.

"Samantha Carter is a very familiar mindset for Amanda, so it won't be hard for her to find her," Wood said. "In fact, there are a number of people I've met going to conventions who said they did not realize at first that she was the same person as Dr. Magnus on Sanctuary."

Tapping said she tried very hard to make her role as Stargate's Col. Carter very different from the sultry and mysterious Dr. Helen Magnus, who runs a haven for abnormal creatures in Sanctuary.

"I dyed my hair and changed my accent and made it so that I don't look at all like Carter," Tapping said. "I needed to reinvent myself as an artist, so it was a challenge. I had to have more eccentricities and walk with stilettos."

The new season of Sanctuary begins Oct. 9 and will air Fridays at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Tapping directs one of the new episodes. (Look for details on that tomorrow.)

Tapping will also make an appearance in the premiere of Stargate Universe, which debuts Oct. 2 at 9 p.m.

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