Star Wars -- Engadget

Star Wars flash drives' giant heads seep into our teensy hearts

by Laura June, posted Jul 1st 2009 at 11:52AM

We see so many flash drives around these parts, it is truly, truly hard for any to distinguish themselves in our eyes. These ones? Well, we'll admit it: we have a giant soft spot for their massive noggins. Not the first Star Wars flash drives we've seen -- this newest set store up to 2GB per drive -- which isn't anything to throw a party over, but they're really cute, right? The set, which includes Darth Vader, Yoda (look at his toes!), a Stormtrooper and Boba Fett, will be available starting in October for $25 each.

[Via Technabob]

Official Star Wars lightsaber and blaster accessories for licensed Wii Jedis

by Thomas Ricker, posted Jun 26th 2009 at 6:15AM

Hey, who doesn't have a desire to get down and nerdy with their Wii on occasion -- we respect that. But if you're going to pretend to hold the Wiimote like a lightsaber, you might as well go for the full-on, officially-licensed accessory. Oh, there are plenty of pretenders but nothing can feed your delusions of grandeur better than George Lucas' blessing. Yes, the lightsaber glows, and the cats at Bensussen Deutsch & Associates have plans for a matching blaster too. Unfortunately, the accessories don't make room for MotionPlus which is fine, we guess, since they'll be shipping with Star Wars - The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes -- a game that doesn't support MotionPlus anyway. How wude.

R2D2 casemod is affordable, convincing evidence of our continued love for old sci-fi epic

by Laura June, posted Mar 23rd 2009 at 4:12PM

We'll let you in on a little secret: we find the constant stream of Star Wars-inspired you-name-it to be a little, shall we say... played? That said, this R2D2 casemod is totally, impressively rad. Made from a grabage can, it's obviously a labor of love, and the results are insanely "real" looking -- yup, that's Artoo-Deetoo, hanging out in that guy's humble abode. This droid's got a webcam, speakers, LEDs -- all the good stuff you'd expect from a highly detailed piece of nerdery, and if you're action-oriented, you can make one of your very own for roughly $150. Hit the read link for tons of photos and detailed instructions. One more shot of the little dude after the break.

Continue reading R2D2 casemod is affordable, convincing evidence of our continued love for old sci-fi epic

Engadget's recession antidote: win a set of Star Wars Mimobot USB drives!

by Laura June, posted Feb 6th 2009 at 12:07PM

So yes, you know the drill: the economy reeks, we're all tired of the daily dose of bad news. Engadget's trying to counter-attack a little bit of that hurting, so here's the deal: we're going to hand out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff / companies stop sending things. Today we've got a set of eight Star Wars Mimobot USB flash drives on offer -- each drive is 1GB, and man are they cute! Read the rules (no skimming -- we hate that!) below and get commenting!

Special thanks to Mimoco for providing the drives!

The rules:

Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share a tale of heart wrenching economic strife, that's good too.
You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.)
If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine.
Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive 8 1GB Mimobot flash drives. Approximate value is $240.
Entries can be submitted until Friday, February 6th, 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
Full rules can be found here.

Star Wars Force Trainer teaches children to kill... with their minds

by Joseph L. Flatley, posted Jan 13th 2009 at 10:26AM

Toy maker Uncle Milton has introduced Force Trainer, a game that utilizes NeuroSky's brainwave-controlled gaming technology. In a manner similar to the Mind Flex we got our heads on at CES, the young Jedi dons a wireless headset that communicates with a simplified EEG. If you focus well enough, the "training sphere" rises in a 10-inch tube. Seems pretty harmless, no? At least until your humble child starts lifting rocks and choking people by simply furrowing their brow and gesturing menacingly. If you find this an acceptable risk (or you feel the need to work on your own mental prowess) the thing should be available this fall for just under $100.

Star Wars Wii mod realizes very few of our childhood dreams

by Paul Miller, posted Dec 18th 2008 at 9:26AM

Grab your Light Swords, it's time to kill some Jedi to save the Empire from the Ewok menace! We know you already own seven Wiis, each one espousing a different sort of childhood memorabilia or cute-overload, but can't you use the force to make room in your heart for one more? This Star Wars-themed Wii just hit the eBays, with a $500 starting price that includes the work of art you see before you, a red LED Wiimote and nunchuck, and a copy of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. You can't usually put a pricetag on this sort of midi-chlorian concentration.

TIE Fighter webcam solidifies your obsession with Star Wars

by Darren Murph, posted Aug 16th 2008 at 7:39AM

Wesco Limited is offering up a TIE Fighter webcam, which -- truth be told -- would look completely ridiculous sitting atop your LCD. That being said, those of you already chatting it up with your fellow nerds on an R2-D2 webcam won't mind one bit. You'll also be interested to know that there's a complete dearth of specifications, though we do know that a pair of LEDs just below the camera lights up to brighten your cheery face. It's available for now around $40, and proceeds go directly into funding George Lucas' next extravagant vacation.

[Via DigitalDrops]

Video: Darth Vader and R2D2 hubs fulfill your dork destiny

by Thomas Ricker, posted Jun 27th 2008 at 5:47AM

Put down that Lego nerd, it's time to give your (only?) other interest a poke. Meet the $68 animatronic Darth Vader and R2D2 USB hubs. Just stuff a USB Princess Leia into Darth's neck and watch the dark lord's eyes glow red as he scans side-to-side for the pretentious scowls of your contemptuous co-workers. Sounds effects? Oh you betcha, listen in after the break.

[Via Oh Gizmo!]

Continue reading Video: Darth Vader and R2D2 hubs fulfill your dork destiny

Conceptual hotel takes a note from the Death Star

by Darren Murph, posted Mar 6th 2008 at 10:44AM

We can't say with a straight face that the capital of Azerbaijan is high on our list of places to vacation at, but for Star Wars fanatics, the case could be different. Reportedly, Heerim Architects has dreamt up a couple of "lunar inspired" projects for the Asian country, one of which (Full Moon Bay) looks an awful lot like the Death Star. Granted, the building looks entirely different from varying angles, but we're choosing to focus on the one that brings back fond memories of light sabers blazing and wookiees waltzing. Truth be told, we've no idea if these facilities will ever break ground, but we're absolutely certain the powers in Dubai are already planning to recreate the entire Star Wars universe if this thing goes forward.

[Via Inhabitat]

Limited edition R2-D2 DVD projector up for pre-order

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 22nd 2008 at 1:48AM

Remember that R2-D2 projector that's been taunting you for months? Of course, how could you forget? Apparently, these critters are getting set to roll off the assembly line (seen above, if you couldn't piece it together) and into eager hands everywhere. The R2-D2 DVD Projector is up for pre-order right now for a stiff €2,799 ($4,114), and while that's most definitely more than we'd like to pay, it's probably better than waiting for all 4,000 to run out and being forced to pay "market price."

eBayer wants $15000 for Darth Vader Wii

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 8th 2007 at 11:28PM

Yeah, just about anything gets ratcheted up a couple levels on the fantasmical scale if Darth Vader makes a cameo, but seriously, $15,000 for a Dark Side Wii? To be frank, this auction has spoof written all over it, but whatever the case, redferndesign is offering up a "limited edition" (one of four, supposedly) Wii system with a red CD input LED, an all black motif, Darth Vader imprinted on the side and a pair of black Wiimotes / nunchucks. Also of note, the Wiimote pictured must be one of the rarest ever, particularly when you consider the previously nonexistent "x" and "y" buttons and the rectangular power switch. Even if the console (alone) is indeed modded up, there's no way anyone in their right mind will cough up that much coin, but why not hit the read link and have a laugh at his / her expense?

Update: Just as we suspected, this one's a fake -- but humorous, nonetheless.

[Via Technabob]

Oscilloscope turned into Star Wars-playing MAME machine

by Donald Melanson, posted Dec 7th 2007 at 12:59PM

We've already seen an oscilloscope turned into a clock, but that hack has nothing on this latest one courtesy of Flickr user Moose2000, who took the old school piece of gear and rigged it to run (what else?) MAME. Even better, Moose chose to use the original Vector-iffic Star Wars arcade game to show it off, which no doubt suits the screen better than something like Street Fighter II. Sadly, there's no instructions for putting together your own rig (assuming you have a spare oscilloscope lying around, that is), but you can check out this one in action in the video after the break.

[Via Gadget Lab]

Continue reading Oscilloscope turned into Star Wars-playing MAME machine

AT-AT Gamecube mod now for sale, fanboys swarm

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 1st 2007 at 4:25AM

There are mods, and then there are works of art. Without question, the item you see above falls squarely into the latter category, and it's likely to give any devout Star Wars fan a chance at fainting upon first glance. The AT-AT Gamecube mod (also referred to as the AT-GC in some circles) was built a few years back, but now the proud creator has decided to cash out and let the highest bidder take ownership. This beast maintains the original heatsink and cooling fans, and comes with the AT-AT pilot, four Wavebird controllers and a pair of memory cards. Check out a few more detailed shots and a video in the read link below, and go ahead and throw your bid in while you're at it -- resistance is futile, you know?

Mimoco announces new line of Star Wars-themed flash drives

by Donald Melanson, posted Nov 28th 2007 at 5:01PM

Those disappointed by the character selection in Mimoco's original lineup of Star Wars-themed flash drives will soon have a few more familiar, if somewhat distorted, faces choose from, as the company has just announced its second series of drives. Included this time around are Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, and perennial geek favorite, Boba Fett. Each are also available in the same 1GB, 2GB, and 4GB varieties as before, but they're a bit cheaper this time around, running $50, $70, and $110, respectively. Just don't plan on doling out these this holiday season, as they won't start shipping until January or February.

R2-D2 speakers beep beep bloop beep

by Evan Blass, posted Oct 19th 2007 at 8:23AM

The force is strong with these ones, although the drivers probably aren't. Available in December for $40, bigger pic after the break...

[Via TechDigest]

Continue reading R2-D2 speakers beep beep bloop beep