Looking for a great way to protect your iPhone 5? There are tons of cases out there that can protect your iPhone 5 from scratching or scuffing but many of them largely look the same. If you want something a bit “different”, you might want to check out these new limited edition Star Wars cases.

The new cases are available via Firebox, or at least they will be. Right now they are up for Pre-Order and will set you back $30.49.

There are four unique variants themed around Chewbacca, Darth Vader, R2-D2 and C-3PO. You certainly will stand out if your phone has this case, that much is pretty much guaranteed.

These cases might not be for everyone but if you are a fellow Star Wars geek like myself, you might find these are the droids cases you are looking for.

Source: Firebox
Via: Ubergizmo 

The post Looking For A Unique Case for Your iPhone 5? Check Out These Special Star Wars Cases appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

It seems that the backers of the Death Star petition have no intention of giving up on their wishes. After receiving a comedic response titled “This Isn’t the Petition Response You’re Looking For“, the Death Star enthusiasts took their efforts to Kickstarter. With an initial funding goal of £20,000,000 ($30,000,000), more detailed plans can be made. As you can see in the picture below, their current plans are far from sufficient.

Before I let you get too wrapped up in all of this, I want to assure you that this is a joke and the campaign coincidentally ends of April 1st (April Fool’s Day). However, the Kickstarter page notes that the final Death Star would require £543,000,000,000,000,00 ($850,000,000,000,000,000) in funding.

The main reason behind the White House turning down the Death Star is the cost and obviously we have little need for destroying our neighboring planets. At $850 Quintillion, this project would increase the deficit astronomically. But, Paul Shawcross was sure to make his response nice and funny for the Star Wars fans.

Want to make a pledge to the Death Star’s Kickstarter campaign? Click here and get your your name etched onto the underneath of one of the MSE-6-series repair droids used on the finished station.

Would you prefer a Death Star over a boring International Space Station? How do you think that it would contribute to science and technology (if at all)? Let us know in the comments below.

[ Source ]

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Looking to get the most out of your Angry Birds Star Wars experience? A new update has now gone live that includes 20 new levels set on planet Hoth.

The new levels not only introduce icy planet action and AT&T walkers, the Princess Leia bird character is now a playable character as well. Leia adds a new ability, which shoots targeted pink lasers somewhat like Han Solo but hers spread outwards and can hit two targets at once.

So what do you have made your way through all 20 levels? Patiently wait for the 10 more that are currently marked as “coming soon”, that’s what. For those that need the reminder, Angry Birds Star Wars is available on a huge variety of platforms including iDevices, PC, Mac, Android, Windows Phone 8, and Windows 8/RT. Some of these platforms offer free basic versions, others will set you back a little. You can also check out our review if you aren’t sure if you want to put up the cash to snag a copy.

For those that already have the game, have you updated yet? What do you think of the new expanded levels?

[ source ]

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Angry Birds is no doubt the most popular game on smartphone markets today, and as the franchise has progressed, some games and remakes have made the series feel a little stale. However, Angry Birds Star Wars has produced a refreshing breath of air onto the Angry Birds line of games and playing it feels like playing Angry Birds for the first time all over again.

The Birds

If you’ve never played an Angry Birds game before, I’ll give you a quick introduction: In Angry Birds you are given a set of birds at the start of the game which can be fired at different enemies on the other side of the screen. Different Birds have different powers, so the game requires tactics and good thinking to take out all the bad guys before running out of birds to fire.

For those that have already played it (most of you, I hope.) Angry Birds Star Wars is still the same old concept as before, but they have renovated some areas, and it’s made for a completely new experience. Each Bird now portrays a Star Wars cameo, and with each Star Wars Bird there comes an ability that is unique to that Star Wars character in the movie. Most of the abilities are completely new in regards to previous Angry Birds games, and thanks to Star Wars these abilities actually make sense when playing.

I won’t go into too much detail about what characters do what, as you can all find that out for yourself, but as an example, Han Solo has a blaster ability that can shoot once he’s left the catapult. The Han Solo bird is based off of the yellow bird, and the blaster follows a similar rule to the speed boost of the yellow bird, as the blaster bullets will go in the direction of where you tap on the screen. However, Han Solo will keep flying through the sky, making it useful for tricky situations where you’re needed to divert your fire. Blaster bullets can also bounce off of metallic objects, and this here alone opens up a huge range of possibilities for new maps and level mechanics.

The Levels

There’s moments in Angry Birds Star Wars where I’ve been astonished at the clever level designs and the intricate detail to different mechanics within each level. Unlike previous games, the levels don’t just feel like a bunch of towers stuck to different scenery. All the scenery in AB: Star Wars work together to create a whole level that just would not work if you were to take a small piece of scenery out of the level. Angry Birds Star Wars also includes a lot more levels with moveable hinges and other mechanics such as Storm trooper pigs that fire back at the birds. It doesn’t just take a well-placed tap of the screen anymore; Star Wars encourages players to think about their movements carefully, whilst timing them up to achieve the biggest potential.

I quickly skimmed through a lot of the levels and found myself constantly hitting one or two stars, and this is because the levels have been planned out well enough that only the most well thought out plans will award the players with a full three star rating. There’s also a lot less of a need to worry about misplaced shots or super accurate aiming on this game either, and although I haven’t played through every single level yet, I haven’t once come across a level where I needed to waste a lengthy time to aim up a perfect shot.

Each level also caters well to the birds you’ve been handed, and each bird has their own weaknesses and strengths against different elements within the level.

Gimmicks, Cutscenes, Game Progress and Unlockable Levels

One of the major things about the Angry Birds series that I have loved is the huge amount of content within the game. Some of it is available right away, but most of it takes skill and a well-trained eye to unlock. Star Wars Angry Birds follows this fashion and includes golden eggs that unlock bonus levels just like previous games. I’ve come across a few golden eggs, and they’re pretty difficult to reach! From the menu, you can see the different pigs and birds you’ve seen in the game, whilst all the others yet to be seen are blacked out. This screen isn’t really anything special, but it feels nice to watch our progress by keeping an eye on this screen.

There are a lot of levels available in the free version, however some need to be paid for. The price is only $1.99 to unlock all of the levels, which is incredibly reasonable in my opinion.

There is also one item that can be bought with in-app purchases, and that’s the Millennium Falcon. The Millennium Falcon basically destroys everything in its path with a high-powered super-cannon, and although it’s useful for getting past difficult levels, it’s not really worth buying any with in-game cash because you will unlock Millennium Falcon uses by earning stars whilst playing. The Millennium Falcon is a bit game-breaking, and it seems a little pointless to spend money on something that completes the game for you.

I would find it much more appealing if pay-to-receive content included cool costumes for the birds or crazy effects in the game that don’t take too much from the basic gameplay experience.

Graphics and Sound

If you’re an avid Star Wars fan you’re going to love this one; AB: Star Wars incorporates a lot of authentic sounds from the Star Wars movies, and although the game is cartoony and unrealistic, it still captures the essence from the original Star Wars trilogy. The different pig and bird models are very playful, and once again Rovio have done a wicked job at capturing all that is Star Wars in their new Angry Birds game. If you’re not into Star Wars, the new Angry Birds still feels like an Angry Birds game, and even with the different sound effects and graphics, the basis of the game is still of an Angry Birds origin.

The graphics quality has been improved a whole lot from the first game, and the different scenery and backdrops are very unique and well stylized. For a 2D game like Angry Birds, Rovio have pushed the graphics content to the limit.

Summary:

Pros:

• Lots of new Angry Birds abilities
• A lot of variation in levels
• Authentic Star Wars sounds and characters
• Level designs work superbly with the new birds

Cons:

• Pay-for content a little pointless
• Adverts on menus
• Not as easy as previous Angry Birds games

Download Angry Birds Star Wars:

• On iOS
• On Google Play
• Windows 8
• Windows Phone 8

The post Angry Birds Star Wars Review appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

So it’s been about a month since Rovio gave us a hint about their new Angry Birds-Star Wars mashup, and today they have now announced a release date for the new sci-fi themed Angry Birds game.

Rovio has released a trickle of less-than-one-minute trailers to show us different Star Wars characters in bird form, then show off the new birds in action. The three trailers so far show Luke skywalker, Princess Leia, C-3P0, R2-D2, Han Solo and Chewbacca being catapulted across different Star Wars themed levels.

When I first heard about the Angry Birds and Star Wars crossover, I was already quite bored of the Angry Birds franchise, and I wasn’t expecting that much new from the Star Wars version either. However, the trailer has shown that Rovio has managed to pack in all the features from their previous games into one single experience, with new backgrounds, birds, pigs and scenery, all snazzed up in an iconic Star Wars style.

The new Angry Birds title will include average ‘on-earth’ levels as well as levels in space, with each bird having their own special ability that reflects their character; Luke Skywalker can slash his lightsaber at oncoming objects, and Chewbacca can smash through large objects due to his heavy weight.

Angry Birds Star Wars follows a trend of Rovio birdifying real life characters or people, after their Angry Birds Green Day game on Facebook, and a Freddie Mercury Angry Birds themed video. If you’ve enjoyed previous Angry Birds games, then Angry Birds Star Wars will be a refreshing experience. The game will be available to download on November 8^th, and you can watch the three trailers below.

[Source]

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Apparently the Angry Birds are getting their force powers on. A new mash-up between Star Wars and Angry Birds is apparently in the works. An Angry Birds Tumblr page was the first hint of the unique combination of two very different worlds.

Here was what was said via Tumblr:

Welcome to the Angry Birds Tumblr page. Over the next few weeks we’ll have behind-the-scenes content, animations, comics, and much, much more. But what will this all be about exactly?! Here’s a clue…

After that it followed with the picture we have posted above. It also lists a time, date and location. The mash-up starts at Toys R Us in Times Square on October 8th at 10am. From the sounds of it, there will be games, toys and all sorts of Star Wars Angry Bird stuff.

How do you get Star Wars out of the image above, you ask? Well… the hood, maybe? That’s not what fully gave it away. Instead Rovio later tweeted the picture with a lightsaber in hand (seen below). Is this that surprising? Not really. Rovio has already worked with movies and media like the movie Rio, and Star Wars has done spin-off stuff with Legos.

If a game follows, will it be any good? Who knows. What do you think?

[ source ]

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It’s called the Aerofex hover vehicle and it’s very much a real thing. It may not be quite as sleek and compact as its science fiction counterpart, but it is able to travel while flying a few inches off the ground. It does this by using a pair of ducted rotors, generating vertical lift. The interesting thing is that the design for this hover vehicle dates back to the 1960s, but it was abandoned due to stability issues. Aerofex fixed this with two knee-level control bars, relying on the pilot’s natural sense of balance to lean from side to side.

The advantage of being above the ground is obvious enough. If you have wheels, you need to have roads. If you’re going off-road, you need suitable tires and you could easily get stuck. By hovering inches above the ground, this vehicle is able to travel just about anywhere, regardless of the quality of existence of roads. The manned version has already been tested at up to 15 feet in the air and at speeds of up to 30 mph. It can probably go higher and faster, but they’ve limited themselves for safety reasons.

Unfortunately, Aerofex has no immediate ambitions to build and sell a commercially-available manned version. Instead, they’re looking at unmanned drones for agricultural, industrial and military applications. I guess we’ll have to find another way to get around Endor for now.

[Source]

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Just in time for Star Wars Day (May the Fourth Be With You), the world has now been offered the first real lightsaber, courtesy of Wicked Lasers. Except, well, it’s not a real lightsaber; it’s a “LaserSaber” and, even then, it doesn’t really do the things that Obi-Wan and Yoda can get theirs to do.

While the light part can extend and retract in a realistic-looking fashion thanks to the Spyder 3 laser from Wicked Lasers, it’s still housed inside of a 32-inch polycarbonate blade. Even when it’s “powered down,” there is still that plastic shell there. And, quite unlike the real lightsaber, this one will not be capable of slicing off the arm of one Anakin Skywalker.

Even so, it’s one of the best looking faux lightsabers we’ve seen and it even comes with a nice anodized aluminum base. This is not licensed by George Lucas, which is why they have to call it a LaserSaber. It costs “just” $100, but you have to first invest in a $300 Spyder 3 laser.

[Source]

The post Wicked Lasers Makes A Real Star Wars Lightsaber (Sort Of) appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Flying a human into space is a really expensive task. But today’s technological advancements are creating robots that are getting smaller, cheaper and more capable, and the machines of course won’t be asking for air, water or food. That’s why NASA has been developing helper robots that can support and enhance the capabilities of humans for space missions.

They are currently testing robots called SPHERES (Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites) which actually have been around since 2006. The robots, having the size of that of a bowling ball, utilize CO2 thrusters to fly around the International Space Station.

And no, it’s not just you. They look similar to the droid from Star Wars. MIT professor David Miller was inspired by the scene from the movie in which Luke Skywalker is trained by a droid.

In the early stages, scientists from NASA were doing experiments to ensure that the SPHERES were capable of getting around objects and flying in formation. Now, they are trying to expand the capabilities of the robots. For that purpose, they attach an Android-powered Samsung Nexus S onto the robot.

Once attached, the handset becomes the brain of the robot and will tell it where to go. The enhanced robot will conduct surveys and inspections of the space station’s interior with the built-in camera to capture photos and video, thereby giving the crew a lot more time to do other tasks such as editing their landing speech. And in the future, the robots can be utilized for tasks outside the station and other duties as well.

According to a NASA research engineer, they chose the Nexus S, as it is easy to take apart and because they are familiar with the Android platform which will help while making customizations. They have used AA alkaline batteries instead of lithium-ion on the device and it has no GSM antenna; so that it does not interfere with the electronics at the station.

Check out the videos to know a lot more.

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To be fair, the NASA tractor beam is still in the very early development stages and the initial models won’t be really good enough to pull in rogue spaceships. Instead, the goal is to use these tractor beams to more efficiently and effectively capture space particle samples.

There are three approaches that they are considering. First, there is an “optical vortex” wherein two counter-propagating beams of light create a geometry that confines the particles to the dark core of the overlapping beams. The air around the particles are heated and the beam moves along the ring’s center. However, this requires an atmosphere, so it won’t work on, say, the moon’s surface.

Another possibility uses electromagnetic effects with optical solenoid beams. The intensity peaks spiral around the axis of propagation, creating a force that drives particles in teh opposite direction of the source of light beam. And third, they’re considering a Bessel beam, inducing electric or magnetic fields in the path of the object, pulling the object against the movement of the beam itself.

The video below shows us how they can theoretically “make it so.” Oh, and if you’re wondering why there is no sound, it’s because no one can hear you scream in space.

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