Gizmodo: r2

Wristwatch With Tiny R/C R2-D2 May Be Best Office Distraction Toy Ever

Kit Eaton — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 09:30:00 EDT

This toy wristwatch is Star Warsishly perfect: it's a digital blue and white Artoo-themed digital watch with a mini detachable infra-red remote control R2-D2. I'd be sending this trundling down the desks in my office to put a smile on my colleagues faces in a pew-pewing instant! (Well, I would if I worked in an office. Here it'd just get chewed by the cats.) Doesn't look like it makes Artoo's trademark beeps, though: you'll just have to be a big kid and supply 'em yourself. It's out now for about $40. [Firebox via RandomGoodStuff]

R2-D2 Cake Brings Balance to the Force, Dorkiness to Wedding

Jesus Diaz — Mon, 12 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT

Perhaps knowing that a Death Star wedding cake was starting marriage asking for trouble, reader and chef Charlene made an R2-D2 one, bringing balance back to the Force, and restoring dorkiness throughout the Galaxy. There have been others, but her nine-layer version of everyone's favorite astromech is far more realistic and complex, thanks to some DIY tech hacks.

While the R2-D2 wedding cake is not as advanced as the stunningly-accurate Maker Faire R2-D2, Charlene told us that she "bastardized an old camera for the lenses, with blue Halloween lights flashing behind throughout the whole wedding" for added realism.

The cake was the centerpiece in the wedding of two members of a Star Wars fan group in Alabama, which had all the guests dressed up as Star Wars characters, included the minister, who probably was wearing an R2-D2 beanie like mine. I've got to admit that it looks yummy, but seeing people eating R2's dome disturbs the Force out of me. [Thanks Charlene]

Revolution Synthesizer R2 Looks Like Death Star Control Panel, Not R2

Haroon Malik — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 11:38:00 EST

Future Retro's Revolution Synthesizer R2 looks amazing; we completely have no use for a synthesizer, but we totally want one. With a complete aluminum construction, perfectly contrasting gun gray and white colors, as well as a smattering of blue LEDs all over, this synthesizer makes us moist in the most clichéd way possible. If that was not enough to get you interested, perhaps the circular sequencer interface, which allows single handed control; the ability to play patterns forwards, backwards, upside down and sideways, as well as remote pattern selection using MIDI program change messages will have you reaching for your anorexic wallet?

A built-in remix feature allows 265 variations for each pattern and song, which gives more than 65,000 possible overall patterns. Further, the sound engine uses true analog synthesis throughout and the PC board has a new RAM chip, which extends the battery life from 1.5 years to a complete decade. Impressive. Unfortunately, $750 is a little too much for us to pay for a novelty Death Star control panel, but the way synthesizers go, it's not bad at all. [Bornrich]