Note that the Por Homme guys stress it's unlikely the phone'll come in a similar case when it hits the stores soon, though, since this was a special for AT&T B2B employees. Maybe they'll run with its Star Trek-alike looks instead, and match the packaging to that? No... I don't think so either. [Por Homme]

How will they play in the update? Kind of like easter eggs, says Abrams, who stressed that the movie will be targeted toward people who have no idea of the history, yet have appearances by old die-hard devices like Uhura's Bluetooth headset that series fans can pick out. This means we should all get our wallets ready for the torrent of replica gadgets coming in 2009. [MTV Movies via Crunchgear]

The art detail is also pretty amazing (and reeks of authenticity), with body work and fake damage consistent with the landspeeder in the film. And it shouldn't be huge shock that Deutsch has no intention of selling his magnum opus. But when I see this thing, I have delusions of rounding up Han, Obi-Wan, Lando and a whole lotta Colt 45, cruising past the Cantina, and looking for chicks with tentacles on their heads. Hmmm...that sounded a lot cooler in my head. [Skywalker Landspeeder via Neatorama]

(This is just a spectacular photo)

The chair will set you back a whopping $5,000, but that's the price you pay to rule the Galaxy and say classic, unforgettable phrases like "Now witness the power of this fully armed and operational PowerPoint presentation!", "Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen," or "Anakin, could you bring my slippers and today's paper, please?"

Carbonite Desk leads to a Galactic Throne

Tom Spina Designs follows up their incredibly popular "Carbonite Desk" with the "Galactic Throne", a unique themed chair, originally privately commissioned and now available as an extremely limited edition piece of furniture art. In early 2008, the company's one-of-a-kind “Carbonite Desk” achieved cult status through media coverage on television, in magazines and internet blogs, generating millions of views on the Tom Spina Designs website. After a desk like that, no ordinary task chair would do!

Based on the client's requests and interests, artists Tom Spina and Richard Riley drew inspiration from elements of Captain Kirk's bridge chair from Star Trek and the Emperor's throne from the Star Wars films and created a sleek new design. The result is an impressive functional art piece that is well over four feet tall and crafted in custom welded steel. It features an adjustable pedestal and is made to appear to “float” on 8 hidden wheels. The custom upholstery is real leather and the finish is powder-coated gloss black for a classy and durable surface.

Tom Spina Designs is a NY-based company which accepts commissions to create highly unique sculpture, furniture and artistic elements for home theaters, offices, trade shows and more. They also create custom displays and meticulously restore one-of-a-kind and often fragile original movie props. Their past clients include businesses, themed attractions and a wide range of private collectors.

Those interested in seeing photos and learning more about the artists and their latest projects can visit the company site, www.TomSpinaDesigns.com

The Galactic Throne is now available in a limited edition of 5 furniture art pieces and potential clients can expect to pay approximately $5000 to commission one. Each will be made to order and can be personalized to the client's preference of color, upholstery and add-on options.

[Tom Spina Designs]

Talking about Lego, remember our Giz's Lego Go Miniman Go video contest with thousands of dollars in prizes, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Lego minifig. Brothers Brick is also running the Go Miniman Go Photo Contest, so remember to visit them and participate. [Simon via BrothersBrick]

Shapeways is a spin-off from Philips' Lifestyle Incubator. On one side, it's a website where you can upload your 3D models—which can even have joins—or use an online 3D creator with access to everyday models. The online 3D creator is extremely easy to use, so anyone can modify them without any technical or product design knowledge. With this, anyone can make a candle holder or a fruit bowl out of song lyrics or a personal message by just typing it. Advanced users to access to 3D packages can upload any model they can imagine in a 3D standard format, like STL, Collada or X3D.

On the other side, there are different types of rapid prototyping machines that can create that model using a variety of materials, from nylon to plastic composites, each with different properties. For example, the nylon one results in a semi-flexible object, while a plastic called "Cream Robust" gives you an extremely hard finish. Once you select the material and submit your model to 3D printer, you will get it in your hands in 10 days, with an average cost of $50 to $150, including shipping.

While the system is not perfect yet, there's no color yet and you can get different textures for the surfaces, the start is very promising and the possibilities are endless. As a consumer, the customization of objects is attractive enough, but the ability to upload any object and receive it in 10 days is even more exciting (and I don't mean printing dildos, which—apparently/sadly/fortunately for Benny—is not allowed). Model makers, Lego aficionados, product designers, and toy lovers of any kind, will absolutely love this one. [Shapeways and Philips Research Labs Tour]

You charge the RC Enterprise with a=the tricorder-shaped charger seen above (sorry, no space dock just yet). After a 15-minute charge, the Enterprise is ready to fly again. [Entertainment Earth via Geek Alerts]

The $800 million telescope, which was named after the first man to propose putting telescopes in space, Dr. Lyman Spitzer Jr., launched on August 25 2003 from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Its mission will conclude when its onboard helium supply is exhausted—estimates from 2007 put that date at April 2009. So happy birthday, Spitzer Space Telescope! May you continue to provide us with awesome pictures for the last leg of your journey! [Cosmiclog]

A desktop USB lamp styled like a lightsabre.
• When it is plugged-in the lightsabre will charge-up.
• Press the bronze button on the lightsabre's hilt to activate the light.
• The lightsabre can be removed from its USB powered dock and used as a mini Star Wars toy.
• The light emitted is a subtle one in full daylight but pop it in the dark and it looks totally awesome.
• Requires a USB port.
• Suitable for ages 8 years+.
• Size: 33 x 6cm.

Jason, get ready. [I Want One of Those via Coolest Gadgets]

All photos by Benedict Redgrove:

Inside Star City you'll find Gagarin idols everyhwere, full-size Soyuz mockups (top), massive Cold War era centrifuges and, often, no hot water. It is here where Space Adventures travelers like Garriott must learn to perform nearly every task that the mission's actual cosmonauts will perform, in case of emergencies (even though the most glamorous duty he'll probably end up doing is emptying the toilet).

And, eventually face this (emphasis my own):

All this is nothing compared with the TsF-18 centrifuge. Weighing 300 tons and measuring 59 feet long, it looks like a giant blue phallus. It spins at 170 miles per hour, and riders are instructed not to open their mouth while in motion because the pressure will break their jaw, according to Driga. "It is like nightmare," she adds. "Imagine being buried deep in sand and wanting to move but cannot."

Many more photos and a really nice read at: [Wired]

It's too bad this thing isn't Picard's chair, which is way more comfortable and also has cupholders and the leftover scent of Counselor Troi. And despite what Buchanan thinks, Star Trek rules, and is way cooler than Star Wars. Yeah, I said it. Who wants Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader's chair? You'd be afraid to catch a major case of whininess and teen angst, respectively. [Trek Movie via Retro Thing]

When the program is fully functional by the end of 2008, city officials expect to have a complete map of the environmental quality of the city. They'll use that info to influence bus routes and improve overall quality of life for citizens. No word yet on whether that will require any power converters from Tosche Station. [Treehugger]

Jeff recorded one of his favorite episodes of Star Trek at 1PM and got the message above, giving him a whole 2 1/2 hours to watch it. Last time, the flag was a gltich—it's probably the case here, too, since the TiVo Copy Protection site doesn't even exist. Still, it's a nice reminder your magic box really only has as much as power as the broadcasters generously decide grant it. [PVR Blog]

Note: For the record, Star Trek > Star Wars – Jason Chen
Note: No it's not - Matt Buchanan

Admiral Piett assured Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger that concerns the Death Star's weapon systems would wreak havoc on much of the state were without merit, stating that damage to the city's outlying areas would be minimal. Reached for comment from his bunker, Mayor Gavin Newsom pleaded to baffled reporters, "Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi; you're my only hope." Rebel forces have yet to respond to demands for their unconditional surrender. [Current via Presurfer]

Let's be honest. We didn't hate the prequels, we were disappointed by them. There's a difference. Okay, maybe we hated The Phantom Menace, at least a little bit. Alright, yeah, Anakin was annoying in pretty much every single prequel film. Guess what? He's annoying here too. Yet he's not nearly as bad as his new Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, introduced to give the kiddies a protagonist they can relate to. Yoda assigns her to Anakin as a Padawan to make him seem more mature and less, well, all of those qualities we hate about him. Problem is, she's all of those things times 7.6, and he never stops being himself, so the onslaught of whine when they're onscreen together makes you wish you brought a bucket of cheese to the theater. It's a heavy burden to deal with in order to watch The Clone Wars since she's a focal point of it. (Imagine Jar Jar getting 75 percent of the screentime in one of the prequels.)

Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot of reasons to want to look past the incessant snottiness. The 98-minute film is at least 20 minutes too long, propelled by what could've been a decent plot line that's instead twisted and stretched into a sloppy mess. Obi-Wan (voiced by a solid Ewan McGregor doppelganger) and Count Dooku (happily, still voiced by the inimitable Christopher Lee) offer brief moments of actual satisfaction in what's otherwise a series of disappointingly generic battles. Maybe the reason the battles are so lifeless is that they're droids vs. clones—essentially nothing against nothing. It could be the wholly uninspired, unexciting way it's "shot," combined with the woodblock animation style that makes it look like action figures against action figures. Regardless, after the second fight, they all kind of run together, and from all appearances, it's what we can look forward to in the TV series. Battles in Star Wars should not be boring.

Two of the movie's better moments actually come from new Star Wars tech, or at least stuff not seen in the live action movies. The first—which sets up the battle that gets the movie rolling, and establishes at least moderate hopes—is a giant red neighborhood-sized forcefield that surrounds the invading droid army, shielding them from Republic's massive artillery canons. Okay, really it's borrowed from the Gungans in Phantom Menace, but it's different because it's red! It's a plot device that still works, anyway. Anakin and Ahsoka's first mission is to disable it, while Obi-Wan holds off the droids as long as he can—toward the end this battle is when your heart first drops into your stomach.

While we've seen the AT-TE before, it does something incredible here that we haven't—it vertically scales a goddamn mountain. Somehow, the director manages to make a vertical less enthralling than it should be, but to see this six-ton beast walk up a wall is one of the few times I said "Wow" during the movie.

Sadly, the few things there are to like are vastly overwhelmed by everything you won't. Here's a quick list of everything else you'll hate:
• The Huttlet (aka Stinky)
• Ziro the Hutt (aka Truman Capote + Black New Orleans Crack-Dealing Whore)
• Stupid droids
• The non-John Williams music
• The animation, mostly (Mace Windu looks ghastly, though Count Dooku looks awesome)
• The lightsaber battles (you'll see)
• Most of the dialogue
• The fact you paid to see it

In short, it's the worst Star Wars movie you'll ever see in theaters, if you go, so don't.

The game in the video above requires each player to try to hit a projected target on the court with the Bouncing Star. As a player picks up the ball and begins to throw it on the court, the accelerometer in the ball acknowledges motion and transforms the ball's color. Using infrared, the ball can interact with the digital court; when the ball touches down or races by, the court can display a motion graphic or some other cool visual reaction.

Because of the low light in the video above, the intensity of the ball's interaction with the display was not well documented, but the idea of a ball wirelessly interacting with a digital court is pure genius. If the same principles of this Bouncing Star could be integrated into all sports using balls, we would have some amazing games to play and to watch. In Tron, the crazy Frisbee game was just a program inside of a computer, but this Tron-like tech—designed by engineers at Japan's University of Electro-Communications—could soon happen in real life. You hearing this, Nintendo? [Bouncing Star at SIGGRAPH]

The very next thing I did was set to tearing it apart to see how it worked. Once I had it apart, I decided to add some additional LED running lights and some interior lights as well. In all I have about 18 hours into this project and I am pleased with the results. Needless to say Pete Jr is certainly excited about it too.

If the cockpit wasn't out of proportion, this would have been a perfect model for the movie. [Peter Clute]

"The new Legacy Collection Millennium Falcon from Hasbro is the greatest Star Wars toy ever made. No joke. Beats Amidala’s Royal Starship. Beats the AT-AT. And even the Imperial Troop Transporter. This Falcon is the “hunk of junk” we’ve been waiting for since May '77.

First thing you’ll notice when you crack the cardboard is her size. Some 30 percent larger than the original from back in the day. You know—the one your Mom tossed in the garbage while you were in college rolling D20’s and learning BASIC. So prepare to upgrade your playroom/display case shelves to docking bay 94 size.

This Falcon has plenty of interior room for parties. And doesn’t lack for little nubs to slot your figures atop. Or chairs where they can take a seat. The chairs are particularly cool. Remember those babies? From the scene where Luke trains with the saber and Han flips him attitude? The ones that George Lucas copied for his custom Lear Jet back in the '80s. You knew that, right? That he took a large portion of his Star Wars gold and used it to have the interior of his private plane modified to resemble the interior of the Falcon! (Not true, of course. But still—my favorite old school SW rumor!)

This Falcon’s paint job is slick. And so detailed I’m guessing it must’ve been done by next-gen droids, or Jawa slave children with very small hands. All the tech in this Falcon is state of the art. She’s got sound effects up the gundark. Triggered via multiple buttons strategically placed around her sturdy Corellian hull. The orange light at the rear of the cockpit is cool. As is the sweet blue band of engine light that accompanies the jump to hyperspace. But my fave feature has to be the twin LED’s that illuminate when the boarding ramp slowly lowers at the touch of a button. Perfect for lighting up the squishy floor of any odd looking asteroid cave.

One can only hope this magnificent spice smuggler heralds an approaching renaissance from the boffins at Hasbro. The build quality, attention to detail, and sheer number of features on the Legacy Collection Falcon will raise the expectations of Star Wars Fans the republic over. Owning your own freighter ain’t cheap. You may need to sell your mint in-box landspeeder from ’77 to cover the cost. But she’s worth it. See you on the Kessel run! I think 11 parsecs is doable! "

Jesse Alexander also blogs at Global Couch.
[Hasbro]

FOR WANT OF A TRANSPORTER

My father loved engineering. Anything he could do to visit NASA, an aircraft carrier, a submarine, he'd do it. There was no end to the enjoyment he received when people would come up to him and say, "I'm an engineer because of you." So when a company in Texas offered to launch his remains into orbit, we could only accept.

It's been just over 3 years since my dad, James Doohan, passed on. In that time, there have been many memorials, the most recent of which to commemorate Linlithgow, Scotland, as the future birthplace of Scotty. But his launch into space was the most publicized, and it was to be the most significant.

There have been many attempts to send my father on his way. On Saturday, the latest launch attempt by SpaceX, with a portion of my father's remains aboard, failed to achieve orbit. While there are many complicated reasons why this is a disappointment, mine is simple: I'd like to finish saying goodbye.

Every launch attempt is like reliving his funeral. There’s a lot of pomp and ceremony, and a retelling of his deeds in life. But at the end of these funerals, something goes awry, the body doesn't get buried, and you know you're going to have to come back to do it over again.

I'm not laying blame on anyone for the delays. It's difficult, living on the cusp of technology. Where most of us lament the premature obsolescence of our cell phones, there are those few of us who've pinned the memories of our family members on a rocket, hoping it will touch the sky.

My dad believed in human ingenuity, and he believed in mankind's destiny beyond the exosphere. That it would take several attempts in these early stages to successfully achieve orbit would not have phased him. I can accept this, because of who he was, and because he knew it was all a part of progress.

For those reasons, I know that his spirit will persevere, and others will keep those launch attempts coming. The act of sending a loved one's remains into space will someday be commonplace, even if we have to book a space flight ourselves to make it happen. That's the kind of progress my father believed in.

But I'm not sure I can hang on until then. Grieving can't wait for the pace of progress, and I have to say goodbye now. So when news of the next launch rolls around, please don't ask me about it; I won't be paying attention.

If my father has anything to do with it, though, I'm sure that ship will get where it's going.

— Ehrich Blackhound

I know several scientists and engineers who use Scotty's infamous "I tell the Captain it'll take me a day to fix it, when I know it'll take 6 hours" theory in real life. SpaceX will undoubtedly achieve a 100% successful launch some time soon. And with space journeys for non-astronauts almost upon us, I'm pretty sure James Doohan will make it into space properly. It'll be a good final farewell for his family. [BoingBoing]

Looking at the time it's taking me to finish the Falcon, I'm not going to try this unless I can get Lindsay Joy someone to help me. [Lego in Gizmodo]

Apparently, the cost of converting a traditional 2-D movie into 3D is between $50,000 and $100,000 per minute. I'm sure that Lucasfilm will make their money back and then some, but is it really worth it? Does anyone care to see this or is it just another case of Lucas screwing around too much with the franchise? [Comingsoon via io9 via Wired]

The Boba Fett re-design looks particularly good. Sillof decided to change the T visor in the helmet for rounded goggles, while keeping the rest almost intact:

While Fett’s “T” visor is iconic, this design keeps the look of the rounder goggles that have become a staple of the line, while the red strip down the middle hints at the old “T” design. His forearm weapons feature a mini-crossbow and a working retractable blade. The Surcoat is reminiscent of Fett’s shoulder cape. His rocketpack is still there just in a larger more industrial model.

Head to Sillof's to see some of these in 360-degree rotating versions. The details are simply stunning. [Silof]

There's actually a bit more to this space watch than mere looks. AK factored in the natural asymmetry of the human arm, and made the crown side of the watch thicker so it would fit snug. The super rubber that makes up the band is also used to seal the watch, and will last for 50 years, guaranteed.And lastly, the Star Trek influence (such as it is):

It looks like something straight out of the Star Trek series, uncannily reminiscent of the starship Enterprise. Located eccentrically towards the right of the dial, a cut-away metal piece reveals the jumping hours and minutes on two superimposed discs. The seconds are displayed at 3 o'clock on a cylinder linked directly to the crown. 9 o'clock forms the tail of the “spaceship”. Made of the same metal, it bears the name of the watch and is punctuated by a totally off-centre dot, where the brand logo is engraved.

[AK Geneve via Wrist Dreams]

There aren't a lot of bargains, as you might expect. Top-shelf merchandise like this is expected to fetch big collector prices. But the catalog is almost too good to be true—check out 34 highlights in the gallery below, and a few extra special favorites here:

Forget any exercise you could possible think of—it won't come close to the strength of using Bruce Lee's own actual forearm strengthener. Possibly some Dragon sweat still on it.

No, It doesn't hover but I couldn't give less of a damn. If I can't have the shoes, I want this. Too bad it's expected to fetch $30-$50k.

I love scotch. But I'm pretty certain I would love it even more if I was drinking it out of this ultra-dystopian Blade Runner tumbler. Plus this one's one of the few sub-$1,000 items.

Just one of the countless things the originals have on Lucas's new films, the costumes in the original Star Wars were incredible. Especially the Imperial dudes—stylish in only the way a space fascist can be.

More highlights from this incredible trove, including C3PO's feet, Ahnold's sawed-off from T2, the rabbit mask from Donnie Darko and more:

[Profiles in History Auction House via Tech Digest]

Force Unleashed really is a pretty game. Crystal clear 2D backdrops give the levels a lot of pizzazz despite that they are, you know, 2D. And lightsabers glow properly on the screen.

But where we'd hoped to run around and slice our foes with laser swords, the mechanics never gave us a chance. Much like the classic PC series Rebel Assault, you don't actually move your character through rooms. Instead, you reflect your foes' laser shots with properly timed/angled swipes of the finger and activating force powers (like throwing baddies or electrocuting them) by drawing out symbols on the screen.

As lame as this may sound on paper, the battles can grow enjoyably hectic as you block fire and toss your enemies aside. And it's all promised to be backed by the same soundtrack we'll hear in the Xbox/PS3 versions of the Force Unleashed (we just heard placeholder music during our hands-on).

Oh, and something really cool. You can rotate the game between portrait and landscape mode. Neither gave the characters the stretched look.

In addition to all of that, THQ promised us an uncharacteristically rich storyline for a mobile game and 2 1/2 to 3 hours of gameplay. For a cellphone game, it looks extremely good. But compared to something on the PSP/DS, it's going to be a tad disappointing. So depending on your expectations of the iPhone, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed may be worth checking out when it hits this September.

You can download from here and here.

If you were wondering how I was doing push email tests on iPhone OS 2.0 and Vodafone UK, this is the reason why. The code wizard commandos at the iPhone Dev Team have been working on this non-stop since the early days of beta testing. In fact, I had iPhone OS 2.0 running on my iPhone since last week. That was version 5A345, two below 5A347, but identical in functionality.

Now that the official iPhone OS 2.0 is out, the iPhone Dev Team will release their Pwnage tool for everyone to unlock and jailbreak their iPhones soon, although the specific date/time is not firm yet. It may not be as interesting as before—since most countries now have the iPhone and it will be impossible to buy without doing a contract first—but people looking to install unsigned applications and buy pay-as-you-go cards while traveling—instead of roaming—will find it very useful.

And besides, we don't get tired of seeing the Death Star exploding again and again. [iPhone Dev Team Portal]