This Death Star Bluetooth Speaker actually LEVITATES

“This speaker is now the ultimate power in the universe.  I suggest we use it.”  I may be paraphrasing Admiral Motti of the Imperial Navy a bit here, but I think it’s appropriate. The Official Star Wars Levitating Death Star Speaker from Plox does indeed look powerful, and wickedly cool. Per the Plox site, “The gravity-defying orb levitates in mid-air above the base using Plox’s Force Technology.” There may not be a planet-crushing superlaser aboard, but this tiny technological terror is portable with a built-in 5 Watt speaker and 360 degrees of sound projection, and with a 2 hour charge time will provide 5 hours of continuous Bluetooth playback. Impressive. Most impressive. The Levitating Death Star Speaker retails for $179.99. Hyperspace jump over to the Plox site for more info or to order.

This Death Star Bluetooth Speaker actually LEVITATES

“This speaker is now the ultimate power in the universe.  I suggest we use it.”  I may be paraphrasing Admiral Motti of the Imperial Navy a bit here, but I think it’s appropriate. The Official Star Wars Levitating Death Star Speaker from Plox does indeed look powerful, and wickedly cool. Per the Plox site, “The gravity-defying orb levitates in mid-air above the base using Plox’s Force Technology.” There may not be a planet-crushing superlaser aboard, but this tiny technological terror is portable with a built-in 5 Watt speaker and 360 degrees of sound projection, and with a 2 hour charge time will provide 5 hours of continuous Bluetooth playback. Impressive. Most impressive. The Levitating Death Star Speaker retails for $179.99. Hyperspace jump over to the Plox site for more info or to order.

Star Wars – The Last Jedi Portable Battery Charger With Laser Pointer review

So you’re a discerning Star Wars fan. You thought you had all the toys and gear… until now. How about a lightsaber that’s also a charger for your portable devices and a laser pointer?

What, you don’t have one of those? This is your lucky day. We’re going to find out more. We’d be honored if you would join us!

What is it?

It’s an officially licensed reproduction of Rey’s lightsaber from Star Wars – The Last Jedi, scaled down for portability. It’s a mobile device charger. It’s also a laser pointer, so you can show off your Jedi skills while pointing out the highlights in that PowerPoint presentation. You’ll just need to provide your own sound effects.

Hardware specs

  • Battery Type: Lithium-ion Battery
  • Battery Capacity: 6,000 mAh
  • Input (Micro USB): 5V@2A
  • Output (USB Type A): 5V@2A
  • Dimensions: 26 x 26 x 179mm
  • Compatible: iPhone, Android & Window Mobile Phones

What’s in the box?

The package comes with the lightsaber/charger/laser pointer, and a micro-USB charging cable.

Design and features

The device is modeled after the most famous lightsaber in the Star Wars saga, owned by the Skywalker clan and ultimately passed to Rey in the Force Awakens. If you’re a stickler for replica details, it’s a good one: all the knobs, buttons, and finishing details are on point despite being nonfunctional (it’s all molded plastic). It’s also a surprisingly substantial build, measuring 7” long and weighing in at 5 ounces. With a rubber grip for easy handling, it looks & feels durable enough to take some rough use.

The base of the handle is where your charging happens. There’s a full-sized USB port for charging your mobile devices and a micro-USB port for charging the unit. A nice USB-to-micro-USB cable is included that doubles as a lanyard that can be attached to the lightsaber. 

The laser pointer projects from the business end of the lightsaber, and is activated by a tiny button next to the USB port on the base. The lase is blue, of course, keeping with the authenticity of the replica (no red Sith lighting here!).

Setup

Setup is a straightforward affair. Find yourself a USB port, and plug in via the micro-USB cable to charge it up. You can also plug your device into the USB port to charge both items simultaneously.

Performance

With my iPhone 6S and moderate use, I was able to go about 4 days before I needed to go find an outlet. There are a lot of variables that go into the power consumption equation, however: device capacity, amount and type of usage, and age of the devices all impact charging potential. My iPhone has an 1800 mAh, for example. While the iPhone 7 and 8 have similar battery sizes to the 6S, the iPhone 7/8 plus models (or the Galaxy s8) ring in at around 3000 mAh capacity (give or take). They also consume power faster for those big screens. You’ll want to consider your device and usage requirements to see if 6000 mAh is enough to get you between recharges.

I should also note that the 5V@2A USB port is not sufficient for charging most tablets. With only 6000 mAh, it won’t get you far anyway… but you can’t use it as an emergency power source in a pinch.

The laser pointer itself is surprisingly legit. It’s not good power and a range that’s strong enough to use across a large conference room. And it feels good to use as a pointing device, being a bit more beefy than a tiny clicker. It’s not exactly subtle, however… you’ll own your geek cred when you pull this out of your bag (I have a Yoda tattoo. I won’t judge.).

Unfortunately, the Brando Star Wars Lightsaber Portable Battery Charger and laser Pointer is a bulky and expensive piece of gear for what it does. Ultra-compact, pocket-sized 6000 mAh mobile chargers are pretty easy to come by for under $20. Chargers this size typically sport 20000 mAh or more (enough to charge some tablets), and can be had in the $30 to $50 range. While the laser pointer is a nice touch, it doesn’t justify a retail price of $100 for this unit if you’re just looking for a mobile charging device. It’s also too big to fit in your pocket, so be prepared to stash it in your bag or backpack on the go.

What I like

  • It’s a quality replica piece.
  • Well built, durable, and substantial.
  • It’s got a good laser pointer for calling out those flaws in the Death Star design.
  • Hardcore Star Wars fanboy/fangirl credentials. Respect.

What needs to be improved

  • It’s big and bulky for a mobile charger.
  • 6000 mAh charge capacity is on the low end these days.
  • Not able to charge tablets and similar higher-powered devices.
  • Expensive for a charging device with limited capacity.

Final thoughts

Here’s the thing: the Brando Star Wars Lightsaber Portable Battery Charger and laser Pointer is intended as a collectible movie replica product. If you’re a big Star Wars fan, this is a pretty cool gadget to add to your collection. It’s a neat conversation piece, and it’s actually got some useful functionality. It’s not cheap at $100, however, and there are plenty of more portable (and more powerful) charging options out there at significantly lower price points. The choice is yours, my Jedi friend. Let the Force guide your actions.
Price: $100
Where to buy: Brando
Source: The sample of the product was provided by Brando.

OtterBox Symmetry Series Star Wars iPhone case review

Long ago in a news story several pages down first revealed that Otterbox is harnessing of the power of the Force to protect your iPhone. I have been chosen to reveal how the Symmetry case can protect your phone from the force of everyday use and the occasional “disturbance in the force. ”  Read on to see what I think!

What Is It?

The OtterBox Symmetry case is one of the slimmest case designs that they make. It is a one piece design that provides coverage around the back and edge for drop and scratch protection and has a raised front bezel protect the screen surface from contact. OtterBox has created a new series of cases embellished with graphics based on the film, Star Wars: The last JediCompatible with the iPhone 7, 8, 7 Plus, and 8 Plus, these five new cases will protect your iPhone from the dark side of phone ownership while remaining slim and sleek in your pocket. The Star Wars Collection includes the style you see here. I got the BB-8/BB-9E version to fit my new iPhone 8.

Hardware Specs

Featuring an ultra-slim profile (the slimmest OtterBox case to date) and OtterBox Certified Drop+ Protection, Symmetry Series stays true to your phone’s sleek design.

Screen bumper: raised, beveled edge helps protect touchscreen

Highlight your personal style with a selection of lively graphics.

Ultra slim one-piece design slips easily in and out of pockets and purses.

Case slips on and off your phone in a flash

Made from carbonite polycarbonate and synthetic rubber.

What’s in the box?

The case is the only item included in the box.

Design and Features

The ports, switch, speaker and front glass are all exposed. Since the iPhone 7 and 8 are IP67 rated, additional protections on the case aren’t as beneficial as they used to be for earlier models, when a simple drop in a puddle may require several hours of the phone taking a rice nap.

The one piece construction fits onto your phone like a glove. When not installed you can see the rubber inside.

And the intellectual property statement as well as the production run and country of origin information.


The rear of the case is a highly polished plastic. The picture here clearly reflects the electrical receptacle on the wall in the distance. The glossiness of the back is good looking at first, but the design is likely to pick up a number of scratches. It’s made of the same material as a DVD, and we all know how scratched those get… The graphics are applied to the underside of the polycarbonate and will not scratch off.

In this picture, you can also see the OtterBox name is imprinted into the base of the rear.

Around the edge, it can be seen that the rubber rim and the glossy back don’t quite touch. There’s a 1 mm grove that I can only assume is for impact absorption.

The back bows out at the center. You can see that the ends are not resting on the table in the picture below. One thing this does is concentrate the scratches to the center, so one of the BB-9e’s is going to get treated a lot worse than all the others. This design also lets you spin the phone.  This is useful to play with while its on a table. It is also useful if a bunch of Stormtroopers need to figure out who takes off their helmet first. 🙂

My iPhone is new and I haven’t got a screen protector on it yet, so I still have the Apple applied screen protector on it. That being said, the phone case gets very close to the protective sheet – about 0.7 mm.

The power button and volume buttons are completely covered but they are easy to press. The pop of each button is still present even though it is covered by the case. The rubber edge and details around the volume buttons and below the power button make the phone and case easy to grip.

The opening for the mute switch and the power are generous. The mute switch may even be accessible to a gloved Stormtrooper but probably not a Wookiee.

 

Positives

  • OtterBox quality
  • Good-looking durable design
  • Buttons work well
  • Openings for power and mute switch are big

Negatives

  • Glossy polycarbonate rear is likely to quickly show its age.

Final thoughts

If you really want to add top-notch protection to a phone then OtterBox is one of the best choices available. The symmetry case is very slim and still provides great protection to the hardware inside. Getting the case with one of five graphic designs based on the Star Wars films is a no-brainer for any Star Wars enthusiast.

Price:  $44.95 to $54.95
Where to buy: OtterBox
Source: The sample of this product was provided by OtterBox.

A leather Star Wars iPhone X case…Yes please

Star Wars: The Last Jedi has been out for about a week now and if you’ve seen it but still can’t get enough Star Wars goodness Hex has you covered. Their new Limited Edition leather iPhone cases feature five different iconic characters from the movies. Darth Vader, Boba Fett, R2-D2, Storm Trooper and X-Wing Fighter. There are two different case styles available, a wallet case and a snap case. Each case features a character embossed in leather on the back. The wallet case has 3-card slots, a cash pocket, and an elastic closure.

The snap case features premium leather construction, a custom molded polycarbonate case and a raised front bezel for screen protection. Inside each case, Hex printed a quote associated with each character. For example inside the Darth Vader case, it says “Together We Can Rule The Galaxy” and the Storm Trooper case has “Move Along” printed inside.

The Hex Limited Edition Leather iPhone Cases are available for the iPhone X, 8 Plus and 8. They range in price from $49.95-$69.95 and are available from Amazon.