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I've been a sucker for "Star Wars" merchandise ever since I had to get a second C-3PO action figure as a kid because I wore all the gold color off of my first one. My first kiss was with a friend named Arnie, who made my nerdy young heart beat with a sweet collection that included an X-Wing Fighter. My brother and I had matching stuffed Ewoks.

I still get a kick out of "Star Wars" swag today because of the creativity that goes into it. Fans almost always get it right when they do things like build a carpet-covered AT-AT cat condo or custom-painted Stormtrooper My Little Ponies complete with helmets and belts. These things have heart.

But this brings me to the limited-edition $120 Nestle "Star Wars" coffee makers that will be available only in Japan. You can choose between a Dark Side coffee maker with Darth Vader on it or a Rebel Alliance coffee maker with C-3PO on it. Pretty much all Nestle did was slap on some graphics and change up the colors on its regular Barista coffee machine.… Read more

Timing is everything, especially in the "Star Wars" saga. For example, had Han Solo missed that critical shot on the TIE fighter in the trenches of the Rebel assault on the first Death Star, Luke Skywalker would have been toast -- and so would the rebellion against the Empire.

On October 12, Japanese watchmaker Seiko commemorates "Star Wars" in a new collection of themed watches with a collective run of only 5,000 pieces. Six popular characters from the movies each get their own model: Darth Vader, Darth Maul, C-3PO, R2-D2, Yoda, and the lemming-like Stormtrooper. … Read more

How do you go down a flight of stairs on a skateboard? Those with sufficient skill can usually grind down the supporting handrail like a champ, for one, while people such as myself tumble down wildly hoping not to break any bones.

Designer Po-Chih Lai's Stair Rover could alter the way skateboarders tackle the stair challenge.

Lai, a recent graduate of the Royal College of Art in London, also refers to his creation as a stairboard. The device lets the user ride down stairs by tapping the unique balancing act found in the eight wheels and specifically designed set of aluminum Y-frames at each end of the board. … Read more

With every possible entertainment entity from the NFL to M&Ms supporting cancer awareness with special themed events and products, there's no reason the Galactic Empire shouldn't get in on the act.

Stand Up to Cancer, the celebrity-driven charity, is teaming with Lucasfilm to raise research funds by selling four specially designed "cancer fighting" T-shirts with "Star Wars" themes.

Perhaps I should clarify that the shirts themselves have no particular medicinal qualities, but all hands hope the money they raise will continue the fight against all forms of the deadly disease. Each of the four shirts (featuring Darth Vader, Yoda, and Stormtroopers) sell for $24.95, with all proceeds going to SU2C. … Read more

ANAHEIM, Calif.--After being closed for more than a year for a major redesign, the 24-year-old Star Tours ride at Disneyland reopened this past weekend as Star Tours: The Adventures Continue. Disney and Lucasfilm have equipped the re-imagined ride with new 3D technology, HD screens, and improved audio animatronics, so CNET strapped into the simulator to test the the new attraction.

Since the original Star Tours based on the first three "Star Wars" films ("A New Hope," "The Empire Strikes Back," and "Return of the Jedi") opened in 1987, George Lucas and company released a second trilogy of films introducing new characters and locations into the Star Wars universe. Meanwhile, improved audio technology and animatronics, HD screens, and 3D imagery have made their way into popular consciousness. The new Star Tours joins of all those elements together into a more modern entertainment experience.

While I managed to get a look at the new attraction with a press pass, park visitors waited in two-hour lines. As they wove through the traditional theme park wraparound lines, new high-def screens presented themed messages about possible destinations and the ride's security procedures. A new and improved animatronic C3PO and R2D2 bicker while they prepare your shuttle for travel through a galaxy now ruled by the Galactic Empire. While the ride remains similar in feel to its predecessor prior to boarding that shuttle, its art direction and technology got a serious upgrade. … Read more

In a shocking post-Super Bowl announcement, AOL said tonight it has agreed to pay $315 million for the Huffington Post and form a new media powerhouse by combining the content of both organizations.

The resulting new outfit, which will be headed by HuffPo co-founder Arianna Huffington, will be called Huffington Post Media Group and feature all the content from previous AOL acquisitions including Engadget and TechCrunch. By doing so, AOL seems intent on convincing the world that it is deadly serious about reclaiming its place among the leaders of the digital media world.

In a story posted at midnight … Read more

The recent popularity of GPS functionality built into smartphones and stock vehicles might eventually phase out third party portable navigation devices entirely, but folks who currently own Tom Tom systems can now hear their driving directions read by classic Star Wars characters like Yoda and Darth Vader. Tom Tom will release one Star Wars character a month, available as a $13 download- check out this hilarious promo for the Yoda version.

July 13 is the official Embrace Your Inner Geek Day so we're celebrating this annual holiday by doing...the same thing...we normally...do. And just for kicks, … Read more

The Star Wars droid fluent in 6 million forms of communication add another to his repertoire--assisting humans through TomToms.

C-3PO is the latest Star Wars character to join the growing list of downloadable celebrity voices for TomTom GPS devices.

Announcing turn-by-turn directions in his unmistakable fashion--"Take the third left; it may be our only hope"--C-3PO will guide drivers to places in a galaxy not so far, far away. VoiceSkins.com released a Darth Vader TomTom voice skin earlier this year, and Yoda is set to be released in July with Han Solo to follow in … Read more

The best moment of the "Star Wars" trilogy was when C-3PO was nearly destroyed. Now you can commemorate that moment with the pleather C-3PO Bespin Backpack.

Just like in the film, the robot isn't all that useful--he comes with a mesh bag that's basically only good for carrying himself along with any of his loose appendages.

However, you can stuff his cavity with small objects--the iPad appears to be about the max payload--in a manner I like to imagine to be quite painful. When you're done with the backpack, C-3PO can be reassembled in full … Read more