12 Great Star Wars Gifts in 2018
These are the Star Wars gifts that are actually worth buying.
It’s a glorious time to be a Star Wars fan! We get a new movie every year, new books spanning so many different aspects of the universe, and an actual mountain of themed swag around every corner. So much Star Wars swag. In fact, it’s a little too much if you’re trying to buy something good for the Star Wars fan in your life. You can reach out in just about any direction of every store right now and find something with the Star Wars logo stamped on it — including, weirdly enough, oranges — but if you’re looking for the good stuff it can be a little intimidating.
This list should get you started down the right path. Everything here is stuff I’ve found worthy of the Force-sensitive people in your life, and there’s a little something in here for everyone.
Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar
If you’ve got someone younger in your life who enjoys counting down the days until Christmas, you can’t do better than this Lego Star Wars setup. It’s a new Lego Star Wars bit every day, including popular minifigs like BB-8.
It’s a cute way to get kids ready for the holiday, and at $50 you know you’re getting lots of Legos.
See at Amazon
R2-D2 Measuring Cup Set
Who says an Astreomech Droid can’t be helpful around the kitchen? This kit is meant to sit out on the counter and look exactly like everyone’s favorite helper, right until you need a cup of sugar. When that happens, you can disassemble this Droid into a whole bunch of different measuring utensils.
Aside from being a very reasonably priced $18 when you consider how many measuring cups and spoons you get, it’s a practical way to show off your Star Wars love in the kitchen.
Oh, and for those who prefer the shiny newness of BB-8, there’s a kit for you too.
See at Amazon
Jedi Challenges AR
Start your Jedi training virtually! Only, unlike a VR headset, this AR headset lets you see the real world while you interact with a training hologram. This program splits your training up into multiple games, including lightsaber battles with famous Star Wars villains and actually HoloChess!
Check out the Jedi Challenges review to learn more!
This $200 kit comes with an incredibly detailed replica of Rey’s lightsaber as the controller, and is hands down the best Star Wars game you can guy this year.
See at Best Buy
Propel Drones
Remote control toys that look like Star Wars vehicles aren’t a new thing by any stretch, and that includes flying toys that look like popular ships. Drones that can actually engage in combat with one another? That’s new, and Propel brought them to life in spectacular fashion this year.
Check out the review for more details!
For $99 you can choose between Vader’s Tie Advanced or the classic X-Wing, and these ships can actually play laser tag that ends in the loser “crashing” to the ground when it has taken the right number of hits. If you’d rather something a little closer to the ground, you can also grab one that looks like a Speeder Bike.
See at Amazon
Sphero Droids
Sphero took the world be storm last year with its BB-8 droid that could putter around your room on its own when you weren’t remote controlling it. This year, there are several more to choose from and a lot of new features. BB-9E, a droid from The Last Jedi, is available alongside R2-D2 and R2-Q5. Among the new features, all of these droids will sit with you and watch the Star Wars movies, reacting to everything exciting or scary in the movies.
For $130, these droids offer a ton of fun and the designs are just plain great.
See at Amazon
littleBits Inventor Kit
Toys are great, but creating something is an amazing feeling for any age. The littleBits Star Wars kit is designed to teach you how to make your own R2-D2, by helping you understand the tech inside and what it all does. When the kit is all assembed, you can use the littleBits app to teach R2-D2 new skills and send it out on missions.
There’s a lot of tech in here for $99, and it’s a fantastic start into the educational world of littleBits tech.
See at Amazon
Boba Fett Laptop Backpack
There are a ton of Star Wars backpacks out there, and unfortunately a lot of them are not very good at being a durable backpack. This Bioworld backpack has plenty of pockets, includes a nice padded section for keeping a laptop safe, and is rocking an amazing Boba Fett theme.
This is a decent backpack for $50 and looks nice enough to hand one out to each of your Dad’s clones.
See at Amazon
BB-8 Car Charger
If you’re ok with a car charger taking up a cupholder in your front console, this $30 kit will give you two USB ports providing 2.1a each and features an adorably animated BB-8.
The little Droid will twist and turn around as you drive, clearly keeping an eye out for anything that may be in need of repairs. You couldn’t ask for a better co-pilot.
See at Amazon
Lego Death Star
It doesn’t matter what age you are, the Lego Death Star is one of those things every geek covets. This $500 kit is massive, even by Lego standards, and is absolutely the kind of thing you will spend weeks working on.
It’s clearly only for the most hardcore of Lego Star Wars fans, but the grin on their face when they open this gift from you will stretch from ear to ear.
See at Amazon
Star Wars From a Certain Point of View
There are a lot of great Star Wars books out there, but this one is unlike all the others. If you’ve never read any of the From a Certain Point of View books, you should make this the first one. This is a collection of short stories from the Star Wars universe where the main themes we all know and remember are retold from the perspective of someone who is not the main character.
The paperback is only going to set you back $20, and this really should be on every Star Wars fans bookshelf.
See at Amazon
Star Wars Battlefront II PlayStation 4 Pro
You don’t have to be a hardcore Star Wars fan to enjoy the new Battlefront II game, but if you know a fan who has been looking to upgrade their PlayStation 4 you might consider this as a gift. It’s a standard PlayStation 4 Pro on the inside, but the outside includes three beautiful graphics on the top of the console and matching symbols on the included controller.
This $450 bundle is already a decent price for the nice theme, and getting the copy of Battlefront II in the box with it is a nice addition. Just, you know, keep an eye out for loot boxes.
See at Amazon
Millennium Falcon Multi-Tool
While not actually practical as a multi-tool you carry around and use every day — nothing replaces my Leatherman, sorry — this $30 kit will put a smile on the face of any Star Wars fan that is even the least bit handy.
The Falcon comes out the box looking like it has seen better days, and all of the included tools are actually functional. It’s cute, and you’ll probably try to use it a few times, but really this is something you’d rather have sitting on your workbench to bring a little geek into the shop.
See at Amazon
Did we miss something? Shout out in the comments!
Here’s what we’re reading, watching, playing, and listening to this week
How we’re spending our leisure time.
Everyone has a bit of quiet downtime once in a while. Whether you’re sitting quietly at home or trying to relax on a plane or just giving your busy mind and hands a break, it’s important to relax.
A good way to do that is to read a book, listen to some music or watch a movie or show. See what’s caught our attention for the week of May 4th.
Ara Wagoner
I am a two-program Disney College Program alumni, so safe to say I’m a Disney Parks Fan with a capital F. I’ve never been lucky enough to get the time and resources for an international park trip, but when a new parade for Tokyo Disneyland drops, I drop everything and listen to it. Dreaming Up is Tokyo Disneyland’s 35th anniversary parade and it replaces my favorite parade of all time, Happiness is Here. The new model is bright, peppy, and I just want to dance through the whole thing, which is the perfect music to keep my energy up in a week of testing before weekend elections.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go get Carried Away again, and see if I can’t Dream Up a new home screen theme.
Daniel Bader
Mad Men. I’ve just finished my second run-through of the show about drunks and the people they hurt during the golden age of advertising, and my goodness is it still one of the most stunning dramas of all time. I was much younger when I first watched it, and though the feeling of desperation remained long after the seventh season finale, I remembered little of the pointed dialogue and intense silences.
Though it took place between 1962 and 1970, there is so much about the tragedy of its characters that still reverberates today. Office harassment, sexism, racism, and the naivety of youth — these are characters for which you build tremendous affection despite their flaws, and often because of them. They’re bad people doing bad things written really well.
If you’ve never watched Mad Men, it’s seven seasons of 13 or so episodes, and it’s worth every moment.
Joe Maring
I’m not sure how, but I somehow missed out on Community when it first aired a few years back. Thanks to Hulu, I’m now making my way through the entire series and dying with laughter at just about every turn.
The entire cast of Community works incredibly together and the chemistry between all of the actors and actresses is some of the best I’ve seen since The Office and Parks and Rec. The show’s representation of the community college life is far from accurate, but that’s probably for the best. There’s plenty of jokes, heart, and excellent writing to be found here, and I can’t wait to keep watching more.
Also, like the rest of planet Earth, I watched Infinity War last Thursday but won’t say a word. Remember, Thanos demands your silence.
Hayato Huseman
I’m way behind on the Marvel Cinematic Universe — the last Marvel movie I’d seen before this week was the first Guardians of the Galaxy — but a friend of mine was in town and bought tickets to see the new Avengers movie. I barely recognized ANY of the characters that weren’t in the first Avengers, but boy was that movie badass anyway. Without going into too much detail, it has enormous battle scenes, incredible CGI, and a surprisingly dark ending that I really wasn’t expecting.
Oh, and the Infinity Wars memes are already making their rounds, if you’re into that sort of thing. I know I am.
As far as music goes, I’ve been revisiting Paramore’s latest album After Laughter, which I dismissed as “mostly forgettable” when it dropped last year. After giving it a few more listens, it’s quickly becoming one of my favorite non-metal albums, with dynamic vocals and great new wave-style composition. If you’re in the mood to feel sad, put on 26 and let the floodgates open.
Tom Westrick
Like any good person, I saw Avengers: Infinity War this past weekend. Also, like any good person, I cried at the end. A lot. I’m amazed that the Russo Brothers were able to pull the movie off: it was incredibly well paced — I never felt like any scenes were rushed or dragging on. It also just felt like a comic book crossover; the way the film focused on different characters and transitioned between locations felt exactly like I was moving through a giant comic event, only on the big screen.
Elsewhere, I’m fully caught up on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and it has become one of my regular shows each week. I also purchased vinyl copies of Ruins by First Aid Kit and Fumes by Lily and Madeleine. I’ve talked about Ruins in this column before, but it’s still my absolute favorite album so far this year. I already owned a vinyl copy of Fumes, but it was heavily damaged when all of my albums fell off my wall one night. I already own both albums digitally, so the vinyl copies will become decorations once I get some screws put in my walls and buy more frames.
Your turn
What are YOU reading, watching, or listening to this week? Let us know in the comments!
Update, May 4th, 2018: This is a weekly series where we tell you what we’re into, so check back every Friday or Saturday!
Today’s best deals you won’t want to miss
Whether you’re looking for new tech gear or household items, we’ve got you covered.
Today you can get big discounts on Star Wars gear, TP-Link smart plugs, portable Bluetooth speakers, and more! Don’t pass these up.
View the rest of the deals
If you want to know about the deals as soon as they are happening, you’ll want to follow Thrifter on Twitter, and sign up for the newsletter, because missing out on a great deal stinks!
Google Assistant can now help you order movie tickets
Available as part of a partnership with Fandango.
Although it’s now easier than ever to order movie tickets, having to download an app, search for a showtime, and enter your credit card info can still prove to be a royal pain. To help make buying tickets to the movies as easy as can be, Google’s partnering with Fandango so you can do so by just talking to the Assistant.
Beginning today, you can now purchase tickets through Google Assistant by either using your voice or typing to it.
After finding something you’d like, you can tell the Assistant to buy tickets for your desired movie and time. You’ll then be asked how many adult and/or kid tickets you want to buy, and if it’s your first time making a purchase, you’ll be asked to accept Fandango’s terms of service.
Once accepted, the Assistant will read out your total and you’ll complete the purchase using Google Pay. You can also ask speakers like Google Home to buy tickets, and once you’ve selected a showtime, it’ll send a prompt to your phone so you can complete the order. As for the Assistant app on iOS, it won’t be available there until later in the year.
The whole process is pretty sleek, and it’s launching just in time for pre-sales of Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Deal: Get $200 off the Samsung Galaxy S9 from Cricket!
For new customers heading over to Cricket, you can now save $200 off the $699 retail price of the Samsung Galaxy S9 and pay just $499 when you sign up for an eligible line of service.
Since Cricket is owned by AT&T, you can count on receiving the stellar quality coverage across AT&T’s nationwide network. Plus, all of Cricket’s service plan pricing includes all taxes, surcharges, and fees — which could add an extra 18% on to your bill.
Not only that, but you can also get 4 lines of Cricket Unlimited plan for $100 with auto pay.
Here’s what you’ll get with Cricket Unlimited 2 plan:
- Unlimited talk, text to/from US, Canada, and Mexico
- Unlimited data with max data speeds of 3Mbps running on AT&T’s network (users of more than 22GB in a month may notice a temporary reduction in speeds during times of high network traffic)
- Video streaming at SD quality (480p)
The fine print:
- Offer is online only and does not include sales tax which will be charged on the full price of the device
- Offer is available only for new customers who transfer number. AT&T port in excluded
- Must sign up for a qualifying plan that costs at least $30/mo
- Need to be on Cricket service for six months after phone activation
See at Cricket
The invisible home screen: an ultra minimal theme and excellent prank
This theme pulls double duty as a mind-blowing trick and testament to Android’s customizable beauty.
There are few themes that are quite as flexible and adaptable as what I like to call the “invisible” home screen. It’s a theme that could only exist on Android, and it is both high art and farce. It is both a prank and a functional beauty. Setting up this theme is quite easy, it can work with just about any wallpaper, and it’s like turning your home screen into a fun little magic trick.
This is the invisible home screen, and here’s how you can pull it off.
There are two methods to utilize in this theme — completely clear app icons and gesture launcher shortcuts — and while the former is available on almost any launcher that allows custom icons, the latter is a little harder to come by. In the interest of expediency, we’re going to give you instructions for this theme in our two favorite theming launchers: Nova Launcher and Action Launcher.
Whichever launcher you use, you’ll need this blank png to set all of your home screen icons to.
- Picking a wallpaper
- How to set a clear app icon in Nova Launcher
- How to set a clear app icon in Action Launcher
- How to turn off app labels in Nova Launcher
- How to turn off app labels in Action Launcher
- How to activate gesture controls in Nova Launcher
- How to activate gesture controls in Action Launcher
Picking a wallpaper
This theme is wonderful because you can use literally any wallpaper you want. Use an ultra-minimalist wallpaper, use a completely chaotic wallpaper, use a photo of your kids; use whatever you like. The important thing to remember with your wallpaper is that you’re going to be using the wallpaper to gauge where your icons are on the screen. So if you use a wallpaper with a lot of distinct elements in it, you can use those elements to signify your shortcuts. On a minimal wallpaper, you’ll have to rely more on muscle memory and your knowledge of your home screen’s app grid.
Need some help finding a new wallpaper?
How to set a clear app icon in Nova Launcher
Long-press an app shortcut on your home screen.
Tap Edit or the pencil icon in the menu that appears.
Tap the icon square to edit the icon.
Tap Gallery apps.
Tap Files.
Navigate to and select the downloaded blank .png icon.
Tap Done.
Tap Done again.
Repeat with every app and folder on your home screen.
How to set a clear app icon in Action Launcher
Long-press an app shortcut on your home screen.
Tap Edit.
Swipe up to reveal the app icon menu and tap My photos.
Navigate to and select the downloaded blank .png icon.
Tap Done.
Repeat with every app and folder on your home screen.
It’s worth noting on Action Launcher that you cannot change folder icons to custom icons the way you can on Nova Launcher. If you want to make a folder invisible on Action Launcher, you’ll first have to enable its Cover, then set the icon of the first app in your folder to invisible as well.
How to turn off app labels in Nova Launcher
Now, most launchers have app labels turned on by default, and having iconless labels floating on your home screen would ruin the invisible home screen effect. Here’s how to turn them off.
Open Nova Settings.
Tap Desktop.
Tap Icon layout.
Tap Label to turn off app labels.
How to turn off app labels in Action Launcher
Now, Action Launcher has app labels turned on by default, and having iconless labels floating on your home screen would ruin the invisible home screen effect. Here’s how to turn them off.
Open Action Settings.
Tap Desktop.
Tap Text layout.
Tap Home screens to uncheck it.
How to activate gesture controls in Nova Launcher
In order to use gestures in Nova Launcher, you must have Nova Launcher Prime, which is $4.99 and worth every single penny. Nova Prime seldom goes on sale, but if you answer surveys on Google Opinion Rewards, you should be able to pay for it that way after a few months. There are 11 gesture controls you can set for your home screen on Nova Launcher, but the three set most frequently by far are Swipe up, Swipe down, and Double tap.
You can set your gestures to any app you’d like, to a variety of Nova Launcher tasks, or you can even set shortcuts like direct dialing or a Tasker task. Once you decide what you want your gestures to do, here’s how to assign them.
Open Nova Settings.
Tap Gestures & inputs.
Tap the gesture you want to assign.
Select the app, shortcut, or Nova action you wish to assign.
How to activate gesture controls in Action Launcher
Like Nova, gestures are a paid feature on Action Launcher, meaning you’ll need to pay for Action Launcher Plus. Plus is an in-app upgrade, priced at $4.99, and if you’re a long-time Action Launcher user, you probably invested in Plus a long time ago. Action Launcher sets you set 12 gesture controls to an App, a Shortcut, or an Action.
Open Action Settings.
Tap Shortcuts.
Tap the gesture section you wish to assign.
Tap the gesture you wish to assign.
Select the *app, shortcut, or Action you wish to assign.
Your turn
Is your invisible home screen a thing of precision and minimalism? Is it chaos that only you can navigate? Did it freak out your girlfriend when she saw your home screen was empty? Tell us in the comments.
Updated May 2018: This excellent theme has been cleaned up and polished like the precious gem of a theme it is.
How to share Oculus Go screenshots and video recordings without using Facebook
Looking to share Oculus Go experiences but don’t want to use Facebook? Here’s how!
So many of us now know that the Oculus Go is a fantastic little piece of stand-alone virtual reality hardware. You don’t need a computer and you don’t need a phone. It’s a portable and closed environment and that’s great!
But it you have taken a bunch of screenshots and you want to share them with your friends, you don’t have a ton of options. As it stands currently, the default sharing method for the Oculus Go is through Facebook. If you want to show off your Oculus Go adventures and don’t want to do it on Facebook, our guide will give you everything you need.
- Instructions for Windows PCs
- Instructions for Macs
Using a Windows PC to pull Oculus Go files
Connect your Oculus Go to your PC with a micro USB cable.
In your headset, you will have to give your PC permission to gain access. Select Allow Access to Data.
Once you are connected to your PC the Autoplay feature should open. If it does, select Open Device to View Files.
If Autoplay does not start you can manually browse to Oculus Go Storage through File Explorer. It will be named VR-Headset
Once you have your VR-Headset open, select Internal Shared Storage
Open the folder named Oculus
Now you can access either the Screenshots or the VideoShots folder to copy whatever pictures or videos you want to your hard drive.
Using a Mac to pull files from your Oculus Go
Download the File Transfer Tool from Android and install it on your Mac.
Connect your Oculus Go to your Mac with a micro USB cable.
Open the File Transfer Tool you just installed.
In your headset, you will have to give your computer permission to gain access. Select Allow Access to Data.
A folder named VR-Headset should automatically open.
Now choose the folder named Oculus.
Now you can access either the Screenshots or the VideoShots folder to copy whatever pictures or videos you want to your hard drive.
Congratulations! You have thrown off the oppressive shackles of Facebook. You now have the freedom to share your screenshots and videos when and where you choose. Enjoy!
Galaxy S9 and S9+ with 128GB or 256GB of storage now available for pre-order
Both variants are being sold exclusively through Samsung.com.
The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ are great smartphones, and with 64GB of internal storage and microSD support, offer plenty of space for all your local files. If you find yourself needing more room, however, Samsung’s got you covered with newly announced 128GB and 256GB versions of both phones.
These versions of the S9 and S9+ have all the same specs and features we already know, with the exception that the 64GB of storage has been upgraded to 128GB or 256GB. The processor, display, cameras, and everything else remains the same. Even with the increased storage, you can still expand them further with a microSD card.
Pricing for the new and old models is as follows:
- Samsung Galaxy S9 w/ 64 GB — $719.99
- Samsung Galaxy S9 w/ 128GB — $769.99
- Samsung Galaxy S9 w/ 256GB — $819.99
- Samsung Galaxy S9+ w/ 64GB — $839.99
- Samsung Galaxy S9+ w/ 128GB — $889.99
- Samsung Galaxy S9+ w/ 256GB — $939.99
After the pre-order period ends on May 17, prices of the top-end 256GB models will increase by $20 — to $839 for the Galaxy S9, and $959 for the Galaxy S9+.
The 128GB and 256GB S9 and S9+ are available for pre-order now and will officially launch on May 18. As a reminder, these versions are only being sold through Samsung.com and not through carriers.
Additionally, anyone who buys a Galaxy S9 or S9+ of any storage size before May 17 can get a free pair of Gear IconX (2018) wireless earbuds or purchase the Gear S3 Frontier for just $99 (normally $350).
See at Samsung
Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+
- Galaxy S9 and S9+: Everything you need to know!
- Galaxy S9 review: A great phone for the masses
- Complete Galaxy S9 and S9+ specs
- Galaxy S9 vs. Galaxy S8: Should you upgrade?
- Join our Galaxy S9 forums
Verizon
AT&T
T-Mobile
Sprint
Win a trip to the OnePlus 6 launch in London!
OnePlus is getting ready to launch the OnePlus 6 in London on May 16. What does your schedule look like that day? You could just watch the livestream from home, but what if you could witness the launch live and in person? Read on for details!
Be among the first to try out the latest OnePlus flagship and get your hands on exclusive swag right then and there. You will also have a chance to rub shoulders top-tier tech influencers and chat with other fans just like you. What’s more, you’ll receive round-trip tickets and 2 nights of accommodation in London, free!
How to enter
Answer the questions in the widget below. To qualify you must be at least 18 years of age and you must be able and available to travel to London May 15, returning May 17.
Win a trip to the OnePlus 6 launch in London!
Univision plans Netflix-style streaming service
Univision’s streaming ambitions are growing beyond live video. The Hispanic-American broadcaster has unveiled an on-demand service that gives you access to both its own shows as well as partners like the BBC and Viacom. Full access to live and on-demand content will cost you $8 per month, but current pay TV customers can spring for the on-demand portion for a $3 monthly fee.
The company didn’t say how soon the on-demand portion would be ready.
Univision isn’t shy about the reason for widening its internet offerings: it sees this as a “Netflix for Spanish-language content.” The network is already partnering with Netflix on Hispanic productions, but this provides a service devoted primarily to that audience. It’s not directly challenging the streaming giant so much as it is creating a supplement.
Source: Deadline
