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Star Wars phones are coming to Japan

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Ah, Japan. Land of super-adorable stuff, wondrously weird styles, humanoid robots, micro homes, and, most recently, Star Wars-themed smartphones that will make even the most basic fan giddy.

Built by Sharp, this pair of Star Wars mobile phones owes its existence to SoftBank, one of Japan’s leading carriers, and the upcoming Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which is hitting movie theaters soon. And in true Star Wars tradition, they come in Dark and Light side versions. The former has a black front with red accents and back finish, whereas the latter swaps the Sith colorway for the white and blue of the good guys.

[irp posts=”568″ name=”Star Wars: Force Awakens BB-8 Droid by Sphero Hands-On”]

Both phones use a heavily customized Android Marshmallow interface, and include live wallpapers inspired by the cockpits of the X-Wing and TIE fighter ships; a Star Wars video player app that lets you watch The Force Awakens until 2020 (just in case you haven’t watched it); a special alarm clock app; and Star Wars emoji and ringtones. SoftBank is also throwing in five exclusive metal figurines from Rogue One.

light_side_edition

dark_side_edition

Choose between Dark and Light side (of the phones)

As for the handsets themselves, they share the same high-end innards: Snapdragon 820 under the hood, alongside 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. The battery is rated at 3,000mAh, which isn’t bad for a couple of 7.6-inch-thick devices. There’s a 22-megapixel camera around the back for shooting people’s reactions when they see the Star Wars ware you’re rocking.

Pre-orders start today, and the handsets officially go on sale on December 2nd. But will we see them outside of Japan? We doubt it. A shame, really, because these are the droids we’ve been looking for.

[irp posts=”7899″ name=”Our sweetest Black Friday gadget finds”]

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Lionel Messi’s face just unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra early

Technically, it’s a custom Caviar phone with Messi’s face on it.

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Image source: Caviar

And just like that, the World Cup season is over. Spain prevailed over Argentina in a 1-0 caper. Despite the loss, however, Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi is (indirectly) leaving us a little surprise by spoiling the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra a few days early.

Technically, it’s not Messi himself doing the spoiling. Caviar, the infamous luxury smartphone company, has revealed an extravagant Lionel Messi-themed edition of the unannounced Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.

As with the brand’s other creations, the special smartphone is covered in 24-karat gold plating. The design is styled to look like Messi and the colors of the Argentinian football team.

Image source: Caviar

Now, before you say that this design is worthless now after the loss to Spain, the edition is meant to celebrate the 2022 win, exemplified by the badge on Messi’s shirt saying “2022”. And even then, Messi is still one of the most globally recognized sports personalities in the world, making this quite the collector’s item.

However, if you’re looking for any hardware leaks, you’re out of luck. The listing has no mention of specs, except for the storage, which includes options for 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. Other than that, you’ll have to wait like the rest of us.

Additionally, if you’re interested in the Messi-themed edition, it will cost you a fortune. Caviar’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra will start at a whopping US$ 13,130.

Besides its nature as a special edition, this phone is the most official thing we’ve seen of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. Samsung is still scheduled to launch the new foldable, along with other models, in a few days. The brand is also rumored to launch a wide version of this model.

SEE ALSO: New leak reveals first look at Samsung’s wide foldable

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Automotive

Mercedes-Benz celebrates 140th anniversary at the Presidential Car Museum

A generation’s worth of presidential Benz models under one roof

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Last month, Mercedes-Benz Philippines kicked off its 140th -anniversary “Welcome Home” campaign. Designed to celebrate the iconic Chedeng and introduce a new generation to the brand, the campaign attracts old and new customers alike. Now, the brand’s 140th year is also hitting history buffs with a special showcase at the Presidential Car Museum in Quezon City.

Since President Cory Aquino’s term, the official presidential car has been a Benz, offering comfort and protection for the current head of state. It is here where Mercedes-Benz wants to celebrate the legacy of the brand, especially in the annals of Philippine history.

Amid the cars of Presidents Aquino, Ramos, Estrada, and Macapagal-Arroyo, Mercedes-Benz is displaying a replica of the Benz Patent-Motorwagen Replica, which is the world’s first automobile introduced by Karl Benz in 1886. The replica will be on display until December 2026.

Outside the Presidential Car Museum, Mercedes-Benz is running discounts through the end of July. There are also special aftersales services for those who already own a Benz. Finally, the brand will continue to run activations throughout the anniversary, so expect to hear a lot more about the Chedeng throughout the year.

SEE ALSO: Mercedes-Benz holds a Welcome Home campaign to celebrate 140 years

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Samsung releases teaser with Spider-Man: Brand New Day Easter eggs

Spot also teases upcoming Galaxy foldable devices

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Samsung has just premiered a new spot that showcases clips directly from Spider-Man: Brand New Dayjust a few weeks before the movie hits cinemas later this month.

The clip showcases Spider-Man as he fights crime and puts his phone through the wear and tear of superhero life.

In the spot, the Fabricator creates a number of devices for Spider-Man built to stand up to the pace and unpredictability of life behind the mask. This includes what clearly looks like a Galaxy Z Flip phone.

This provides a behind the scenes look into how Peter Parker ultimately landed on a Samsung phone — as fans speculated from the first trailer.

Meanwhile, Ned can also be seen using the Spidey Tracker to try and catch Spider-Man throughout the city on his Samsung phone.

The campaign pretty much formalizes Jacob Batalon — who plays Ned Leeds — as Samsung’s Team Galaxy’s newest ambassador.

The clip ends with the text “A brand new shape for a Brand New Day”, which is also a callback to what the brand has been teasing regarding the future of its Galaxy foldable devices.

Samsung to release latest devices at Galaxy Unpacked

Next week, Samsung is set to launch its latest devices at Galaxy Unpacked 2026.

Ahead of the launch, customers who wish to reserve as early as now can get a US$ 30 credit during pre-order, for a total of up to US$ 1,230 in savings.

Customers can also enter a sweepstakes for a chance to win one of 10 US$ 500 Samsung.com gift cards towards their purchase.

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