Sideshow Collectibles’ C-3PO and R2-D2 are the most authentic life-size reproductions ever available to private collectors. Available now for pre-order, these highly-anticipated collectibles will begin shipping in 3rd Quarter 2008. Crafted of fiberglass and various quality materials, these sought-after droids are sure to be the centerpieces of any Star Wars collection, perfect for your home, office, or theater room.

Both figures will include light and sound function, for the most ‘real’ experience possible. Details on the sound and light function will be made available in future updates on SideshowCollectibles.com.

Each figure will include a display base, perfect for keeping your favorite droid in a comfortable standing position.

C-3PO and R2-D2 will each include a restraining bolt accessory, which you may attach via magnets imbedded in the figures.
C-3PO priced at $5,950
R2-D2 priced at $5,450

Philips has launched a range of iPod docks for the iPod and iPhone range.

Starting with the Philips DC910 it does the usual charging and synchronizing, apart from this it comes with a USB and SD card slot for direct MP3 / WMA playback.

The dual wOOx loudspeakers deliver 30W RMS. Whats unique is the new connector which allows the iPod to be docked vertically and horizontally.

The ROSIE Coffee Table Touchpanel Controller is a full home entertainment hub, based around a 40″ flat panel monitor embedded in a tabletop. The interface can be customised and features include media playback, home automation and control of various devices such as security cameras or streaming devices.
There will be a variety of furniture design styles available, but no word on price or availability just yet.

Philips’ luxury end of LED backlit LCD television sets the company calls Aurea, expands on its Ambilight technology.

While Ambilight is not something of a novelty, the new 42-inch Full HD TV sets not only have light emanating from the back onto the walls of your room, but the light also spills over onto the TV‘s white casing.
The overall effect is a kaleidoscopic halo around your TV sets, which the company says, offers a more immersive cinematic viewing experience, and Philips even has many research papers from universities in Eindhoven, Munich and New York to back up their claims.
And while the TV is off or on standby mode, you can select from a few color palettes to create a loungy ambience in your living space. Otherwise, its specifications are comparable with models of other notable makers of LCD TVs. Price : US$5,760

The New York Times used words like “cult object,” “majestic,” and “titillating”; the Economist called it “ingenious” and “sleek.”

The subject of these encomiums is, incongruously, a commercial coffee machine—the Clover 1s, an $11,000 device that brews regular coffee (not espresso) one cup at a time.

The Clover’s real benefit to coffee-drinkers is the way it combines French press and vacuum methods to produce one of the best cups of coffee.

The Clover’s “VacuumPress” method, however, creates a vacuum to draw the water down through the grounds, extracting flavor and yet leaving them behind.

“Golden Age” is the name of this new, er, product, the world’s first Apple MacBook Air to be fully crystallised with 12,000 “dazzling” Swarovski elements.

The reason it looks so darn shiny is that the crystals are specially coated with 24k gold from underneath so that the transparent crystals can reflect the true gold colour.

Inspired by a traditional Japanese pattern, each “Golden Age” takes a week to create as each crystal is apparently painstakingly applied one at a time on to the hand-painted surface.

With a limited edition of only 20 pieces worldwide this is described as “undoubtedly the ultimate luxury treat for the person who thought they had everything”. Aside from taste or sense, clearly.

The “Golden Age” is getting a CeBIT debut, but will be shown also at Selfridges, Oxford Street, where the department store will sell one of the 20 “Golden Age” notebooks as of 18th March.