It is rather surprising to see that nobody has covered this piece of news yet, but LG’s latest Blu-ray player, the BD300 is able to support Netflix streaming through the TV, where customers will be able to access the Netflix instant Queue as it appears on the TV. Of course, this opens up a whole new world of possibilities where entertainment is concerned, but how many of the movies on Netflix are recent enough to keep people interested? Granted, there are over 12,000 movies available in its back catalogue, but we don’t really need to watch the entire Star Wars trilogy (the original one before George Lucas put money before ideas) one more time just to experience the “wonder” of movie streaming, right? Anyways, I digress. More on the LG BD300 and the Netflix service right after the jump.

Don’t you just love how games evolve? From the times when they were just pure single player titles that had the rest of the kids waiting patiently for their turn at the controller to the modern equivalent of teamplay, where you and your gang go up against another team, keeping the lines of communication open through a headset and celebrating the true spirit of teamwork. Not all multiplayer games feature voice support at this point in time (most crucial games to offer this feature would be tactical titles), but the Station Voice service aims to change this. Powered by Vivox, this new service enables players to talk to each other in online titles, and it is currently a feature available in MMORPGs such as EverQuest II and Star Wars Galaxies. Players don’t have to fork out an additional cent for this feature to use with their current subscription plan, which is a good thing.

There’s nothing that I love more than covering new concept gadgets, and this is one of the coolest that I have ever seen.

Introducing the ball-shaped PC from designer Apostol Tnokovski. This PC ball is a 6-inch orb, that is said to be the smallest PC ever made. This is assuming that it has been made. Some of these pictures that I’ve seen of it (including the one here) look a little CG to me, but these days, you can hardly tell.

The PC ball has legs that fold out, and remind me of the droidikas from Star Wars: The Phantom Menance. (Speaking of CG) As for the keyboard, it is one of those laser keyboards that I have seen before on other applications. As for the mouse, it is a pop-out job that affixes to ball.

The display is a projector that can put the screen on any flat surface. In fact, there is a holder that can clamp onto a piece of paper, in case a flat surface is not available.

We’ve seen Han Solo in suspended animation indefinitely no thanks to his carbonite prison, but surely there are more deserving people of such punishment? What about Mr. George Lucas himself, for unleashing the abomination known as Jar-Jar Binks upon the galaxy, and torturing us through three prequels that are nothing but a special effects extravaganza without really fleshing out the characters’ pasts? Well if you have always wished that, that particular wish has come true today. This carbonite George Lucas was specially sculpted for Star Wars celebrations that are being held in Japan at the moment. No idea on how much it will cost though, nor where can you get one.

Source: New Launches

With the Star Wars trilogy (and yes it’s just a trilogy) being what it is, they can slap their name on pretty much anything they like.  That includes this shiny new MP3 player.  It may not have anything special about it, it is after all just a random nameless MP3 player.  However, it has Darth Vader slapped on the front giving it lots more geek appeal.  Why they couldn’t just do something cool with a normal iPod, we’ll never know.  Yet, I’m sure plenty will line up to pick up one of these slightly generic MP3 players.

At E3, our friends at Crunchgear saw a really cool app for the iPhone - the latest LucasArts and THQ Wireless’ mega blockbuster video game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, has been ported to it. It looks to be really seamless and LucasArts has gotten around the iPhone’s sole multi-touch interface rather nicely.

It’s that time again to vote for your “Coolest Gadget of the week“, be sure to leave a comment with your reasoning for a chance to win a $50 Amazon voucher. Have fun and good luck, winners, as usual, will be announced Monday. Now onto the entries.

Solar Eco Charger Cellphone Strap

Do you know that we consume lots of electricity to charge up our cellphone? That’s why we really need the Compact size Solar Charger that can brought anywhere. This gadget can be brought anywhere and attached in your phone, because this is actually a phone strap. While walking under the sun, you can charge up the solar charger and when your phone running out of battery outside your house, you can just simply charge it up.

The full post can be found at Cutie Gadget.

A Chic Dwelling for the Birds

Birds deserve contemporary styling and stylish homes to. Enter the Eva Solo Bird Box, a functional yet nicely formed dwelling for our feathered friends. Constructed of white-glazed terracotta to reflect
the heat and a black plastic roof, the Bird Box has adjustable openings that let you decide what type of species is lucky enough to call it home.

The full post can be found at Good Good Things.

Shouting Vase

Turn your loudest, most urgent frustrations into mere whispers with the Shouting Vase. The plastic jug is designed to fit over the contours of your mouth and absorb your screams and shouts, “storing” them in the vase and emitting a softer version of your angry cries through the tiny hole at the base.

The full post can be found at Random Good Stuff.

Truck Rear Sonar

Description: Truck Rear Sonar is a gadget you can attach to the back of your vehicle to avoid those dead vision angles. It’s a “must have” regarding safety of people, animals and many other objects.

The full post can be found at 4×4 Trucks and Trailers.

Minox Suntimer UV Radiation Monitoring Watch

The Minox Suntimer can help you from damaging your skin from overexposure. The watch measures UV radiation and calculates your maximum safe exposure time based on the current sunlight conditions and information you enter into your profile such as skin type and SPF level of the sunblock you are using. The watch sounds an alarm when it’s time for you to get out of the sun.

The full post can be found at Craziest Gadgets.

PAL-V: The Super Cool Flying Car

If you add a car and plane together - cut, glue and mix vigorously, what do you get? The PAL-V, flying car. Alright, so it didn’t quite happen like that but you get my drift. This super cool gadget is a car and a plane rolled into one! On the road this is a delightful 3-wheeled car, taking you up to speeds of 125 mph but open it up to reveal a foldable rotor, propeller and tail section, letting you take to skies at speeds of up to 120 mph. This is an absolutely genius idea for people who can’t be bothered to wait in traffic jams.

The full post can be found at Gaj-It.

Adidas Darth Vader Shoes

The Adidas Superstar X Star Wars shoes come in black or white; but lets face it when it comes to the Force, you have to be on the dark side (they have all the coolest toys). The black shoes use patent leather to get the shine of Vader’s armor and have enough little pieces of flair to have you feel like the James Earl Jones version of the man.

The full post can be found at Uber Review.

Bendy tripods

This tripod can bend around things like trees, rocks and lamp posts so you can get angles that would never be possible with a traditional tripod.

The full post can be found at Decide What To Buy.

Thanks to all the sites for their submissions now over to you guys for voting (don’t forget to leave a comment with your reason for a chance to win $50):

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If you write for a gadget themed blog and wish to be included in next weeks contest check out the CGOTW instructions page.

Who among us has the money to spend on Star Wars memorabilia? The biggest and the best Star Wars fans, that’s who. We find a way to get that money. Even if it means not eating for a few days. And these helmet replicas are well worth the lost meals.

Available from eFx Collectibles, the Darth Vader and Stormtroopers helmet replicas are the key to the Imperial empires image. Do you see Luke Skywalker walking around with a bad-ass helmet? I think not. But then again, his space station doesn’t get totally wrecked either. But no matter. These helmets are awesome, even if they are a symbol of the evil in the universe.