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I had my first glimpse of the Raidho Acoustics' sound at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest in Denver in October, but the Denmark-based company's demo didn't click for me. That's not uncommon; show conditions and hotel rooms may not be the best environments to hear state-of-the-art sound.

Then just last week I heard a pair of Raidho C 3.1 speakers ($39,000) at a friend's home in New York, and the sound was a revelation. We played an unreleased and 100 percent uncompressed audiophile recording of a solo piano, and the purity and clarity were … Read more

PETALUMA, Calif.--Driving along the back roads of this idyllic, easy-going Northern California town, you'd never know that behind the walls of one of the most unassuming buildings around is perhaps the best collection of geek memorabilia in the world.

Welcome to Rancho Obi-Wan, Steve Sansweet's homage to his life's passion -- "Star Wars," a non-profit museum dedicated to serving "the public through the collection, conservation, exhibition and interpretation of [the films'] memorabilia and artifacts." Formerly Lucasfilm's head of fan relations and a Los Angeles-based reporter for the Wall Street Journal, Sansweet … Read more

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

Apple's 3D Map app for iOS 6 may have received a sneak peek, courtesy of Boy Genius Report.

Obtaining details and photos of the new app from a "trusted source," BGR said that Apple's new in-house Map program is currently being tested in the latest build of iOS 6.

The main photo on BGR's site is mostly a mockup based on the information received from the source. Additional photos that are large but blurry show different screens of the app. But one in particular reveals an option to switch to 3D mode.

To jump into … Read more

A lot of CNET readers like to complain that we cover too many Apple accessories and not enough Android ones. Well, the truth is there just aren't nearly as many accessories out there marketed toward Android users. … 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

A little golden badge isn't much of a gadget in the great scheme of things. It doesn't get online. You can't text anybody with it. It doesn't come with so much as a 1 megapixel camera. But the Star Wars Gold Heart Pin should serve its particular function of benefiting needy children well enough. … Read more

Apple has bought its third mapping company, beefing up its cartographic portfolio with eye-popping 3D imagery based on declassified missile-targeting technology, a report says.

The purported confirmation of the buyout raises tantalizing questions about the possibility of a new mapping experience supercharged by Apple's oft-praised design sensibilities--a cartographic confection as delicious in its vividness as Apple voice-assistant Siri is snappy and sly in her query responses.… Read more