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Sphero's Star Wars BB-8 Toy Looks Just Like the Movie

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that this December is special for one amazing reason: the release of the new Star Wars film.

It's called The Force Awakens, and it is directed by J.J. Abrams. And that means it's probably going to be awesome, because Abrams is a fantastic director who loves science fiction a lot, and that love shows through in his filmmaking. Look at what he did for the Star Trek reboot; after years of suffering through sub-par movies, Abrams finally got it right, and the result was one of the best Star Trek movies of all time, if not the absolute best.

So yeah, I'm excited for the new Star Wars. It's the start of a new trilogy, and all of the trailers released thus far have done nothing to change my opinion that this will be one of the best Star Wars movies.

One of the coolest characters in the new movie isn't a character at all; it's a droid. Just like R2-D2 was the real star of the original trilogy, the new BB-8 droid appears poised to steal the show. Essentially, BB-8 is a ball with a head that magically and magnetically floats on top. It looks awesome on screen.

But the problem with movie-related toys is that it's hard for toymakers to recreate exactly what you see on screen. But that's not the case with this special BB-8 remote-controlled toy created by Sphero.

It will run you $150, but what you get is essentially a replica of what you'll see on screen in the movie. BB-8's head is magnetically attached to the main ball, allowing it to float on top just like the real thing. And to move round, the toy uses gyroscopic propulsion. You control it using a phone app; you can drive it around manually, or you can create routes for it to traverse. You can also record video messages that will play back "holographically," though that part isn't nearly as cool as just seeing BB-8 roll around with that head mysteriously always floating on top. It also charges wirelessly.

So, yeah. Unleash the inner kid in you and get prepped for Star Wars with this cool toy. Or buy it for someone you love for Christmas. Or buy it for me.

What do you think?