BB-8, the new Star Wars droid (and R2-D2 cousin) is a giant hit before the new Star Wars movie (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) even premieres. Orders for the toy version of the BB-8 droid by design firm Sphero are expected to go through the roof. (Or into space, more aptly.) The spherical droid’s personality and popularity may be so great it could just justify all the money Google pays to LucasFilm to license the name it gives its smartphones, Droid. (George Lucas coined and copyrighted the term decades back.)
[George Lucas Owns The Name “Droid”]
And that’s not where the synergy ends: the BB-8 is an app-controlled toy, so you can guide it from your smartphone. It also follows voice commands. And the toy BB-8 got an “adaptive personality” meaning some artificial intelligence allows it to adjust behaviors as it learns. The BB-8 by Sphero is $149.99 including the app at the Sphero website. Or you can save all of four cents (but get free shipping) by ordering the Sphero BB-8 App-Enabled Droid
