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Unleash your inner 'Star Wars' geek with new mobile app

What is the best way to stay on top of "Star Wars" news 24-7? As Admiral Ackbar would so eloquently say, "It's an app!"

Anthony Domanico
CNET freelancer Anthony Domanico is passionate about all kinds of gadgets and apps. When not making words for the Internet, he can be found watching Star Wars or "Doctor Who" for like the zillionth time. His other car is a Tardis.
Anthony Domanico
2 min read

The Force can be with us, in our pockets. Well, as long as we download Disney and Lucasfilm's new "Star Wars" mobile app for iOS and Android, that is.

The app, which was released to the respective app stores on Wednesday, is essentially a 24-7 hub for all things "Star Wars." It features instant notifications for breaking news like the just-announced Han Solo spinoff film, fun facts about things that happened on this day in "Star Wars" history, and a countdown to the release of "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens" ( only 162 days left, people!). There's also a weather hub that tells you which "Star Wars" planet your city feels like -- at 65 degrees Fahrenheit (about 18 degrees Celsius), Minneapolis feels like Endor at the moment, for example.

And those features are just the tip of the X-wing. The app has a section that features all kinds of "Star Wars" reaction GIFs, official videos from the "Star Wars" universe, a sound board with classic quotes from all your favorite characters and even a section that lets you take a "Star Wars" selfie that you can share with all your geeky friends on social media.

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Here's my "Star Wars" selfie. Yoda looks unimpressed. Anthony Domanico/CNET

But the augmented-reality features are arguably the most impressive. The Force Trainer section transforms your phone into a lightsaber as you train with the same kind of remote Luke Skywalker uses in the original "Star Wars" movie, and the Augmented Reality section puts a virtual Stormtrooper or BB-8 droid on your screen after you scan one of their custom posters. Those posters will be up at Comic-Con this week ( see Tomorrow Daily's preview of the panels here), but fortunately for those not in attendance, you can scan the image below to see what these virtual characters look like.

You'll be able to unlock additional features as the release of "The Force Awakens" draws nearer. The next installment in the "Star Wars" series is scheduled for theatrical release on December 17 in Australia and December 18 in the US and the UK.

For now, the new "Star Wars" app may be the closest thing to instant gratification.

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Here's the "Star Wars" app poster that you can use in the new app's augmented reality section. Disney and Lucasfilm