The manual gadget

At the E3 Expo yesterday, accessory maker PowerA announced a new line of officially licensed Star Wars iPhone cases.

Now, depending on your age, your overall level of geekiness, and the chronology of your initial exposure to "Star Wars," this will probably prompt one of the following reactions:

1. "Ohmigod-ohmigod-ohmigod!"

2. "Cool! On second thought, which Star Wars are we talking about: prequels or original?"

3. "Sorry, but Im so disgusted with George Lucas that I no longer consider myself a fan."

I must admit Im in the third category. The three prequels were just awful, and Lucas all but ruined the originals for me with his tweaks and edits.

Well, OK, theres still a trace of fan left; Lucas hasnt driven it from me fully. And PowerAs cases are so cool-looking, so classic "Star Wars," I might just consider one.

The four limited-edition designs include R2-D2 (complete with engraved details), Chewbacca (with actual fur! Though hopefully not from actual Wookiees), and two of the original "Star Wars" movie posters. All four are constructed of wraparound hard-shell plastic and fit the iPhone 4 and 4S.

What, no Han Solo encased in Carbonite? Actually, somebody already did that.

The R2-D2 and Chewbacca cases will be priced at $39.99 each, while the movie-poster versions will run $29.99. Theyll be available from major retailers "later this year," according to PowerA.

What do you think? Are these the cases youve been looking for (so to speak)? If not, check out the custom iPhone cases you can order from Uncommon. These continue to draw more comments and admiration from onlookers than any other case Ive used.