Ted Kritsonis

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is one of the most anticipated films in years, and Disney has spared no expense in promoting it with a number of marketing partnerships that tie-in to mobile devices. If you’re a big fan, you may already know about some of them, and if you don’t, there may be some that are of interest as the next episode in the Star Wars mythos hits theatres.

This year’s duo of Nexus smartphones has been the best Google has come to market with thus far, offering the best marriage of hardware and software to date. The Nexus 5X is the more affordable option between the two, though it benefits from having some of the same internal components. It also sports the same untouched version of Android 6.0 Marshmallow, making it far more open to customization.

If you have a Google Chromecast already, then you likely know what it’s capable of. If you don’t, then you may interested to find out. The small, affordable device is known for being able to stream YouTube, Netflix, Spotify, NHL GameCenter and much more directly from a smartphone or tablet, and is capable of doing some other cool things with the right settings.

Samsung has tried and tried again to get it right with its smartwatches, having come to market with no less than six different iterations in about two years. All failed to really capitalize on what was then a wide open market looking for a trendsetter. The Gear S2 marks a turning point in both design philosophy and performance, making it the most complete wearable the company has made to this point.

Smartwatches running on Android Wear have had a tough go of it since first launching to some fanfare last year. Part of it has to do with the slow appeal of the category as a whole, but the rest can be chalked off to a platform that needs to grow up. With the second-generation Moto 360, Motorola has made a case for putting out a serious contender to win over some hearts and wrists.

Now that Google has released its latest version of Android, 6.0 Marshmallow, the rollout will come in stages as each smartphone and tablet manufacturer optimizes its respective software overlays to work with it. For the moment, only the Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X and HTC One A9 run Marshmallow, but in time, a much wider range of devices will, and there are a number of new features that go with it.

Nexus smartphones have usually required accepting a compromise or two. A clean, untouched version of Android, and among the first to get the latest updates. Good design with solid all-around performance, at the expense of great battery life and an impressive camera. The Nexus 6P represents an end to the enduring concessions that characterized these phones in the past, and stakes a claim to being one of the best Android phones of 2015.

Now that Apple is putting out its own Pencil stylus for the iPad, it lends further credence to the idea of using a stylus to write or jot something down. Adonit has built its reputation over the last few years on crafting styli that look good, feel comfortable and perform with aplomb. There are now four different versions available, and they are universal, meaning you can use them on any iOS, Android or Windows tablet.

Drones can come in all sizes, as Parrot likes to demonstrate with its MiniDrones line of more diminutive gizmos. And now, it seems there’s a small army of them—on land, air and sea. Previous designs have been augmented in various ways to make this new batch of mini robots smarter, sleeker and more precise. I took a few for some testing and found them to be fun for as long as the battery could last.

Tablets can be very fun devices to have for everything they do. They don’t necessarily have the same short shelf life smartphones do, but after moving on to a new tablet, there are a number of ways to get more life out of an older one. You could certainly look to sell it, trade it in or hand it down to someone else. Or you could put it to work in some other useful ways.