May the 4th be with you: Star Wars tributes from the gadget gang and operators make Monday a little easier

The recent phenomenon that is, “May the 4th,” a play on the all-enduring phrase from Star Wars, “May the force be with you,” continues this year with a lot of people and businesses sharing their wit in tribute to the iconic movie franchise.

Last year, the UK team with Windows Phone threw out either an epic troll, or epic fail, with its tribute to “Trekkies.” The responses were equally grand, in a social-media-unforgiving-kind-of-way.

Verizon Wireless took on the day in style, setting up a #CapturetheDroid campaign around New York City. Those that found the Jawas and used the right passphrase could win a trip to San Diego, California. Not such a bad way to promote Big Red’s and George Lucas’ brands we’d say.

Mircosoft’s Windows team linked back to its blog for all sorts of promotions, including up to 66% off purchases on Star Wars Commander and Star Wars Rebels: Recon Mission for Windows and Windows Phone. There are also a variety of digital gift cards available for Xbox and Windows. There is even a sale on The Music of Star Wars: 30th Anniversary Collector’s Edition through the Music Deals app. Some of the promotions end tonight, others go on for a few days.

Indeed, 2015 has some equally witty and fun tips acknowledging Star Wars. Microsoft’s Lumia UK team avoided the faux-pas this year, opting instead for something far more meaningful. It was apropos, so we saved it for last.