Thurrott Daily: March 3

I’m flying home from Seattle today, so here are a few tidbits from around the web.

3/3/2016 11:09:15 AM

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is coming to Microsoft Movies & TV on April 1

I’ve been wondering when the latest “Star Wars” movie would ship in digital formats, but now we know: Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits Microsoft Movies & TV—and other digital formats—on April 1, with the Blu-Ray release to follow on April 5.

The epic movie will be available to own early on Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere on April 1. It comes home on Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD on April 5. The film shattered box office records upon its debut, eventually grossing over $926 million domestic and $2.05 billion worldwide. Featuring new heroes and villains, along with classic characters, thrilling action, and a heartfelt story, Star Wars: The Force Awakens connected with fans and deepened the mythology of Star Wars.

While I’m a fan of digital, it looks like there are some interesting (and exclusive) retail packages coming too:

Target. The Target Star Wars: The Force Awakens Blu-ray Combo Pack comes with exclusive packaging and an added 20 minutes of bonus content, including never-before-seen interviews with Daisy Ridley and John Boyega and a deeper look at the movie’s costumes and weaponry.

Walmart. The Walmart Star Wars: The Force Awakens Blu-ray Combo Pack comes with exclusive BB-8 packaging and an exclusive Star Wars Galactic Connexions trading disc.

Best Buy. The Best Buy Star Wars: The Force Awakens Blu-ray Combo Pack features exclusive SteelBook Packaging.

“Samsung ships the world’s highest capacity SSD, with 15TB of storage”

So 15 times what we get with OneDrive/Office 365. Interesting.

Amazon is delivering two new Echo devices

Amazon Echo is like TiVo: Few people actually own the thing, but they tend to evangelize it to others, most of whom don’t understand the point at all. But it’s apparently done well enough for Amazon that the online retailer is offering up two new versions of the Echo.

Amazon Tap. Available for $130, the Amazon Tap is “a portable Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled speaker that gives you rich, full-range sound. Just tap the microphone button and ask for music, hear news, search for information, order a pizza, and more with the Alexa Voice Service.” It comes in a variety of colors and will ship March 31.

Echo Dot. Available in limited quantities (and to Prime customers only for now) for $90, the Echo Dot is “a hands-free, voice-controlled device that uses the same far-field voice recognition as Amazon Echo. Dot has a small built-in speaker—it can also connect to your speakers over Bluetooth or with the included audio cable. Dot connects to the Alexa Voice Service to play music, provide information, news, sports scores, weather, and more—instantly.” Further weirdness: You can only order the Echo Dot through Alexa Voice Shopping, meaning with your Amazon Echo or Amazon Fire TV only.