Daily Marauder

TECHNOLOGY

The Kindle, Amazon’s ugly but useful ebook reader that launched in November 2007, may be a burgeoning hit, says Citigroup Analyst Mark Mahaney. Citi expects Amazon to generate between $400 million and $750 million in revenue from the Kindle by 2010, or 1% - 3% of Amazon’s total revenue. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/05/14/amazon-may-sell-750-million-in-kindles-by-2010-thats-a-lot-of-kindles 5/14)

Fewer than 10% of consumers who do not own a Blu-ray DVD player plan to buy one in the next 12 months, even though most people are keenly aware that Blu-ray has won the format war for viewing DVD discs in HD, according to a new study from Harris Interactive. The Harris survey supports research released last month by ABI that suggested Blu-ray players remain too expensive for most consumers who are waiting for prices to drop below $200 before buying them. (InformationWeek 5/14)

Samsung said it would demonstrate this month the first “Blue Phase” LCD display, an innovation that the company boasts will double the panel’s existing image-driving speeds and provide more natural-moving images. The panel, which Samsung does not expect to introduce commercially until 2011, will be less expensive to produce because the new technology does away with any mechanical alignment and rubbing processes, Samsung said. (Pocket-lint.co.uk 5/14)

Apple signaled its aggressive plans to expand its retail presence domestically and abroad when it opened its largest U.S. store to date Wednesday, a 20,000-square-foot, minimalist tri-level outlet on Boston’s historic Boylston Street. Observers consider the store a potential model for Apple’s brick-and-mortar direction with its strong accent on customer-service specialists, each sporting images and slogans designed to define employees’ roles more clearly to customers as well as project a strong retail brand. (The Boston Globe 5/15, Scientific American/Reuters 5/14)

A Tour of the New Boston Jumbo-Sized Store

Techcrunch had a chance yesterday to try out the new Microsoft TouchWall, which debuted at the CEO Summit. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/05/14/hands-on-with-the-microsoft-touchwall/ 5/14)

Michael Arrington Tests the Microsoft Touch Wall