Daily Marauder

TECHNOLOGY

Amazon’s Kindle 2, which first shipped in late February, is selling at roughly double the rate of the first generation device, says a source close to Amazon. Approximately 300,000 of the Kindle 2s have been shipped to date, suggesting Amazon has made over $100 million in revenue from sales of the $359 device alone this year. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/04/16/300000-kindle-2s-sold-to-date 4/16)

Looks like Sun Microsystems is open to renewing acquisition talks with International Business Machines (IBM) if the latter makes a stronger commitment to actually closing the deal, according to Bloomberg sources. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/04/16/sun-ready-to-renew-acquisition-talks-with-ibm-if-they-promise-to-walk-the-walk 4/16)

Sony Corp.’s new Webbie HD digital camcorder is squarely aimed at the U.S. market, has all the traditional features without lots of bells and whistles and retails for less than $200. According to this report, the Webbie also is emblematic of a new trend at the consumer-electronics giant toward affordable, easy-to-use products. The Wall Street Journal (4/16)

A new report from IDC said worldwide shipments of PCs fell 7.1% in the first quarter, but that the U.S. market performed better than expected by slipping only 3.1%. “The U.S. was surprisingly strong, it outperformed our forecast,” said Bob O’Donnell, vice president of IDC. “The fact that the U.S. outperformed the worldwide totals is, I think, somewhat hopeful.” Reuters (4/15) , The New York Times/Bits blog (4/15)

A study of 10,000 consumers found that they expect to spend at least as much in 2009 on digital-music downloads, CDs and video games as they did last year, according to The NPD Group. Three out of four respondents plan to spend as much on digital-music downloads and 65% will spend at least as much on video games, while 60% said they would spend a similar amount on music CDs. TWICE (4/15)

Cisco Systems has come out with the Linksys Wireless Music System, a four-component kit that enables listeners to customize their sound experience in innovative ways. And, according to this review, the system’s ease of use and flexibility make it a good fit for just about any home. ElectronicHouse.com/Audioholics.com. (4/15)

Verizon Communications plans to broaden the market for its new Hub phone by opening the device to new applications, removing restrictions that required purchasers to be Verizon Wireless customers and eyeing multitouch controls for future versions. However, analysts still see marketing challenges ahead for the Hub as a home phone that sells for $199 plus $34.99 per month in service fees. Reuters (4/15)

Intel on Tuesday reported that first-quarter revenue fell 26% to $7.1 billion, and that profits receded 55% to $647 million. But the Silicon Valley firm also said the quarter was not as bad as it had expected and that there is a growing feeling that the PC market has hit bottom, indicating that better financial times could be ahead. ClipSyndicate/Bloomberg (4/15) , The Wall Street Journal (4/15) , CRN/ChannelWeb (4/14)