According to Reuters, Microsoft (MSFT) is trying to double the number of PC users to 2 billion by 2015 using tactics such as offering discounts to governments in developing countries.
Reuters writes that Ebay’s (EBAY) profit rose 52% fueled by increased revenue at its PayPal division.
Reuters reports that Microsoft and Samsung has signed a broad patent pact that should speed up development of media players, TVs, and PC-related devices.
Reuters also reports that earnings at Logitech (LOGI) rose but revenue missed targets as sales of webcams fell below expectations.
Reuters also writes that Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) retained its lead in global PC market share over Dell (DELL) in the first quarter of this year.
Reuters also reports that the head of the UAW is trying to convince DaimlerChrysler (DCX) to keep its Chrysler unit.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Freddie Mac (FRE) and Fannie Mae (FNM) have pledged to buy billions of dollars of subprime mortgages in coming years to support that market.
The Wall Street Journal says that price will not be the only consideration when CBOT (BOT) when looking at merger proposals. Issues such as cost savings will be reviewed when the exchange considers bids from Chicago Merchantile Exchange Holdings (CME) and InternationalExchange (ICE).
The WSJ also reports that Google’s (GOOG) search growth has exceeded expectations for so long that Wall St. may be putting its financial expectations too high.
The WSJ reports that sales of the DS and Wii have turned Nintendo from an "also ran" into a star.
The WSJ also reports that Sony (SNE) is considering job cuts in it Europe operations as part of a revamping of its gaming operations.
The FT reports that China’s first quarter GDP grew 11.1%.
The FT reports that News Corp’s (NWS) MySpace unit will allow its 160 million users to select and rank news stories from media all over the world.
The New York Times reports that earnings more than doubled at VW in the last year.
The NYT also reports that analysts questioned whether Motorola (MOT) can make a profit this year after its announced a weak quarter.
Barron’s reports that shares in Boston Scientific (BSX) are up 13% in the last three weaks but problems with some of its products make it a stock to avoid.
Douglas A. McIntyre
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