uced its first set-top video streaming box called Amazon Fire that sells for $US99 ($A106.96). Rumours of an Amazon phone have been swirling as well, but nothing has materialised. “We get our energy from inventing on behalf of customers, and 2014 is off to a kinetic start,” chief executive Jeff Bezos said. While investors have largely given Amazon a pass for focusing on growth and investing rather than turning a strong profit, Amazon has been making some moves to strengthen its bottom line. It boosted its Prime two-day shipping membership program annual fee from $US79 to $US99 in March to offset higher shipping costs. Shipping costs rose 31 per cent to $US1.83 billion ($A1.98 billion) during the quarter. And to entice more people to sign up for the service at the $US99 price, which includes its streaming video service, on Tuesday the retailer said it had inked a deal with HBO to stream some of its older shows beginning May 21. The news was a coup for Amazon. HBO has steadfastly refused to license its programming to other streaming services such as Netflix or Hulu. In a media call, executives did not give specifics but said renewals were exceeding expectations. Net income for the quarter rose to $US108 million, or 23 US cents a share. That compares with net income of $US82 million, or 18 US cents a share in 2013. Analysts expected 21 US cents a share, according to FactSet. Revenue rose 23 per cent to $US19.74 billion from $US16.07 billion. Analysts expected $US19.42 billion. In fiscal 2014, the company expects revenue of $US18.1 billion to $US19.8 billion. Analysts expect $US19.01 billion. In aftermarket trading, shares rose $US6.35, or 1.9 per cent, to $US343.50, after closing the day up nearly four per cent at $US337.15. The stock reached a record high of $US408.06 on January 22. Since then, it has dropped 17 per cent. AP