Here's a roundup of three developments in the tech world you may have missed:
HAXLR8R, an accelerator/venture fund that supports entrepreneurs building hardware devices, offers seed funding to small teams, and features dual locations – SF and Shenzhen, China.
As part of a newly global, small-company manufacturing ecosystem, it helps startups get precision-machined parts custom made in fifteen minutes by companies in Shenzhen.
One of the most interesting companies to emerge from HAXLR8R to date is Kindara, which has developed an iOS app that women can use in an “intelligent and organized way to get pregnant.”
The app allows women to track their daily fertility signs, know when they are ovulating, and identify optimal times to conceive.
In addition, at its Demo Day in SF Monday, the newest class of 10 HAXLR8R companies showed off their products:
- Spark provides an easy-to-use platform for connected hardware that makes building WiFi-connected products easy.
- Helios Bars are the world's first integrated headlight and blinker system for bicycles via an iOS app that gives users custom feature options.
- Yeelink is a platform that helps makers and traditional enterprises create new generation electronic, connected devices and app-enabled hardware.
- Focus brings proven neuroscience to gamers with a Bluetooth controlled, neuroenhancing transcranial direct and current stimulation headset to improve cognitive performance.
- Fabule Fabrications makes interactive and connected devices for the home that are hackable and have their own personalities.
- Molecule Synth is a modular, infinitely-expandable construction kit for creating electronic musical instruments.
- LightUp is a learning tool for kids that combines an electronics construction kit and interactive digital tutor, to help them understand the fundamentals of modern electronic devices.
- HEX is an open platform aerial robot that can be fully autonomous and managed by a mobile app.
- Blinkiverse creates open source building blocks to control LED strips in imaginative ways for interactive light shows.
- Vibease is a smart vibrator and private fantasy marketplace that takes the female orgasm into the digital age.
***
There’s been a new development in the long-running class action lawsuit against Google’s massive book-scanning project.
Judges on the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals pressed both sides in the lawsuit to respond to the idea that the search giant’s actions might be covered under the concept of “fair use.”
This may indicate that the legal drift in the eight-year-old controversy may finally be turning in Google’s favor.
***
New data on iTunes use from Asymco, which tracks mobile businesses with a special focus on Apple, indicates that people are spending an average of $40/year now at iTunes, which adds up to about $4 billion/quarter for Apple.
This only amounts to about ten percent of Apple’s quarterly earnings, but many companies would die for this revenue stream. The quarterly revenue generated by iTunes has grown at a steady pace averaging 29 percent over the past six years.
