Apple have released their Q3 financial results and they're not too bad. Profit for the quarter was at $6.9 billion while the iPhone stole the show with sales of 31.2 million, compared to 26 million in Q3 2012. As was expected the growing markets are in developing countries such as India.
The 5 Coolest Kickstarter Projects Live Now
Kickstarter is a maze of weird and wonderful projects waiting and hoping for your money to help them get off the ground or to the next stage in development. Here's a round up of the top 5 Kickstarter projects that are live right now.
1. 3D-Rex: A 3D-Printed T-Rex Sculpture
This sounds like a slightly odd thing and perhaps something for kids but it's actually a really cool wire-frame sculpture of a T-Rex head. I really think it looks like a piece of art.
It's available in two versions; one for the wall and one for the desk. It comes in a range of colours including white, blue, red, purple, pink and black. FYI, the white looks best.
The pledges range from £25 to £295 and all include a sculpture of one size or another.
2. Animal Stackers - A New Kind of Building Block
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K94a0ENTmsY&w=560&h=315]
This one is definitely something for the kids. The idea behind these little animal shaped building blocks is that they're perfect for both boys and girls which apparently is rare in the world of toys.
Pledges of $42 or more will get you a set of stackers.
3. Duinokit - An Electronics and Robotics Arduino Learning Kit
[youtube=http://youtu.be/KhFPKybaoN8&w=560&h=315]
Electronics, programming, and robotics are the future and this kit aims to teach kids (and adults) the fundamental basics of these areas.
The electronics kit is available in two versions; DuinoKit JR. and DuinoKit. Both feature 190 components but the DuinoKit is intended for more advanced users.
You can get your hands on a DuinoKit JR. by pledging $160 and the larger DuinoKit for $265.
4. Handibot: A Smart Digital Power Tool
[youtube=http://youtu.be/DOI2W7qwfqg&w=560&h=315]
Everybody loves tools, especially power tools, and this is the ultimate power tool.
This smartphone/tablet controlled power tools lets your drill, carve, and shape a whole range of materials including wood and aluminium.
It's a bit like 3D Printing but instead of adding material it's removing it.
They've so far raised about double their target but to get your hands on a handibot you'll be pledging $2,400.
This is a book whose storyline follows a lost 'a' searching for it's typeface, it meets a bunch of other typefaces along the way before it finally finds it's own.
This is a really cute book for kids (and maybe adults too?).
The 'Are You My Typeface?' project recently passed it's goal of £15,000 and the author has said if she reaches £20,000 an iOS version will be made.
The best thing is that for just a $15 pledge you can get a hard and soft copy of the book, although it'll only ship to the US at the moment. A $27 dollar pledge will get you international shipping.
Microsoft lose to BSkyB
Microsoft have lost a European court battle relating to the use of the name 'SkyDrive'. The name has long been used by Microsoft as a brand for it cloud storage services but it may now have to give up the name or face heavy fines.
Samsung Hands Out 1 Million Jay-Z Albums
If you own a Samsung Galaxy S3, S4 or a Note 2 you can get your hands on one of a million copies of Jay-Z's new album entitled 'Magna Carta Holy Grail'. The album will be available to download via a special app on 1st July.
Apple Opens Up About PRISM
In an open letter on their website Apple have detailed the number and type of requests the US government have filed for users personal information. In very much the same fashion as other companies such as Microsoft and Facebook they say they had never heard of PRISM before the media reports and they do not give the government direct access to their servers. In terms of numbers Apple say they have received between 4,000 and 5,000 requests in the six months from the start of December 2012 through to the end of May 2013. These requests relate to between 9,000 and 10,000 devices. Apple also say:
"The most common form of request comes from police investigating robberies and other crimes, searching for missing children, trying to locate a patient with Alzheimer’s disease, or hoping to prevent a suicide."
They make clear that certain information such as the content of iMessages and FaceTime conversations are not stored and/or passed on to authorities. A clear process is set out where a court order must be in place before a legal team then evaluates each request and some are even disregarded.
Apple finish by saying:
We will continue to work hard to strike the right balance between fulfilling our legal responsibilities and protecting our customers’ privacy as they expect and deserve.
The numbers seem pretty small especially when you consider the hundreds of millions of Apple devices out there.