Okay I know what you’re thinking — why is some genetics testing service being reviewed on Stammy’s tech blog? Well for one, because 23andMe is at the forefront of technology that is slowly but surely enabling the general public to get access to their genome data that would have cost thousands of dollars just a few years ago. I heard about 23andMe in 2008, when they were charging $1,000 for a DNA test and access to the results. Now the price is somewhat more reasonable, but still expensive at $399 for access to ancestry information, $429 for health or $499 for both. Each of those prices is just for one person. 23andMe operates in the personal genomics space and they have a few competitors like Family Tree DNA and Navigenics among others.
23andMe Genetic DNA testing – Ancestry Edition Box (but this review is for the Complete Edition, see disclosure notice) [click to continue…]
People: Anne Wojcicki, Linda Avey, Sergey Brin
Tagged as:
23andMe,
bioinformatics,
DNA,
DNA testing,
family tree,
genetic research,
genetic testing,
Genome,
genotyping,
Google,
Health,
navigenics,
personal genomics,
Reviews,
SNP,
Technology
There are two things I do not usually talk about on this blog — cars (okay maybe there are one, two, three, four, five or more exceptions) and iPhone applications. The former because I am not quite sure everyone here would be interested in reading about anything except the technology behind the car and the latter because most iPhone apps do not have enough substance and utility to create a compelling review. Well I am breaking both of those rules today and for good reason. A few months ago I discovered a $40 iPhone app by DevToaster called Rev.
[click to continue…]
Tagged as:
Apple,
Cars,
Hardware,
iPhone,
OBDII,
PLX,
Reviews,
Technology,
Wifi
Knowing how to keep your web traffic data safe while browsing the web on unknown networks is a vital skill that not enough savvy Internet surfers take part in. I have previously discussed a few ways of solving this issue through the use of SSH tunnels (manually-created and application managed). I have also discussed things like “anonymous” web browsing through the Janus Privacy Adapter as well as with public Tor nodes. (Side note: Anonymous in quotes because truly anon browsing requires encrypted, signed traffic over private Tor networks — not public, published ones everyone knows about — but I digress). While VPN is nothing new and has been used by businesses and their employees for over a decade, it has not generally been something aimed at the typical Internet user. [click to continue…]
Tagged as:
Encryption,
Giganews,
Guides,
How To's,
Internet,
Reviews,
Security,
VPN,
VyprVPN
Blippy is my pick for startup to watch this year (with Square being close by). Blippy enables people to automatically share their purchases done through a variety of services, such as Amazon, iTunes, Netflix and better yet their credit/debit cards, with their followers. At first glance many will be shocked and wonder why they would ever want to use such a service but that only brings up memories of people saying the same thing about Twitter just a few years ago. The concept behind Blippy is crazy enough that I believe it will take off rather quickly. In fact, they recently announced they are already tracking over $1M in transactions.
My Blippy Profile – Some aesthetic elements of Blippy are noticeably inspired from Facebook and Twitter, but that’s because they work well. [click to continue…]
Tagged as:
Blippy,
Editorials,
Internet,
News,
Reviews
I was recently in the market for an affordable, HD-capable pocket video camera. I knew Pure Digital’s Flip line of pocket camcorders like the Mino HD and Ultra HD were very popular in this space and as such I was just about ready to buy one. However, I decided to look around first and that’s when I discovered the $180 Kodak Zi8 HD pocket video camera. After having the Zi8 on hand for a few weeks, I believe it to be the best high-definition pocket video camera near the ~$200 price point on the market now. I’ll attempt to explain why in this review but if you’re looking for a quick answer, it’s because the Zi8 has an external microphone input, SDHC support and some interesting things I’ll get into soon.
Photo taken with D90 and my favorite lens: 50mm f/1.8 [click to continue…]
Tagged as:
Camera,
Flip,
Hardware,
HD,
Kodak,
Kodak Zi8,
MinoHD,
Reviews,
Video,
YouTube,
Zi8
For those of you that have been reading for a while (thanks!), it’s no surprise that I am a music fan. I wouldn’t quite say audiophile as I don’t find the need to spend sizable amounts of money on audio equipment, but I always have some music playing and enjoy a high quality audio setup. About two years ago I reviewed the excellent Sonos Digital Music System. The only problem with that setup was the price — just over $1,000 for all of the components. Since then I haven’t been able to get back into Sonos’ product line as everything was still rather expensive. Sonos hopes to change that with their new ZonePlayer S5, running at $399 USD.
What? Your kitchen doesn’t look like this?? Neither does mine. This is a press photo. Pretty sure they used fake ice for that wine.. since when do chilled wine bottles lack condensation? [click to continue…]
Tagged as:
Hardware,
Music,
Radio,
Reviews,
S5,
Sonos,
Speakers
On April 25th, 2009, I picked up a 2011 Ford Fiesta for what would be the next 7 months as 1 of 100 hand-picked Ford Fiesta Movement “Agents.” Okay, well technically it is a European-spec 2009 Ford Fiesta, but it is a close representation of what will be making its way state-side come June 2010. For a little background information, Ford ran a contest many months ago. They wanted to find 100 so-called influencers to help promote the new Ford Fiesta through their audiences; largely through social media means. (Original press release here.)
The Fiesta in Tech Square in Midtown Atlanta, GA. Photo by Tim Dorr with a Canon 5D Mk II [click to continue…]
Tagged as:
Cars,
Fiesta,
FiestaMovement,
Ford,
Ford Fiesta,
Reviews,
subcompact,
Sync,
Technology
The saga continues as I go to all lengths to find 5 bars of cell phone reception at home. It first started when I moved into my new apartment. I didn’t think to check my cell reception when first touring the property so I was in shock after I moved in and noticed I had No Service. In the meantime, I signed up with Vonage for a VoIP line, but I hated having two phone numbers. I experimented with the Wi-Ex zBoost cell signal booster and that worked, but there were drawbacks. It only provided a 6 foot radius of signal, the booster [click to continue…]
Tagged as:
3G,
AT&T,
Cellular,
GPS,
Hardware,
Internet,
iPhone,
MicroCell,
Mobile,
Reviews,
Technology
August 10, 2009
When it comes to music, I am a complete maniac. I must have some new, non-overplayed songs to get any work done. That’s why I invested in a solid studio monitor setup and that’s why one of my screens usually looks like this:
Left to Right: Hype Machine, SweetFM, thesixtyone, iTunes, Last.fm
Add to that my propensity [...]
Tagged as:
Internet,
Music,
News,
Reviews,
Software,
Spotify
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July 28, 2009
You have probably heard of a company called GrandCentral a few years ago. They made big news with their September 2006 beta launch of their service allowing people to use a single phone number for all of their phones. David Ulevitch of OpenDNS was the first person I knew that began using GrandCentral full-time. He [...]
Tagged as:
Android,
Apple,
Gizmo,
Google,
GoogleVoice,
GrandCentral,
Internet,
iPhone,
Reviews,
Software,
VoIP
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