23andMe, the consumer genetics testing company founded by Sergey Brin’s wife Anne Wojcicki, is now available in Europe and Canada. The service, which launched in November enables customers to search and discover whether their genes make them more predisposed to certain outcomes, such as cancer or other illnesses. Michael signed up for a 23andme kit in December. You can read his experience with the service so far here and here. No word as yet as to when the service will be available outside of Europe and North America. The full list of countries where 23andMe is now available: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vatican City State. CrunchBase Information 23andMe Information provided by CrunchBase → Read More
Off-Road Velociraptor Safari from Matthew Wegner on Vimeo. So this game lets you be a velociraptor who can mow down other velociraptors in a jeep using a big chain and the front of the jeep. It should be on the web soon enough or you can just take a bunch of Robitussin and fall asleep on the couch and you can dream this game before burp/puking up a lot of cough syrup. Besides — it’s a damn velociraptor! Why wouldn’t it face claw all the other raptors instead of wasting all that gas? via Kotaku → Read More
Olympus has unveiled its new higher-end point and shoots, starting at $250. More megapixelage and better lenses, but slightly heavier if you’re watching those ounces. More pics and specs after the link. → Read More
This is not happening according to my Lenovo rep. No… the press reports that note Lenovo is moving ThinkPad production from China to Taiwan are incorrect. There are no plans to change ThinkPad production. → Read More
I don’t know how they do it, but the Oly SP-570UZ boasts ultra zoom with a 10-megapixel sensor, dual image stabilization, face detection, shadow adjustment and perfect shot preview, which I’ll discuss later. The 570 is sort of like an SLR, but not. It has a rather large LCD at 2.7-inches and a f2.8-4.5 lens with an equivalent of 26-520mm focal length. I guess the inclusion of manual, aperture and shutter priority modes along with hotshoe would fool some into thinking this is a full fledged DSLR and for good reason. It also snaps photos at 13.5fps. It makes for a perfect step up from point-and-shoots if you’re uncomfortable with DSLRs. All of this can be yours for $499.99. → Read More
[photopress:whiteps3.jpg,full,center] Given that 2008 is predicted to be the PS3′s year, it’s no surprise that Sony will want to keep momentum on its side. Sony will release the Ceramic White PS3 in North America, several years after white-colored electronics have gone from fashionable to dated. (See: the just-released pink iPod nano.) In Japan, the Ceramic White model comes with a 40GB hard drive and there’s no reason to think this won’t be the case for the North American model. “Consumers” like electronics in different colors, so maybe that’s why the 40GB gets the new paint job instead of the higher end 60GB model. In any event, there’s no release date just yet. That’s what we get for snooping around the FCC’s Web site. FCC Filings [FCC via GamesIndustry.biz] → Read More
Olympus, who made my first and favorite CD player, is releasing a metric ton of cameras at the PMA convention. Hit the link for the important specs, pics, and my pick. → Read More
Olympus is announcing two shockproof, dustproof, waterproof and freezeproof models to the SW collection. The 1030 has a slight advantage over the 850 by claiming that it’s crushproof. How crushproof? It can supposedly handle up to 220 pounds of crushing pressure. It also features a 10-megapixel CCD sensor, 3.6x optical zoom, a 2.7-inch LCD, xD card slot and 14.7MB of internal storage. ISO goes on up to 1600 and movies are captured as AVI motion JPEGs with audio. A rechargeable Lithium Ion battery takes care of power issues. One very cool feature is the inclusion of an LED for macro shots that require flash without the flash. The 1030SW comes out in March for $399.99. [photopress:STYLUS_1030SW_2_L.JPG,thumb,pp_image] → Read More
Drop me a line @ john at crunchgear dot com if you really, really like web 2.0 apps as in “I erased Office so I could use Google Docs.” → Read More
Comcast is busy installing TiVo-equipped boxes here in the Boston area today. I’ve been waiting patiently since 11:30. It’s now a little after 1:30 and this screen’s been up for the past hour with no end in sight. Come on, TiVo! You can do it, buddy! → Read More
You know what’s not Web 2.0 enough? Porn. That’s right. Where’s my porno social network? Where’s my Porno Pownce? Where’s my porno Facebook? Well, here’s a porno Twitter that just might make Mike rethink the Crunchies winners. I’m going to Poke NurseMika [NSFW] all afternoon, I suspect. Boobik [NSFW] → Read More
The problem with most job sites is that the people companies really want to hire don’t put their resumes on them because they are happy in their current positions. If you are a star manager, chances are your employer knows it and is treating you well so that you don’t even think about leaving. Who wants to bother looking for a job anyway if you don’t have to? That’s right up there with looking for a new house in terms of time-sinks to avoid. The folks at NotchUp, a stealth startup based in Los Altos, California launching later this month, have a better idea. Founded by two Peerflix refugees, Jim Ambras and Rob Ellis, NotchUp tries to lure talented-but-complacent workers and managers into its recruitment pool by turning the job search on its head. Instead of desperate out-of-work employees going hat-in-hand to companies begging for a job interview, on NotchUp, the companies have to pay to interview you. This is supposed to bring out those passive job seekers every company really wants to find. The site lets you set whatever price you like per interview, but also provides a calculator that takes into account your current position, experience, education, and salary to come up with a number. What I like about this approach is that it uses economic incentives to try to bring a better inventory of talent onto the market, just like Zillow does with its “Make Me Move” feature that lets people make unsolicited offers on houses that are not officially on the market. If a company is willing to pay you a few hundred or even a thousand bucks just to interview you, chances are they are pretty serious and it is not going to be a waste of time. It acts as a filter for both the employer and the prospective employee. According to the site, Google, Yahoo, Facebook, and Powerset are all corporate beta testers using NotchUp for recruitment (well, maybe not Yahoo). NotchUp is still in stealth. The only way to get into the site right now is to be invited by a current user, which is how I learned about it. Setting up a profile is easy, especially if you already use LinkedIn. NotchUp just imports your LinkedIn profile, you set your price, and you are ready to go. Any friend you refer to the site who gets an interview earns you a → Read More
According to a company blog post, social news site Reddit has launched, in closed beta, the ability for users to create their own “reddits”. The new feature will eventually allow all users to create their own social news lists for chosen topics. These customized reddits will come in three flavors: public, restricted, and private. If you set up a public reddit, every Reddit user will be able to view and participate in the reddit. Restricted reddits will only allow certain members to contribute. And private reddits will only be viewable by their own members. For the next week or so, Reddit will solicit a “handful of users” to try out the new feature before opening it up to everyone. Mixx has implemented something similar, while we’re still waiting for Digg to do the same. As these social news sites become more platform-like, we’ll see them competing with offerings like Fraxi (covered here) and Pligg. CrunchBase Information Reddit Digg Mixx Information provided by CrunchBase → Read More
[photopress:TeleNav_GPS_Navigator_on_the_TMobile_UK_8310.jpg,thumb,left] One of our favorite mobile phone GPS providers, TeleNav, is bringing its unlimited 3D moving maps with voice and on-screen turn-by-turn driving directions to Europe. All the good stuff you’ve been wanting is now in the palm of your hands, Europe. If you own one of the following BlackBerries: the Curve, Pearl, 7130, 8700 and 8800 models now have a mobile GPS solution thanks to T-Mo UK. The service is available now and runs £49.99/year. Other great features include: → Read More
Aircell air-to-ground antenna being installed on the Boeing in KC. Last week Aircell successfully installed their Internet Broadband Connectivity Solution at AA’s Kansas City maintenance facility. The Boeing 767-200 will begin beta testing over the next few weeks pending FAA certifications. The air-to-ground broadband system will provide you with hours of enjoyment provided you take a fancy to LOL Cats, porn without sound or CrunchGear. That’s a tough choice, I know. → Read More
Windows 7 is apparently going to be released by mid-2009, just about the time that Vista gets all the bugs worked out and people get used to using it. Wonderful. As a disclaimer, I use Windows Vista on a Sony VAIO notebook so I’m not cutting down Vista for the sake of cutting down Vista. I use it every day and I’m not happy with it. There’s reportedly already an early evaluation version of Windows 7 floating around that’s been given to hardware manufacturers. It’s the first of three “milestone” builds. The second milestone should happen in April or May of this year, while the third milestone is supposed to come along sometime thereafter in the third quarter. If a new version of Windows actually comes out in 2009 without getting delayed at least a year, I’ll be surprised. So will the hardware vendors, businesses, and end-users who have had to put up with Vista’s growing pains, although they’ll be surprised in a more angry-surprised way. Vista successor, Windows 7 to be released next year? [APC Magazine] via Slashdot → Read More
The whole trail is kind of convoluted but it seems there is a company, Klausner Technologies, with a patent for the same concept as SimulSays, SimulScribes visual voicemail solution for RIM and WinMo as well as Apple’s Visual Voicemail. It seems SimulScribe has settled and licensed the Klausner’s patents (here and here) while Apple, Vonage, AT&T, and AOL are still in litigation. I love the smell of patent trolling in the morning. → Read More
Again with the phishing! The FBI is warning of “new” attacks, called vishing, that are encouraging email recipients to call toll-free numbers which ultimately lead down a VoIP hole to an south Asian sweatshop where a young man will answer and read a real-sounding script asking for PINs, SSNs, and your tumescent girth. Urban legend or no, it’s something to warn your parents about. A standard vishing attack might use a phone number connected to an answering machine to harvest data. A large-scale scamming operation, however, could theoretically employ several people to act as call-center workers—who might not even be aware that they’re in the employ of an illegal business operation. Also, remember this the FBI warning us about vishing, so this probably all got popular in 2003 and they’re just getting around to putting out the memo. Again, friends, if someone is asking for your full SSN and bank card PIN, you’re probably getting scammed. FBI warns that “vishing” attacks are on the rise [ArsTechnica] → Read More
I’m not quite sure where the beer goes in here, but this is apparently a steampunk casemod that allows you to brew beer AND play UT3 using the same device. For extra fun, read the comments at the bottom featuring a brewery war between the US and Europe. Personal Computer into Brewery [EnglishRussia via Make] → Read More
The tenets of Web 2.0 are not without their pornographic, or otherwise erotic, applications. We’ve covered PornoTube and EroShare, both of which are sites for user-generated porn. Now we’ve come across a site called Boobik? (yes, with a question mark in its name, and no, NSFW). If PornoTube is a YouTube of porn and EroShare is a Flickr of porn, then perhaps it’s best to describe Boobik? as a Twitter of porn. To be fair, Boobik? doesn’t explicitly bill itself as a place for sharing user-generated pornography. Rather, it places the emphasis on social networking (the Facebook of porn?): boobik is a place to meet people the sexy way. You can get to know people through them sharing and broadcasting short experiences, thoughts and fantasies. By that we mean what they did last night, just now (hand in skirt under the desk), with whom and how many times). And don’t forget them pictures as well… But the result, I imagine, will be mostly just to share pornographic material with others. The site’s frontpage shows a series of microblog posts, some of which contain photos with nudity. You can post text, photos, and video embeds with Boobik?, apparently of any rating level (the terms of service doesn’t preclude explicit material). Want to share erotic thoughts on the go? You can also post to the site from a mobile phone, IM account, or email. Thanks goes to Orli Yakuel for discovering this site. CrunchBase Information Boobik Eroshare Pornotube Twitter Flickr YouTube Information provided by CrunchBase → Read More
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