screentoster.com

A French start-up, ScreenToaster allows users to create screen recordings with one click. The service is free with no software to download. You can use the screen recordings to market your products, create training videos, or show your application to friends. This site is still in a private beta.

Pros (when it worked):

• Easy to use and fast
• The playback quality was good

Cons:

• Didn’t work for 3 out of 4 of us

On The Web Front Podcast

In this week’s podcast we review three new websites related to real estate, human genetics, and product reviews:

• 23andMe.com – personal genetics testing. This site has a lot of press, and has already won awards, but our podcast contributors were still hesitant to use the service.
• 11sqft.com – micro office space and desk rentals for small business. A niche that needs to be filled, but this site failed to impress. We provide suggestions for improvement.
• mychoicebot.com – a product comparison tool, that all of us found hard to use. An interesting idea that needs simplifying and better instructions.

Please leave your feedback, criticism and opinion as we would love to include the feedback in the next podcast.

mychoicebot.com

mychoicebot.com sets out to help purchasers make informed decisions by enabling them to compare a number of product features at once. Their “bots” (who knows why they picked this name…) allow you to specify features for a particular product set, enter the values for each specific product you are interested in, and then set the importance of that feature. The site targets product reviewers who can plug the “bot” into their own sites – filled in, and ready to go.

Pros:

• Provides a single application to input product features and their importance
• Can be integrated into a blog or online e-tailer along side information about those products

Cons:

• Not as intuitive or easy to use as the site would suggest
• Target customers unclear

23andme.com

There has been a lot of coverage already regarding 23andme.com, the company that makes DNA testing affordable and accessible. For this company, we are not looking at their startup potential, but how we perceive their technology and how we might use it (or not use it).

Pros:

• Provides information into personal genetics including ancestry and health traits
• Price continues to drop, down to $399 from over a $1,000 recently

Cons:

• Google’s investment gives a “big brother” feeling to what may happen with your DNA results
• How new anti-discrimination laws have to be enacted in order to protect you

To be discussed in our upcoming podcast.

11sqft.com

The online commercial real estate market already caters to big business and companies looking to lease or find office space for several employees. For micro businesses looking for a single desk, or companies with extra desks or offices to rent, there aren’t as many choices. 11sqft.com looks to plug this gap by catering to the single desk space allowing companies to list single desk or single office rentals and match them with prospective small businesses looking for a place to call home.

Pros:

• Focus on a specific niche
• Provides a simple way to find micro spaces as opposed to wading through Craigslist or other site that advertises both small and large spaces

Cons:

• Looks much like any other real estate listing site.
• No unique features specific to the micro space market such as renting a desk by the day, matching tenants based on skill set or other community tools

In this week’s episode, we will review the site and give our opinion on the above.

In On The Web Front Episode 4 we look at three recent website projects including:

• launchsplash.com – we discussed whether a simple site like launchsplash.com is too simple, or matches exactly what web startups need to create simple launch pages
• websketch.com – allows you to quickly sketch a website with its drag and drop interface. Loved by most of the team, but not by all.
• mygamemug.com – matches online game players, yet another website we might be too old for, where was mygamemug when we needed you? 

Please leave comments and suggestions as we value your feedback.