Yes, But Does it Have a Touch Screen and Camera?

Jonathan Rothberg, the founder of Ion Torrent, wants to do for DNA sequencing what Steve Jobs did for the personal computer — take it to the people, says the New York Times' Andrew Pollack. Last month, Life Technologies, which purchased Ion Torrent, started selling the Personal Genome Machine. While it's not intended for general use yet, Pollack says it could help spread DNA sequencing to the clinic. It doesn't have a touch-screen or camera, and probably doesn't come in hot pink, but Rothenberg wants it to be just as popular as the iPod at hospitals and medical offices. Ion Torrent is also offering prizes worth $1 million to anyone who can improve the machine, Pollack says.