Slashdot Mirror
First Cell Phone for Dogs
revelCyllufyalP writes "A company called PetsMobility has come out with PetCell, the first cell phone for dogs. The phone will allow users to call their dogs in case the dog gets away and also includes a GPS tracking device if the dog doesn't respond to the call. In addition, the PetCell will feature GeoFence, which will alert owners whenever their dogs wander outside a prescribed area. Will the PetCell actually prove useful to dog owners or is it just another cheap gimmick?"
I have a feeling this will cost a pretty penny, of course that won't stop most people that are insecure enough that they would feel they need this to ensure their dog doesn't run away (crazy idea, why not look after your dog responsibly?).
That's why I'm a cat person. Kitty goes out, Kitty comes back in. She ain't dumb, she knows where her food dish is.
another worthless widget to consume!
Please, go fulfill the American Dream (TM) and buy one today!
signatures are for fools with hands
Fine for those serious pet owners who would die if their pet ran away, but it will be a total mess if people just purchase these things and let their dogs run loose just because they can track them.
Dvorak on Doomtech
I could be wrong but $350 to $400 doesn't sound too much like a cheap gimmick.
Quid, me anxius sum?
A thinly disguised means of putting a GPS leash on your kids... My guess is the pet angle just makes it look more friendly/gets more press, whereas the paranoid parent market will be the real revenue generator.
bleurk. Must be nice to be treated like a parolee by your parents... really inculcates that sense of responsibility. Ah well, you get the kids you deserve--and then we all deal with the consequences.
The GPS and GeoFence features sound like they'd be much more useful to the pet owner than the cell phone capabilities. What, exactly, are pet owners going do tell their dog over the phone? "Sit?" "Stay?" And how will the dog respond to a disembodied voice that seems to be coming from behind its head?
That's why this seems like a giant gimmick to me. If it weren't a gimmick, and were actually useful, the designers would have ditched the cell phone capability as a very expensive add on and just marketed it based on the dog-tracking capabilities. This will probably be bought by those pathetic dog owners who make ridiculous outfits for their pets to wear and visit pet psychologists when Fido barks twice more this week than he did last week.
When you call a dog it comes to you because it hears your voice coming from the direction you want it to go. So how is the animal supposed to understand where you are calling it to when your voice is coming from a speaker beside its ear?
...when someone's dog is run over because their owner calls on one of these gadgets and the dog is distracted. I mean most humans would be confused if a voice started coming out of some place on their body. I can just picture one of my dogs cocking his head from side to side in confusion.
These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
My pet maltese will happily "sit", "speak", (lay) "down" and "roll over" whenever my girlfriend calls and I set my phone on speakerphone ('crappy' GSM combined with uberscreech of a small speaker).
;)
It may be true in general, but there's exceptions as always.
That said, she also looks oddly at the phone and will savagely attack it if I let it go on for too long
Dog & Bone is phone.
This device seems more designed for tracking people than animals. If I was marketing the device, I'd sell it as a security device for children/memory impaired adults. The value of tracking is higher, and the wearer is more likely to respond to voice commands.
It didn't say if the phone is two-way so the responder could respond--but I guess it would be useful to be able to hear the background. I wonder if there is a "stealth" mode, where the owner can hear what's going on in the background, but the wearer doesn't hear any ringing or other noises---kind of scary.
I could also it be useful in an auto--I wonder if the GPS is good enough to find your car in a parking lot--uncovered of course. Presumably, all the auto theives/chop shops have learned to put stolen cars in covered building, but the voice listen capability might be useful--hey you could hear your car being chopped up until the very end.
This is very useful... Sometimes when walking your dog(s) in the forest they will get a scent. At that point it is nearly impossible to stop them, especially if you have a hunting dog. Or how about those people that own "fighting dogs", where you can react very quickly if they break out of garden. Overall a good idea I find... I know I would get it for both of my dogs.
"You can't make a race horse of a pig"
"No," said Samuel, "but you can make very fast pig"
no pet is worth what this would probably cost. the dumbest part of this entire thing is the cell phone part. sure, dogs know their name and respond to it, but part of calling your dog is to get his attention first, then give him directions. how do you know you have the dog's attention? he looks at you. why does he look at you and not the other direction, because he hears your voice coming from a certain direction. with a cell phone, the dog will hear his name, but not know where the voice is coming from. i can only image this will confuse, and annoy a dog more then anything, and i'm assuming after a while, the dog will just ignore it.
and about responsible pet ownership? i agree. if your dog runs loose all the time, then you're a bad owner, and your dog will surely come upon some terrible fate. if your dog gets out of the yard that he should be contained in, fix your damn fence.
either way, get your dog some training, and don't complain about the cost, because this gadget would probably cost much more then any obediance school would charge.