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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?"

24 of 395 comments (clear)

  1. Calling Rex by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Gives a whole new meaning to "calling the dog."

  2. Bah, beaten to it by years by nihilistcanada · · Score: 5, Funny
  3. Just in time for Christmas... by boog3r · · Score: 4, Insightful

    another worthless widget to consume!

    Please, go fulfill the American Dream (TM) and buy one today!

    --
    signatures are for fools with hands
  4. Or as Snoop Dogg would say by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... an easier way of callin your b*tches!

    fo shizzle...

  5. First cell phone for dogs by pulaski · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I could be wrong but $350 to $400 doesn't sound too much like a cheap gimmick.

    --
    Quid, me anxius sum?
  6. Re:I don't think it'll be cheap by DrEldarion · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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.

    Funnily, I've seen FAR more "lost cat" posters than "lost dog" posters.

  7. What the fuck? by Legion303 · · Score: 5, Funny

    "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."

    You know, just on the one-in-a-million chance your dog either doesn't answer the phone at all or does answer it but can't quite make out the street signs so he can tell you where he is.

    I saved a bundle my just giving my dog a quarter. Last time he got lost he found a payphone and asked me to come pick him up. It worked out well enough, but I'm also considering getting him one of those Franklin translating electronic phrasebooks, in case he gets lost in the Spanish-speaking area of town and needs to ask for directions.

    "Will the PetCell actually prove useful to dog owners or is it just another cheap gimmick?"

    Gosh, that's a real stumper.

    1. Re:What the fuck? by ndogg · · Score: 4, Funny

      > I saved a bundle my just giving my dog a quarter.

      I saved a bundle by switching my dog to Geico.

      --
      // file: mice.h
      #include "frickin_lasers.h"
  8. For Dogs? by ignoramus · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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.

  9. Forget about dogs... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    This would be useful for a girlfriend, lets see:

    - "The phone will allow users to call their girlfriend in case the girlfriend gets away", very useful feature!

    - "and also includes a GPS tracking device if the girlfriend doesn't respond to the call", very nice, I definately want to check where she is going!

    - "In addition, the GirlCell will feature GeoFence, which will alert owners whenever their girlfriends wander outside a prescribed area.", also very useful. No more going to shopping/partying to a nearby city without my knowledge.

    1. Re:Forget about dogs... by dpiven · · Score: 5, Funny

      Yeah, but what if the girlfriend chews through the collar?

  10. Re:I don't think it'll be cheap by JanneM · · Score: 5, Informative

    Kitty goes out, Kitty comes back in.

    Except when Kitty gets run over, or sneaks onto a truck bound for Vladivostok, or urinates on the wrong car, or gets caught by animal control, or... Quite apart from the lack of consideration towards your neighbours (people can be allergic, phobic or just plain don't want kittycrap in their yards), it's not good petkeeping to let it run free either.

    If you want to have a cat in a city, keep it indoors or walk it leashed. Seriously. Just like with dogs, if they are trained to wear a leash as kittens they have no problem with it.

    --
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  11. Lassie! by Umuri · · Score: 5, Funny

    *answers his cell phone*
    What boy? There's trouble at the well? Little timmy's stuck?
    GOOD BOY! I'll be there right away!

    --
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    1. Re:Lassie! by Ingolfke · · Score: 4, Funny

      Lassie must be a pretty stupid dog... I've trained my beagles to text me when they have a problem.

  12. Dogs call You! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    In soviet Russia, dogs call you!

  13. Re:GPS by Fred_A · · Score: 4, Funny

    Well, you have to call it so that it can read the GPS display back to you.

    Duh.

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  14. This won't work because... by nuckfuts · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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?

    1. Re:This won't work because... by Vo0k · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Not because of this.
      You could still shout "stop you stupid fleabag!" and then using the GPS catch up with the dog waiting for you. Or shout "Go home" or such. Smarter dogs understand it and would obey.
      But it won't work, because all the dog will hear would be some nonrecognizable screech. GSM is a psychoacoustic(sp?) audio compression model meant to be understandable and working for humans. Dogs have wider recognizable audio spectrum, focus on other frequencies than humans, and generally catch different features of the voice than humans. Shout "come" and the dog will come. Play the same "come" from mp3 player to speakers, and the dog won't recognize the signal. For dogs things like mp3, computer-generated music etc are just some nondescript noises. Sometimes, rarely they understand some very characteristic noises - barking, cat's meow etc. Audio CDs are for them about the sound quality of 72rpm vinyl records. GSM is just a random noise.

      --
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  15. They need to work on their Marketing copy (Humor) by Gryftir · · Score: 4, Funny
    Apparently the company doesn't have that great opinion of kids, the elderly or outdoor sports enthusiasts.

    From the article (italics are mine)

    "Sturdy and slobber-resistant, the PetCell isn't just for dogs. PetsMobility's parent company, On4 Communications, is simultaneously rolling out models for kids, the elderly and outdoor sports fanatics who enjoy snowboarding and kayaking."

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  16. Can't wait for the law suit... by syousef · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ...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.

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  17. Re:I don't think it'll be cheap by Cplus · · Score: 4, Funny

    People must actually care about their cats.

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  18. Re:Netstumbler by Epsillon · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Or get several and set up a wireless mesh network using all the neighborhood strays!" ... and call it Fidonet.

    --
    Resistance is futile. Reactance buggers it up.
  19. Re:I don't think it'll be cheap by masklinn · · Score: 4, Funny
    if i feed it and it shits on my property, it should do what i say.
    You misunderstand your relation to your cat. He does you a favour by accepting your offerings and living at your home, you ungrateful bastard !
    --
    "The way we can tell it's C# instead of Haskell is because it's nine lines instead of two." -- wadler
  20. Re:I don't think it'll be cheap by narcolepticjim · · Score: 5, Funny

    You're looking at these relationships the wrong way.

    To a dog, you're family.

    To a cat, you're staff.