Sniftag Monitors Your Pet... and Offers Pet Social Networking!
You can’t see the world through the eyes of your dog or cat- but with the new Sniftag, you can at least see what they’ve been up to. It sounds like a gimmick, but it seems perfect for gadget-loving pet owners, especially those in cities.
In essence, the Sniftag allows your to monitor your pet’s activity (in real-time, if they are near a connected base station). The tag itself does not use GPS, but low-power RFID, to communicate- the base station does the actual work of communicating with the outside world. Even better, when Sniftags come near one another, they trade unique identifier codes- allowing you to find out what playmates are nearby, or who your pet interacts with. Of course, as the technology is relatively new, you might not find many other Sniftag-equipped pets nearby, but in a good-sized city you are likely to find a few where pets (and pet-lovers) congregate. And the sharing of identities are optional, and can be turned off anytime for privacy.
The tag uses an accelerometer to track what your pet is doing, and how active they are, which can be a great way to help optimize your dog or cat’s diet. The handy and easy-to-use Snif software allows you to see how this week (or today’s) activities compare over time, or with other pets, so you can find out if you need to get Rover some more exercise!
The downside of not using GPS technology is that you can’t really track your pet’s location- if they leave the area near the base station, you won’t be able to, say, find them if they are lost. Of course, a real tracking device would be larger, and require hefty batteries- the Sniftag is fairly small and can easily attach even to the collar of a smaller pet. Best of all, lifetime service is part of the purchase, and the unit seems quite durable- and likely to become more fun over time as more owner’s adopt the technology… for their pets and for themselves. For $150, the Sniftag takes pets (and pet care) into the 21st century.
