The so-called “quantified self” represents one of the next great technological revolutions for man; shouldn’t his best friend get in on the action too? The team at Whistle certainly thinks so. Their eponymous activity tracker was the first of its kind for dogs, serving as the canine equivalent of fitness trackers flooding the tech scene today. Now with the freshly launched WhistleGPS, the company has added a new and arguably more import feature — keeping tabs on your Pet’s location.
The WhistleGPS is not the first pet tracker out there, but it does stands out as the smallest device on the market (measuring roughly the size of an Oreo), while providing double the battery of life of other solutions. All of those gains are made possible by leveraging breakthrough Sub-GHz cellular technology that allows owners to check their pooch’s location on demand. The $5 monthly service charge for GPS tracking is also half that of most competitors.
Even better, the WhistleGPS packs all the activity monitoring capabilities of the original Whistle. Its 3-axis accelerometer precisely tracks movement and can even distinguish between walking, playing, resting or swimming, while wi-fi and Bluetooth connectivity make it easy for the WhistleGPS to communicate with mobile devices. It’s also IPX-7 certified, meaning it’ll survive plunges in water up to a meter deep for up to 30 minutes at a time, as well as most other forms of abuse your pooch can roll at it.
Wondering whether your hired dog walker is doing their job or just how big of an impact those few rainy days have had on fido’s fitness aspirations? Whistle’s well-designed companion app makes it easy to review data at a glance, helping you quantify your dog’s life on both a daily and long-term basis. It even offers the ability to compare your dog’s lifestyle with others of the same breed, as well as some basic social networking capabilities to let your dog (and his or her masters) show off.
The best part is that this is just the beginning. The pet-loving team behind Whistle has plenty of lofty goals for the variety of data the Whistle can capture, meaning owners and the veterinary community at large can expect to gain even more insights on their pet’s well being over time.
Currently, the WhistleGPS is available for a mere $49 dollars to those who pre-order by 5/30. Otherwise, it’ll retail for $129 when it officially hits shelves in 2015.
$49 for Preorders ending 5/30
