
Dog owners have a new way to keep track of their pet's location, with Motorola launching its Scout Traks wearable.
The pet tracker, which is able to provide information regarding exercise, wellbeing and temperature, attaches to collars, and owners are able to receive real-time alerts on location through the Hubble for Pets app. Like many of its rivals, geo-fencing is also available and alerts can be set for when a dog escapes a pre-set zone.
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The Scout Traks device itself weighs under 30g, with a waterproof silicon rubber housing the likes of GPS, an ambient temperature sensor and an accelerometer. The latter uses an algorithm, which not only tracks the amount of exercise a dog has undertaken, but also compares the data with other breeds within the companion app and can also be used to set long-term goals, such as routines and feeding.
Commenting on the temperature sensor, Dave Evans, general manager of Motorola Pet, said: "The temperature sensor was a direct result of research [with dog owners] as we found out that some breeds struggle in the heat and sadly many dogs still die in hot cars."
As Motorola indicates, the Scout Traks battery will give up to three days of use, while charging from flat to full capacity takes around an hour. To pick the device up, you'll have to shell out £99.99, with a full year of its service plan (which includes 150 location calls per month) included. After that, you'll have to renew for £35 per year. And unfortunately for those in the US and elsewhere, this will be a UK exclusive.
Motorola's variant doesn't really bring anything different to the pet tracking space, but it does, at least on paper, put together pretty much everything you would want in a device. The subscription fee after the first year isn't ideal, but when compared to its rivals (which often propose lofty monthly costs) this isn't too unreasonable.
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