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Tesla made a $50 'Cyberwhistle' and it's already sold out
As he showed with the Flamethrower, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has a knack for selling weird gadgets that have little to do with the company's main business.
The best GPS trackers for cats and dogs
By Nick Guy This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, Wirecutter and Engadget may earn affiliate commission. Read the full guide to GPS trackers for cats and dogs. A GPS pet tracker can save your cat's or dog's life if it ever escapes home. After spending more than 25 hours researching and testing four trackers, including having Wirecutter staffers take them all on a trip around Manhattan and a 35-mile bike ride, we've found the Whistle 3 GPS Pet Tracker & Activity Monitor to be the best tracker for most pet owners. Not only is the Whistle 3 as quick and accurate at tracking as any other model we tested, but it also has the longest-lasting battery by far. This means the battery is more likely to have juice if Fido does get out, and you'll have a better chance of tracking him. While a GPS pet tracker doesn't guarantee you'll find a lost cat or dog, the Whistle 3 does give you the best chance of doing so. We also like its hardware and software design much better than that of the other models we tested: It's easier to use than anything else, and it feels totally secure when attached to a collar.
Whistle nixes GPS to make a more affordable health tracker for dogs
Whistle has been making pet-tracking devices for years, first starting with a product often referred to as a "Fitbit for dogs" and then moving into GPS-enabled tracking devices to find lost pets. Last year, the company released its most advanced tracker yet, and now the company another new device specifically focused on your dog's health. The Whistle Fit is a collar-worn device, like the existing Whistle Go, but it doesn't have GPS built in. Instead, the company says it is meant to capture info about your dog's behavior and activity as an alternative to its GPS-enabled wearables.
Whistle Go Explore review: GPS-powered puppy protection
I'm happy to say that I've never come close to losing Ellie, my beloved nine-year-old chocolate Labrador. But that doesn't mean I haven't occasionally had a moment of panic thinking about how truly terrible that would be. For years, the default protection against such a scenario has been "microchipping" — implanting a tiny ID chip under a pet's skin that can be scanned to reveal contact information for the animal's owner. While this is still a smart thing to do, it's only useful after your pet has gotten away and has been rescued by someone who tries to reunite the animal with its person. There's a lot that can go wrong before that happens, if it ever does. Whistle has been working to offer a better solution for several years now. What originally started out as a "Fitbit for dogs" evolved into a GPS-enabled pet tracker that alerts you when your pet left a designated "safe" zone and lets you see where it is on a map. Last week, the company released its latest trackers, the Whistle Go and Go Explore, which features real-time location tracking, improved battery life and a few other tweaks to the Whistle formula. Ellie and I have been testing the $129.95 Go Explore for almost a month, and while it's not without quirks, it's still a potentially important safety net for any dog. On a day-to-day basis, its activity-tracking features aren't particularly necessary, which made it easy for me to think of it as an unnecessary gadget. On the other hand, if Ellie ran off, I'd be very glad she was wearing it.
Fi's GPS pet tracker lasts three months between charges
From keys to luggage, smart technology lets us keep track of pretty much everything these days -- and that includes our pets. Whistle is perhaps the most prominent company in the pet tracking business, but now a new contender has entered the ring with a feature-packed dog collar that makes keeping tabs on our furry friends even easier. Fi's smart GPS dog collar monitors your pet's activity, tracks its location instantly and, most importantly, has a whopping three-month battery life.
Whistle's latest pet tracker is more accurate with better battery life
If you own a pet, you've likely thought about your friend running away at least once. Technologies like microchipping can help get lost pets back, but in the last few years some companies have been using the same tech in our smartphones as a way to keep close tabs on pets. Whistle is probably the most prominent of those: The company first released a health and fitness tracking collar in 2013 and then added GPS capabilities so you can locate a pet from your phone. Today, the company is announcing its latest pet tracker, the Whistle 3. It has the same basic features as the previous model, but some hardware improvements make the battery last longer and help to make location tracking more precise. The Whistle 3 has onboard WiFi in addition to Bluetooth, GPS and 3G cellular data; you can use that to set up "home zones" for your pet. If your dog wanders outside that WiFi home zone, you'll get an alert on your phone and the Whistle's cellular connection will kick on to pinpoint your pet's exact location.
Comcast's Xfinity Home works with automation tech you already own
Comcast's Xfinity Home has been automating living spaces for a while, but now the company is opening up the cloud-based system to more gadgets. Starting this summer, customers can add devices from August, Automatic, Cuff, Leeo, Lutron, Rachio, SkyBell and Whistle to the kit that already wrangles motion sensors, connected outlets, cameras and more. We're talking about things like August's smart locks, Automatic's car tracker and Cuff's smart jewelery. What's more, Comcast is teaming up with Nest as part of the Works with Nest effort to bring that smart thermostat into the fold, too. In addition to those new partners, Comcast will open up an SDK later this year alongside a Works with Xfinity Home certification program to make sure approved devices can be used with minimal headaches.
Whistle is like Fitbit for your dog
Whistle is a Fitbit for your dog, and more. This unobtrusive, durable and waterproof device attaches to Spot's collar and records data on his activities, day or night. Gather precious information for your vet, track progress towards fitness goals, view peaks and valleys in activity and even share photos with family and friends, all with the Whistle wearable monitor and companion iPhone app. My Boston Terrier Batgirl and I had a good time testing this out, and I'm very impressed. Here's our look at Whistle. Last June we sat down with Ben Jacobs, CEO and co-founder of Whistle. At that time, his company had begun taking preorders for its namesake product: a wearable activity monitor for dogs. Today, my dog and I have spent some time with a Whistle monitor and the companion iPhone app. Not only is it an effective monitor, it supplies a wealth of data that you can share with your vet, which is vastly superior to the mostly anecdotal evidence that owners usually bring to an appointment. How it works The Whistle device itself is about the size of a US half dollar. It fits into a small holder very securely, which in turn can be attached to a dog's collar via the supplied, adjustable strap. The unit charges over USB in about an hour (USB cable also provided), and a full charge will get you about a week's use. It uses a three-axis accelerometer to determine if your dog is idle, walking around, playing briskly or running. The Whistle weighs just 16 grams and feels solid and well-made. While I wasn't able to test its claim of being waterproof with a dip in the lake, it did trudge through the snow without a problem. Finally, LED indicators make you aware of various states, like charging (red), connecting to Bluetooth (blue, of course) and ready to go (green). It's also quite nice that a charging base, USB cable and collar attachment piece are all well-made. Nothing feels cheap here. Even the packaging is attractive. Setup Setup is easy. Once the Whistle is charged, all you need to do is launch the app and follow the on-screen instructions. First you must connect it to your phone via Bluetooth, as that's how it shares its data. Next, connect it to your Wi-Fi network, as that's how it syncs data to the cloud. The next step is to create a profile for your dog, including age, weight, breed, and some info on his/her human (that's you). Finally, set an activity goal for Spot. The default is 30 minutes per day. The app notes most vets recommend between 30 and 60 minutes of activity per day. Once that's done, an animation shows you how to attach/detach the Whistle from its mount, and you're good to go! Use Ah, the fun part! I really wanted to see what the Whistle could do so Batty got a workout. Of course, you'll get an accurate, representative baseline of your dog's activity if you let her have about a week of typical days. Once that's done, you can compare that data to subsequent days to compare and contrast. At the end of the day, you can view a chart of our dog's activity. It's easy to spot his most active time and most restful. A pattern emerges the more you use the Whistle. Eventually you can see his total time spent active per day across five days at a glance. Simply swipe left or right to view newer or older data. The "Trends" view offers additional detail. This beautiful presentation is what I'd show the vet. You'll see the number of days your goal has been hit, active minutes per day in an attractive scatter plot and trends in daily activity (percentage up or down). Finally, you can review trends in resting. In addition, you'll find a "+" icon. Click it to reveal four options: Food. Record what and when your dog ate. Record any medication(s) taken, when and what dose. Add a note. Add a photo. I should point out that you can attach a photo to any of the above. Not only is this fun, it can be quite useful when sharing information with a doctor, dog sitter and so on. I was skeptical about this device at first. A FitBit for my dog? But now I'm a convert. It does provide useful information with no effort from me, setup is easy and the app is useful and pretty. I can recommend Whistle to gear-loving dog owners. You can buy yours online or at your local Petsmart retailer.
Whistle: the internet of everything goes to the dogs
One key part of our "internet of things" that seems to be capturing the imagination of a lot of people is the ability to track our activity and other health factors. It's not surprising to get with a group of people these days and see a Fitbit or Nike FuelBand on the waist or wrist of half the people in the room. Today, San Francisco-based Whistle announced pre-orders for its first product, a US$99.95 health tracker for dogs that is expected to ship this summer. A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of chatting with Ben Jacobs, CEO and co-founder of Whistle. Jacobs noted that the cost of veterinary care over a pet's life exceeds $10,000, yet there's surprisingly little information that pet owners can supply to a vet about an ailing animal, and dogs certainly can't tell a vet what's wrong. Enter Whistle -- the namesake device is a small, metal, wireless on-collar monitor for dogs that collects data passively throughout the day that is then categorized as active, walk, resting or play. By monitoring information for a few months via an iPhone app (Android is planned for later), a baseline of the animal's activities is created. Deviations to that baseline are often indicative of health situations with a dog. In the wild, animals hide pain and injury in order to keep from becoming prey. That same instinct is present in house pets when they're not feeling well, and it's often difficult to see that a dog is in pain when you're at work most of the day. By tracking information over time, Jacobs notes that owners can see if it is their behavior -- for example, not being able to walk the dog on a regular schedule -- that is upsetting the baseline, or if it is a sign that the dog may be in pain. When you take your dog to the vet, he or she will be able to pull up reports showing the dog's activity over time. Whistle intends to accumulate data from all dogs wearing the devices so that they can create overall norms for different breeds and ages. If it sounds like Whistle is using this data to conduct canine health studies, you're absolutely correct. Jacobs noted that Whistle is working with the University of Pennsylvania's well-known Veterinary Clinic Investigations Center and other academic institutions to analyze the data. The company also has an advisory council made up of vets from around the country ranging from private general practitioners to veterinary cardiologists. The device will connect via both Bluetooth and WiFi to collect data, making it possible to connect both inside and outside the home. Jacobs mentioned that the device and apps will also allow different parties to indicate when they played with the dog, took it for a walk and more -- important when sharing the responsibility of a canine companion. We're hoping to get a Whistle later this summer for a full paws-on review; in the meantime, check out the intro video below and consider pre-ordering one for your four-legged friend.
Whistle canine fitness tracker can be pre-ordered now for $100
Pet care industry spending exceeds $50 billion per year in the US alone, so there's no question that folks are dropping some serious dough on man's best friend. A device to track your dog's health, then, makes an awful lot of sense, from a business perspective at the very least. Whistle, designed by a company bearing the same name, keeps tabs on your pooch for 100 bucks. The device connects to your pet's collar; from there, it quietly measures activity and rest. The information it gathers can then be shared with both you and your dog's doc, and it's also added to a database, available to researchers around the world. The device and associated service will provide feedback for improving your dog's health, tailored to his or her specific breed. You don't pay any fees beyond the $100 pre-order charge, which you can submit directly to the manufacturer at the source link below.
LG Whistle is so named for reasons unknown
Is this phone capable of putting its lips together and blowing air so as to create a high-pitched tone of some sort? Doesn't seem like it -- phones don't typically have lips or breath -- but that doesn't explain why LG decided to christen its latest clamshell for the domestic Korean market the "Whistle." No matter; the LV7500's still pretty cool, owing in no small part to its front-facing array of some 115 LEDs that can be user-customized, presumably to flash messages such as "KEEPIN IT REAL" and "LG 4 LYFE" -- not a totally unique feature, but something we don't see much of around these parts. It'll roam in just 18 countries, which suggests to us that CDMA figures prominently in its radio circuitry; look for it now in three colors for around 400,000 won (about $325) on LG Telecom. If you're in Seoul, that is.
