pets

Bowlingual gives dog barks a human voice

Japanese toymaker Tomy has released a new dog translator gadget that can turn barks into words.

Bowlingual Voice is an update to Bowlingual, first released way back in 2002. The new version speaks with a human voice from a handheld unit wirelessly linked to a microphone around the dog's collar. The original version had no voice synthesizer.

Bowlingual Voice recognizes six basic canine emotions. Tomy says it can simultaneously translate the woofs of about 50 breeds of dog into Japanese.

Not surprisingly, the dogs say things like "I love you!" and not "Stop feeding me the … Read more

iPhone app helps you care for four-legged friends

I'm not a pet owner anymore (it's a long and painful story; please don't ask!), but as I have written about a First Aid app for humans, it's only fair I write about one designed with animals in mind. (OK, I admit it, secretly I also want to make sure I remain on PETA's favorite list).

The app's name is (you guessed it!) Pet First Aid. It works with both the iPhone and iPod Touch and is a product of PetTech of Vacaville and JiveMedia (which is the same company that wrote the First … Read more

Automatic water dispenser for Fido, Mittens, you

If you have pets, more likely than not, you have received the look. You know which look I'm talking about: the look. The my food bowl is empty look. There may be no doubt as to the level of importance that our furry friends place on their kibbles and cat mix, but there is another, albeit less tasty, necessity that they can now have control over. While our pets may not yet be privileged enough to pour out a bowl (or open a can) of delicious food, at least they will be able to get a drink of water … Read more

Augmented-reality games: EyePet hands on, 5 others

Augmented reality--in case you haven't been following, is a technology blending video cameras and computer graphics enabling you to interact with virtual creations in the real world. In practice, it looks like virtual reality crossing over into actual reality. You may have heard the buzzword, but as of late, it's becoming a serious gaming trend. At last week's PlayStation holiday preview in New York, one of the most talked-about titles in Sony's fall lineup was its hi-tech attempt to take on Nintendogs, called EyePet.

While it was definitely one of the most impressive augmented-reality game demos we've seen, it's far from the only one. Here's a rundown of EyePet as well as some other augmented-reality games of the future we're looking forward to playing. And is it just us, or is the angle of most of these titles to "make little animals appear next to you?" Clearly, if this is any indication, get ready for a whole lot more hallucinatory ghost creatures dancing on your coffee tables for holidays to come.

Eyepet (Sony, PlayStation 3) Sony's been quietly leading the pack in U.S. augmented-reality game development, starting with 2007's bold but unsuccessful trading-card battle game Eye of Judgment. Although interactive PlayStation Eye software has been available on the PSN Store that achieves other AR effects, EyePet is their first major push at a mainstream home entertainment product.… Read more

Paws-on with the Pet's Eye View Cam

The subject of today's thing-you-can-attach-to-a-cat's-head story is a black cat named Sox--a large, meaty puss belonging to yours truly. Regular readers will remember us writing about a camera built to be strapped to just such a cat so you can pry into its private life. Well we got one sent in, and yes: we strapped it to a cat.

He didn't seem to mind, actually, as you can see in the photo above. The camera looks chunky, but it's actually quite lightweight and attaches to your cat's--or dog's, or sheep's, or girlfriend's--collar … Read more

Oh no, Sega's creepy robo-cat really is coming to life

When we first caught sight of Sega Toys' meowing, purring robo-feline, we fervently hoped Lucky the robo-dog or some other bigger, stronger robot would come along and scare the creepy cat out of the neighborhood.

Alas, that's not to be. "Yume-Neko Venus," or "Dream Cat Venus," is slated for a July 30 release, according to Sega (PDF in Japanese). The fake feline will cost 10,000 yen (about $108)--not bad considering you'll be saving a bundle on kitty litter and toy mice.

The battery-operated robo-cat is equipped with five touch sensors that let … Read more

Blender-powered plant saver scares kitty away

While some of you might think of the "Blender Defender" as mean, I don't. Animals kept as pets need to learn the rules. Cats and dogs, though, are notorious for deciding the rules don't apply when we, the owners, are away.

That is why one clever soul rigged up a blender filled with water to a motion-activated wireless Webcam aimed at the house plants his cat liked to nibble. When the cat would enter the frame, a networked upstairs computer would activate the water-filled blender--and a strobe light next to it--via an X10 wireless home automation module. … Read more

Crossing the Facebook border with social games

Social game company Playfish, best known for games on Facebook, has (finally) launched its popular PetSociety game on its own Web site. With nearly 11 million monthly users, Pet Society is an interesting case of Facebook's network effect allowing a third party to monetize users extremely well.

Using Facebook Connect, visitors can play directly on the Petsociety.com Web site, removing the the forced interaction with Facebook itself. You do still have to login, but you aren't forced to play games as part of the Facebook "experience"--rather you can interact with the game and other … Read more

The 404 317: Where someone poisoned the watering hole

Wilson's still at the car show, so Jeff and I play twosies under the table. We start off with a very important announcement that involves us literally showing up at your door with mace and a large, blunt object. We also reveal more details about our Meetup, apologize for yesterday's spoiler, and discuss some seriously screwed up stories!

Okay, so let's get a few business items out of the way while I have you here. FYI, we do have a ringtone in the works thanks to our buddy Jamie Lewis, check back here tomorrow for a download link. Also, be sure to keep sending in your adventure/prison/survival stories to win a copy of Tom Avery's book, "To the End of the Earth." Leave us an e-mail (the404 [at] cnet [dot] com) or call in at 866-404-CNET to submit an entry!

Finally, bust out your digital/analog calendar and mark this down: 404 MEETUP on April 16th (next Thursday) @ The Delancey. We plan on getting there around 7:30 and staying until whenever our legs give out. So here's what you have to do:

Go here. Sign up for a Meetup account and join "The 404 Podcast Meetup Group" RSVP for the Meetup on April 16th

Make sure you join our group even if you live somewhere else and can't make it to this one, it will still serve as a good barometer for future travels and meetups--we'll use this group to organize and plan all future events, so don't sleep on signing up and we'll see you next Thursday!

Now back to today's episode: who knew that you could get Viagra, the popular ED drug, in an aerosol can? In Europe, scientists are playing around with a spray-on version. We personally DO NOT have any experience in this field, nor do we suffer from any of those kinds of ailments, but Jeff just happens to have a "friend" that's used it for recreation and speaks good things. By the time this comes to the United States, it'll probably just be a laser point that you just aim at the little tadpole to awaken the bullfrog.

Next, we get a little tangential discussing a new service called TinyChat that allows users to create online chat rooms on the fly, which of course opens up a whole discussion about the old days of chatting, with IRC and AOL chats. Jeff takes advantage of the intimate studio environment and reveals a little something about his college years, but so what? Institutes of higher learning are practicallybuilt to encourage experiemtation. We'll get behind you and your freak flag any day, Bakula! Well...maybe next to you.

EPISODE 317 Download today's podcast |  Subscribe in iTunes |  Subscribe in RSS… Read more