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Petcube 3.0 — Play laser tag with real pets from your smartphone.
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Replies
This is an amazing use of tech @_klen. Really love the app and the fact that you can actually interact with pets from all over the world. First time that I feel so involved in an app. Got to play with some cats and I was scared of the responsiveness of the laser but it worked just fine. Maybe not super precise but I guess it depends of a lot of different elements. Anyway great job guys, keep it up.
@mrkyol Hey Thomas, thanks a lot for your feedback. We do have a laser calibration tool built in the app for Petcube Cameras owners, but we should definitely promote that feature more for better experience.
I own one of these. We recently went out of town for two weeks and wanted a way to speak to and play with our two cats while we were out. This was a great way for us to be a little bit closer to them while in a different time zone.
I like the new update, but am a bit bummed of the top bar which takes up a bit of visual space. A way to fade it out would be great.
@rkho Hey Richard, I'm glad Petcube Camera helps you to keep in touch with your kitties. We are looking for solutions to optimize the status bar. Quick hack here, just tap anywhere on the screen and hold your finger — that removes all the UI elements from the display.
Hey Petcube - a heads up. I am no expert, but there is a general understanding that laser pointers should never be used for dogs. Because of the way dog's brain are wired, it messes up with their brain and the need for closure for prey. Hence, there are no laser type toys for dogs.
@robertyau Hey Robert, laser effect is individual for each dog. We strongly advise to test playing with laser before using this Petcube Camera feature. Also we recommend to combine game sessions with interactions with physical toys or use the laser to point to a place where a treat was hidden. If a dog feels positive about it, laser toy is a really good way for distraction from negative behavior. Also it's a nice exercise tool.
@vkedyk Not sure, but they are definitely many videos on internet with kids chasing lasers :)
This is pretty cool! The new version seems to be much better, from what I have seen. This would be a fun gadget to have. Nice work!
@zacherynielson Thanks, Zac! It's great you had a chance to compare both versions. We improved a lot indeed.
Hey Hunters,
Andrey with Petcube here. We sincerely believe that products for pets should be designed with as much care as products designed for their human slaves. Our first gadget Petcube Camera allows you to check-in on your pets remotely. See, talk to and play a kick-ass game with a laser pointer from your smartphone.
The sweetest thing is that you can download the Petcube app right now, and interact with other people's pets — those who choose to share their Petcube Cameras. It works like this:
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If you like what you see, gear up with your own Petcube Camera using this exclusive $50 off coupon PRODUCTHUNT50 at Petcube.com.
We’ve redesigned our iOS app from the ground up, revamping the UI/UX for camera owners and players. It’s not just our visual language that changed, we’ve made it easier to connect to different Petcube Cameras, so you can dive into seriously fun interactions with a simple tap. The overall app design is streamlined, so we can easily scale and rollout new features along the way. Android update is arriving shortly.
Many thanks in advance for the upvotes! Feel free to hit me up with questions, including those about the laser pointer (hint: the laser isn’t harmful, only entertaining).
@_klen what are the biggest changes from the launch two years ago?
Are you worried that the novelty factor of playing with someone elses pet via a laser on a screen may wear off and affect retention?
@bentossell Design wise we took a deep dive into interaction part, prioritizing experience with cameras. Pet lovers have browsing tools that include favorites, recently played and following shortcuts. Cameras are now a separate entity on the app meaning they'll have their own stats and history. There are few perks for gadget owners, we delivered long awaited sound and motion notifications, auto-play mode. Those will become more complex and smarter with every iteration.
Frankly it's not even about what the app is now, it's about what it's going to be :) We laid out a lean structure to implement new exciting things. There are so many of those in the pipeline.
Addressing you question, it depends a lot on wether a person owns a Petcube Camera. Typically camera owners are super engaged, they make 8 calls per week on average. With this update we are making an effort to bring much better experience interacting with pets to those who don't have a Petcube.
@_klen cool.
How long are those session generally?
Forgive me but I can't see past the novelty factor ... being in a cat cafe is different because you get to have the actual physical interaction with the cat.
This is like a real-life tamagotchi haha.
May be cool to play around with at the beginning and maybe pick it up a few times every now and then. But as an app to visit consistently, each week, month etc I think there could be some challenges.
What else is in the pipeline for petcube?
@bentossell Those are about a minute, probably enough to make sure that your pet is okay and maybe kickstart a little exercise with a laser. It also depends on time spent away from their furry loved ones, weekdays bring a lot of calls from work (hopefully they don't interrupt any important meetings).
Some people are not allowed to have pets, some of them have allergies but still enjoy interacting with them remotely. Some people may even browse Petcube Cameras in shelters and rescues looking to adopt a pet. But I totally agree that having a camera and connecting to your beloved animal at home feels stronger and more engaging than browsing other pets.
About tamagotchi thing. Oh, we are definitely going there :) We have so many ideas and even few new products in works that will compliment the whole pet care ecosystem.
hey @bentossell, people call their pets multiple times a day, it's a pretty important piece of their daily communication. I'd say, it is much more important than we imagined at the beginning.
Nice design! Love the idea to play with pets when I have a free minute. It's like to play a casual game, but I help someone pet be more active and healthier. Great idea and execution, guys!
@tislenkov Many thanks, Vlad. Really looking forward to future Concepter releases, PH awaits :)
I've said this before...you guys need to make 100% clear that the laser pointer portion is a TERRIBLE idea for dogs. Cats are different. There have been several studies done (and we experienced this with our dog so we stopped) that show that laser pointers for dogs actually negatively affect their minds due to their prey drive. Just google "laser pointer dog" - here is one article: http://www.dogingtonpost.com/las...
@danhashemi I think even cats can get neurotic from laser pointers. Agreed 100%. The photos, motion detection, etc seems really cool just the laser pointer is alarming. I'm very concerned about dogs and cats repeatedly playing with the laser pointer (autoplay!). I mean all dogs are different but this could cause some very neurotic animals who are obsessed with shadows and lights.
@hannaxu @danhashemi Hey guys, thanks for bringing this up. I addressed that concern earlier in comments. You should definitely check wether you dog has a healthy reaction to the laser toy. As Hanna mentioned Petcube Camera is not solely about playing with lasers, it is basically a communication tool that brings peace of mind to pet parents, laser use is optional.
I'm struggling with the decision not to get another pet, maybe this can fill that gap? @petcube
@heatherredman @petcube Heather, This is definitely an extension to the way your communicate with your pet, but Petcube Camera will never substitute a living being. If you feel like your pet needs company, go for it! And Petcube will be there to help you manage them :)
@shakycode Thanks! It also works great for people who can't afford pets, have allergies or just browsing to adopt one from the rescue.
@chefkatelyn Hey Katelyn, Android app is already there. It even features some of the new things including motion, sound detection and-auto play. It works completely the same as iOS, we'll just implement a big design update a bit later. Here's the link: https://play.google.com/store/ap...
@chefkatelyn Sorry for confusion, but we did launch just an iOS update. Please let me know how you liked Android version :)
Could find your app for an iPad (
Anyway, I absolutely love the feature that I'm able to play with someone else's pet, because I can't afford having my own pet right now, so it's quite fun at least to interact cats in this way :)
@margarita_belorukova Thanks, Margarita. We get requests for an iPad version a lot, so that will inevitably lead us to creating one. Gotta juggle those priorities :)
VOX for iOS