How many steps did your pet’s wearable track today?

(Photo credit @jaywennington)

Many of you know that I got a new rescue dog this summer (cute photos of her!) and being the tech nerd that I am, I am always looking for new ways to entertain her, feed her and generally spoil her rotten. Given all the anxiety-raising news right now, I decided to focus on the enjoyable & lucrative “pet tech” space for this week, with a few gratuitous pet video links included!

#techtopic

Yes, Americans spend a ridiculous amount on their pets: almost $100 billion in 2019, up from $66 billion in 2016. About one-third is spent on pet food & treats, another third on vet care, 20% on OTC medicine/supplements and 10% on other services. First, let’s consider the ecommerce pet food/treats/toys side. Some may remember Pets.com from the late 1990s as an early tech company who tried to capitalize on making it easier to purchase pet food online - but their business model was hugely flawed (consumers weren’t ready to buy online and the shipping costs for big bags were enormous). Now, Chewy.com is often heralded as the online marketplace to purchase pet products and it IPO’d in Jun 2019. The pandemic has been good for Chewy's business (owned by Petsmart), and this week, they launched a new telemedicine service for vets to connect with pet owners for ‘tele-triage.’ The new service is free to Chewy autoship subscribers - and we’ll see if this value-add helps keep consumers subscribed! 

In terms of services, Rover and Wag are very popular apps that help connect pet owners to dog walkers/sitters. As a user of Rover, I found Wag annoying in that I wasn’t able to choose who takes care of my pet (they would “match” me to whoever is available & meets my basic criteria). Wag succumbed to the lure of Softbank investment, taking $300 million in 2017, and was looking for a buyer in fall 2019. Rover was flourishing (purchasing competitors & expanding into Europe & LatAm) until covid caused layoffs this spring. 

And human owners also want to keep track of their pet’s health stats, steps walked, etc -- so pet wearables have a passionate niche market. Whistle is probably the best known brand among the trackers, but there are many on the market. You can even get your pet’s DNA report to figure out if she’s really a purebred pet! If you want to spoil your pet, I suggest checking out the latest pet tech innovations. 

This video brings all the feels: Corgi living his best life

And this cat is a feline queen.

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Where are wearables heading?

(Photo credit @nadineshaabana)

A few weeks ago, I woke up and couldn’t figure out whether I slept well or not. Seems an odd statement to most people — but it shouldn’t surprise other technophiles. My Garmin Connect app wouldn’t work and it drove me nuts. Not surprisingly, I immediately turned to Twitter to see that Garmin was being subject to a ransomware attack. For nearly a week, I could see on my watch how many steps I was taking and how my heart rate was fluctuating throughout the day, but I was without the ability to see what ratio of time had I spent in REM vs deep sleep. I took for granted how I had come to rely on my smartwatch and so this week’s topic is on consumer wearables. 

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#TECHTOPIC

We’ve all seen how sleek and beautiful the Apple Watch is - and with a rumored new ability to integrate your Apple Watch and your Peloton bike, many users are in heaven. I opted for a Garmin watch, partly for its better focus on the athletic aspects of wearable technology and partly because I know I’ll stare at an Apple Watch as much (or more) than I already do with my iPhone. Google’s smartwatch platform Wear OS isn’t updated or discussed nearly as often as Apple’s but has comparable usage (when you combine Android-compatible + Wear OS stats). And Fitbit has been a constant presence, first with simple fitness trackers but now also offering smartwatches as well (tho who knows when their supposed merger with Google will happen).

Not surprised that Amazon has also decided to jump in with its new Halo app/watch this week. They are offering a subscription-based app with a very simple fitness tracker. Super weird/interesting feature is two tiny microphones to measure how you speak, which Amazon claims will provide insight into your emotional and physical well-being. 

Did you know that 1 in 5 Americans owns a fitness tracker or smartwatch? Imagine all that data being collected about your most personal self -- and who do you trust to keep that data safe? This is why the Garmin ransomware attack was so frustrating - what bad actor had access to my personal data and what control do I have? And why didn’t Garmin do a better job protecting my data? They had no option but to pay the ransom but it was a huge wake-up call for many other companies. 

And we barely scratched the surface of what wearable technology can do. There’s sensor-enabled fabric to help with guiding your body into yoga poses or measuring your lung functions. Companies are testing ‘digital therapeutics’ where patients wear special devices to measure physical reactions to certain prescribed drugs. And I may even try out the Dreem headset, an “advanced sleep headband” and sleep coaching program!

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#RANDOM

I remember visiting the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico on one of my many visits to see family on the island. An accident recently caused a 100-foot gash in the telescope. Terrible news for the island, for science and for our ability to imagine what lies beyond the stars: A Rip in the Fabric of Interstellar Dreams

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Want a Career in Tech but aren’t sure where to start? Take a look at MY COURSE, ‘TECH SEARCH COMPASS’ FOR STEP-BY-STEP SUPPORT