Tagg GPS collar tracks your missing dog or cat

Do you have a dog or cat that likes to take unaccompanied walks? Qualcomm—a tech company more closely associated with mobile phones than mobile pets—could help you keep tabs on your wayward Buddy or Lucy.

Snaptracs, a subsidiary of Qualcomm, is now selling Tagg the Pet Tracker, an electronic device that can be attached to nearly any pet collar. The water-resistant Tagg contains Qualcomm's high-tech smarts: a GPS receiver chip, a Verizon wireless communication chip, and rechargeable batteries that last about 30 days.

Once an online account is established and a Tagg is registered with Snaptracs, a pet owner can establish geographical areas where their pet is allowed to roam. If it wanders outside that invisible box, the Tagg sends an e-mail alert to the owner's mobile phone or computer. Tracking GPS coordinates can also be sent to whomever the owner chooses—to neighbors or family members so they can find Fido while Fido's owner is at work, for example.

The $200 Snaptracs Tagg device includes a docking station that recharges the tag's built-in batteries.
Photo: Snaptracs, inc.

The Tagg can be added to any non-metallic pet collar and is designed for dogs and cats that weigh 10 pounds or more. The $200 pet-tracking device comes with a charging base station and one year of wireless service. Additional Taggs, available in four colors, for multiple pet households cost an additional $140 each. After the first year of service, wireless tracking fees are $60 per year.

Qualcomm Shows Public Face With Pet-tracking Service [PC World]
Keep your pet from wandering off with the Tagg tracker [USA Today]

—Paul Eng