By Steve Dent / Source: Engadget

Acer is branching into pet accessories with a recent acquisition called Pawbo, and has revealed at IFA 2016 that it’ll soon release a bunch of dog- and cat-centric products. The first one, the Pawbo+ interactive pet camera, lets you keep an eye on or even chat with with Fluffy or Bowser, in case they’re traumatized by your absence. Equipped with a microphone and speaker, it lets you see them and carry on a two-way “conversation.”

You can capture images of your pet and share them on social media, of course. If your l’il pal isn’t being animated enough for a decent Instagram, you can dispense a treat using the device or get his attention via a manually or automatically controlled laser pointer. Thanks to a party chat feature, up to eight friends at once can see Rex, tell him he’s a good boy and control the accessories. The Pawbo+ is now on pre-order for $169, and is scheduled to arrive in November, 2016.

pawbo

If Miss Mittensworth is still not amused, Acer will soon launch other accessories that can be controlled by the Pawbo+. A couple are activity toys: The Punch is an adorable pop-up “whack-a-mole” game, while the Catch whirls around a bird-like toy that your cat can try to nab. The Munch, meanwhile, is a separate treat dispenser (not a smart feeder), in case you have multiple pets. Finally, if you want to record a Pawbo+ video in a dark room (without scaring the bejesus out of Fido), there’s Flash, a lighting system with infrared LEDs that are somehow controlled by the “ears.”

As mentioned, the Pawbo+ is now up for pre-order, and we should know more about the availability of the Punch, Flash and other accessories soon. All told, it looks like Acer is creating quite the pet ecosystem for really avid animal owners.

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