Latest news with #AppleAirTag
The Star
16 hours ago
- The Star
One Tech Tip: No more lost cats and dogs. Use tech to track your pet
LONDON: "Have you seen the cats?' That's a common refrain in my household because our two felines, Maple and Juniper, can venture outside through a flap in the backdoor. Like many other London house cats, they're free to come and go, roaming the surrounding backyards and beyond, equipped with microchips to identify them if they get lost. If your cat likes to prowl outdoors for long stretches, or your dog has a tendency to run off, it can be distressing when they don't return as expected. If you're worried about your furry friend's whereabouts, technology can help you keep tabs on them. How pet tech works Dedicated pet trackers are collar-worn devices that typically use GPS signals to pinpoint the location of the animal wearing them. They use a 4G cellphone signal or your home WiFi connection to relay the position to a smartphone app. There are many products on the market. Tractive, Jiobit and Pawfit are among brands that offer trackers for both dogs and cats. Devices for the latter are generally smaller and lighter. An Apple Air Tag and a Chipolo Bluetooth tracker are seen on a keyring next to a cat in London. — AP Dog trackers with integrated collars are available from Fi and Whistle. PetTracer is a cat collar that uses both GPS and radio signals from a home base station. FitBark, also for dogs, has an Apple Watch app to monitor location and other activity. Garmin has a range of GPS dog collars that work with handheld devices resembling walkie-talkies, but they're pricey and aimed at outdoors enthusiasts like hunters. Phone signals Most trackers let you designate a safe zone on a map, usually your house and surrounding area, and alert you if your pet has left it. They usually operate on the 4G LTE spectrum commonly used by wireless carriers. It typically has the longest range of any cellular signal, said Andrew Bleiman, Tractive's executive vice president for North America. That means strong connectivity in most of Europe and North America "unless you're in a really far flung place like the middle of a national park,' Bleiman said. What it costs Exact price depends on brand and model. Most devices sell for less than US$100 (RM425). However, keep in mind you'll also have to pay a subscription fee for the cell service to function. While that could cost US$100 or more a year, for some pet owners it's worth the "peace of mind,' Bleiman said. Battery life The collars usually have a built-in rechargeable battery but battery life varies. Most will be last at least two to three days before they need charging, and a lot longer in ideal conditions. One big factor is signal strength. The battery will drain faster if the device has to work harder to pick up the GPS or connect to WiFi. Some save power by not sending coordinates in the safe zone. Other features Like fitness watches for humans, pet tracking apps offer health and activity monitoring features. You can see how long your cat or dog has spent resting or exercising on a daily or hourly basis. But be aware, a tracker is "not going to keep your pet in the backyard," Bleiman said. It will only "alert you when they leave the virtual fence area that you set up.' How to use it This One TechTip was inspired by Maple, who once went AWOL for days. It turned out he was hanging out in a backyard 10 doors down the street. We only found out after the residents got hold of a pet microchip scanner to look up our contact details to let us know so we could retrieve him. A screenshot of the Tractive pet tracking app shows the path that a cat has taken in a London neighborhood in London, on May 29, 2025. — AP Tractive provided a loaner device to try. Using the included breakaway collar, we put it on Maple, who clearly didn't like it at first. He dashed out the back door and jumped through a hole in the fence. Over the next day, I used the Tractive app to monitor his movements. It showed his travels back and forth onto various neighbouring properties. He came back to rest for a few hours around midnight, went out to prowl again around 3am, then came back after an hour to nap some more. It was fascinating to see where he was spending his time. According to the app's "heatmap," one of Maple's favourite spots was the same backyard where we had to retrieve him previously. Losing track About 24 hours after I attached the Tractive collar on Maple, I noticed he was no longer wearing it. It had somehow come off. If you can't find your pet's exact location, or the device gets lost, Tractive has a "radar' feature to pinpoint it with your phone's Bluetooth. Other brands have similar features. On the app's map, I could see it was in a nearby backyard and that I was getting closer because the circle was getting bigger. But I couldn't figure out where it was and, not wanting to disturb the neighbours, I gave up. Bleiman recommends using a harness for cats that don't like collars, but I'm not convinced. Microchips It's common for cats and dogs to be implanted with microchips, with the details added to a database. That makes it much easier to reunite owners with lost dogs and cats, even if they've strayed hundreds of miles away or gone missing for years. Pet microchips, about the size of a grain of rice implanted just below the skin, are legally required in some European countries. There's no federal law in the US, though some places like Hawaii now require them, so check with state or local authorities. But there's some confusion about what microchips can do. Because they don't have a power supply, they can't be tracked in real time. Whoever finds your pet would need to take it to a vet or a shelter to can scan the device for contact details. Air Tags and similar devices are another option Many pet owners use Bluetooth trackers like Apple's Air Tags, Samsung's SmartTags or similar devices from Tile, Cube and Chipolo, which rely on low-power signals relayed by passing smartphones. Bluetooth trackers have a range of 100 to 500 feet (30 to 150 meters), depending on the model. The batteries last for months if not longer, and there's no need to pay for a subscription. However, they're not specifically marketed for pets. That hasn't stopped pet owners, judging from many recommendations they've posted in online forums. Chipolo advises that its round plastic trackers are only for "in-house pets like house-trained cats and smaller dogs' and warns against using them on "larger dog breeds and outdoor cats". Still, they can be a solution for some pet owners. "Bluetooth is a totally reasonable solution if you're in a downtown urban core,' Bleiman said. "But pets move fast. And if you're in a wooded park, or you're in a suburban area – let alone a more rural or wilderness area – it's pretty unlikely your pet is going to be close to a Bluetooth device." – AP
Chicago Tribune
3 days ago
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Amazon announces Prime Day 2025 dates and reveals top early deals
It's official! The dates for Prime Day 2025 have been announced. This year, Amazon's yearly sales event is set to go down on July 8–11. We're still a couple of weeks away, but we've been working diligently to round up the best early deals and spot the best products we expect to see on sale. We've already got our eye on some highly coveted items, such as the Apple AirTag 4-Pack and plenty of other terrific products. We recommend checking out our guide daily to get the inside scoop on the hottest deals. We update our pages regularly with the deepest discounts, so keep your eyes peeled as the big sale approaches. For the first time since Prime Day began in 2015, Amazon has expanded the event to four days. This year, it begins July 8 at 12:01 a.m. PDT and runs through July 11. However, while many deals are available for the duration of the event, some are only live for a certain period. Check the site regularly during Prime Day to make sure you don't miss out on the product discounts you've been waiting for. Apple AirTag 4-Pack If you're constantly misplacing small items such as your keys, wallet or purse, an Apple AirTag can help you locate them quickly, saving you time. They're small, round tags that you can stick on anything, and they operate on a network of Bluetooth devices. The built-in speaker plays a sound to help you find them, and the one-tap setup makes installation easy. Beats Studio Pro Wireless Bluetooth Noise-canceling Headphones Enjoy your favorite music, audiobooks and podcasts with these wireless headphones. They provide up to 40 hours of listening time, plus a 10-minute Fast Fuel charge for four additional hours. The voice-targeting mics filter out background noise for phone calls, while the active noise-canceling feature ensures you can hear your audio loud and clear. Crock-Pot Large 8-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker Whip up hearty soups, stews and other recipes this winter with this extra-large slow cooker. It holds 8 quarts, so it's large enough to cook for up to 10 people. Its digital timer allows you to set a cooking time for up to 20 hours, and the Auto Warm setting keeps finished food warm until you're ready to eat. Its simple black stainless steel finish matches nearly any kitchen decor, too JBL Flip 6 Portable Bluetooth Speaker This compact Bluetooth speaker delivers powerful sound anywhere you want to listen to your favorite tunes. It is IP67 waterproof and dustproof, so you can listen outdoors and at the pool without worrying about damage. It provides up to 12 hours of listening time on a single charge and comes in nine fun designs. Ninja AF101 Air Fryer Enjoy crispy, crunchy foods with 75% less fat than traditional frying methods with this easy-to-use air fryer. It offers four cooking functions, so it can air-fry, roast, reheat and dehydrate. Its 4-quart basket can hold up to 2 pounds of french fries, making it ideal for families for up to three. Best of all, its removable components are all dishwasher-safe. BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. BestReviews and its newspaper partners may earn a commission if you purchase a product through one of our links. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Lawyer couple 'steal back' their stolen car after tracking it with Apple AirTag
A couple in London, U.K., stole back their car after they experienced a lack of police support in recovering the stolen vehicle, the wife said in a post on LinkedIn. 'I have to confess … it was kind of fun stealing back our own car… ,' Mia Forbes Pirie, 48, wrote. An international mediator, facilitator and coach, Forbes Pirie referred to her husband Mark Simpson, 62, as her partner in 'un-crime.' The husband, as per his LinkedIn profile, is a commercial barrister in Greater London. 'But it does make me wonder whether we should have had to do that,' she continued in the LinkedIn post. 'And not whether it's normal, but whether it's right that the police seem to have no interest in investigating what is likely to have been a reasonably sophisticated operation involving a flat bed truck… if there are no consequences, what is the incentive for people not to do more of this?' Their car, a Jaguar and reportedly worth over $85,000, was stolen from near their residence in Brook Green, West London. According to The Times, the lawyer couple, after contacting the police, were told that the Metropolitan Police reportedly wouldn't be able to investigate. 'Instead, the couple suggested they could find the vehicle themselves and were told to call 101 if they found it,' The Independent reports. The couple noticed the car missing a week ago, with the AirTag locating it to their road, in what may have been a 'cooling-off period' for the stolen car that one Canadian car owner was made aware of in May last year. CAA Quebec spokesperson and former police commander André Durocher told CTV News that after a vehicle is stolen, thieves will often leave the stolen vehicle nearby. 'They want to see if there's going to be police surveillance to check the vehicle, if there was a tag [to track it], so it's very standard procedure for car theft rings to function that way,' Durocher told CTV. The AirTag for the car in London later pinged from Chiswick, which is where the couple eventually found it with interior and carpets ripped off. The Metropolitan Police, in a statement to The Independent, confirmed that they were alerted to a car theft on June 3. 'Officers spoke to the victim, who shared his intention to recover the vehicle himself. An Apple AirTag was inside, allowing the victim to view its location and trace it. The victim was reminded by officers to contact police again as needed or if police assistance was necessary at the vehicle's location. At 11:23hrs the victim confirmed with police that he had found the vehicle and that it was being recovered by a truck back to the victim's home address.' 'The police are under-resourced and it's a shame,' The Independent reports Forbes Pirie as saying. 'Since we've found it, lots of people have touched the car and the police say that they're going to look underneath the carpets and at the fuse box to see if there are prints there. But it wouldn't have cost very much for them to tell us not to touch anything. That's the one criticism I have.' The police said the investigation is ongoing and that no arrests have been made at this stage. Canada has become a very scary place to own a vehicle right now Instead of getting their stolen car back, Canadian couple received $156 parking ticket Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Yahoo
Felony charged reduced for former Fort Smith city internal auditor hire
FORT SMITH, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — The felony charge for a Fort Smith woman recently hired as the city's internal auditor and subsequently fired has been reduced, according to Oklahoma court documents. Rebecca Cowan, 48, was previously accused of felony stalking in Oklahoma. Court documents filed in LeFlore County say on March 15, 2023, a man identified as Cowan's husband received a notification on his phone that there was an Apple AirTag near him. The man went to a friend's house, and they found the tag zip-tied under his truck. Fort Smith human resources director retires amid internal auditor hiring controversy Authorities later found that the AirTag was linked back to Cowan's phone number. The man said he was divorcing Cowan at the time and this was not the first time he had been tracked by her, according to the affidavit. A detective with the LeFlore County Sheriff's Office spoke with Cowan over the phone to get her side of the story. Cowan said she only put an AirTag in her daughter's bag. The detective tried to contact Cowan multiple times two weeks later, but she reportedly did not answer any of the calls, the affidavit said. The husband's friend gave a statement detailing where they found the AirTag and said Cowan had a previous history of stalking. Cowan was arrested in connection with that case in Sebastian County on June 7, 2024, and was transferred to LeFlore County on June 10, 2024. Court records say on May 21, LeFlore County District Attorney Tim Webster filed to dismiss the felony stalking charge and added a misdemeanor violation of the Computer Crimes Act charge. WATCH: Video shows inmate's attack on Sebastian County Sheriff's deputies Cowan is set to appear in court on July 2. Cowan's time as the internal auditor for the City of Fort Smith was short-lived. The Board of Directors appointed Cowan as the city's internal auditor on April 22, and she was set to start on May 27. Days after her hiring, Cowan's stalking charge became public and, on April 24, the board voted in a special meeting to terminate the agreement between Cowan and the city. A statement from a city spokesperson said that the city was aware of media reports concerning Cowan. 'The applicant disclosed references to ongoing legal issues as part of her application materials,' the spokesperson said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Vancouver Sun
10-06-2025
- Vancouver Sun
Lawyer couple 'steal back' their stolen car after tracking it with Apple AirTag
A couple in London, U.K., stole back their car after they experienced a lack of police support in recovering the stolen vehicle, the wife said in a post on LinkedIn . 'I have to confess … it was kind of fun stealing back our own car… ,' Mia Forbes Pirie , 48, wrote. An international mediator, facilitator and coach, Forbes Pirie referred to her husband Mark Simpson , 62, as her partner in 'un-crime.' The husband, as per his LinkedIn profile, is a commercial barrister in Greater London. Couple Travel to Chiswick to Steal Back Their Own Car Jaguar E-Pace was taken from near their home in Brook Green 'But it does make me wonder whether we should have had to do that,' she continued in the LinkedIn post. 'And not whether it's normal, but whether it's right that the police seem to have no interest in investigating what is likely to have been a reasonably sophisticated operation involving a flat bed truck… if there are no consequences, what is the incentive for people not to do more of this?' Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Their car, a Jaguar and reportedly worth over $85,000 , was stolen from near their residence in Brook Green, West London. According to The Times , the lawyer couple, after contacting the police, were told that the Metropolitan Police reportedly wouldn't be able to investigate. 'Instead, the couple suggested they could find the vehicle themselves and were told to call 101 if they found it,' The Independent reports. The couple noticed the car missing a week ago, with the AirTag locating it to their road on their road, in what may have been a 'cooling-off period' for the stolen car that one Canadian car owner was made aware of in May last year. CAA Quebec spokesperson and former police commander André Durocher told CTV News that after a vehicle is stolen, thieves will often leave the stolen vehicle nearby. 'They want to see if there's going to be police surveillance to check the vehicle, if there was a tag [to track it], so it's very standard procedure for car theft rings to function that way,' Durocher told CTV. The AirTag for the car in London later pinged from Chiswick, which is where the couple eventually found it with interior and carpets ripped off. The Metropolitan Police, in a statement to The Independent, confirmed that they were alerted to a car theft on June 3. 'Officers spoke to the victim, who shared his intention to recover the vehicle himself. An Apple AirTag was inside, allowing the victim to view its location and trace it. The victim was reminded by officers to contact police again as needed or if police assistance was necessary at the vehicle's location. At 11:23hrs the victim confirmed with police that he had found the vehicle and that it was being recovered by a truck back to the victim's home address.' 'The police are under-resourced and it's a shame,' The Independent reports Forbes Pirie as saying. 'Since we've found it, lots of people have touched the car and the police say that they're going to look underneath the carpets and at the fuse box to see if there are prints there. But it wouldn't have cost very much for them to tell us not to touch anything. That's the one criticism I have.' The police said the investigation is ongoing and that no arrests have been made at this stage. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
