This Tiny Camera Cube Lets Me Watch My Chihuahuas All Day

Almost ten years ago, I came home to a distinct crinkle-swish, crinkle-swish noise emanating from somewhere deep within my house. Terrified, I grabbed the machete I keep over my kitchen-door frame to fend off intruders with, and crept silently through my living room — only to find my mischievous Chihuahua, Casey, wearing a plastic grocery sack, which had previously held a taco wrapper, around his entire body like a couture garment.

If only Casey could have waited just a decade, I would have caught the whole thing on my new Petcube Play, an interactive Wi-Fi camera that lets you watch, talk to, and play with your pets throughout the day via your smartphone. If you’ve ever wondered what your dog or cat is up to while you’re away, you need a Petcube — which uses a 1080p HD camera and two-way audio stream, with built-in microphone and speaker, to help you monitor your pet. (Since Casey, I’ve acquired three more dogs, and I’ve learned that they’re constantly sleeping in their beds — that is, until I turn on the speaker midday and bark to wake them up.)

If you have a cat that likes to chase a laser pointer, you can use the Petcube’s built-in, safety-certified 5mW 3R–class laser to entertain it with a swipe of your finger. You can also set up the Petcube to begin recording when it senses movement. (Its night-vision mode makes your pet videos look like they were shot during a SEAL Team Six raid.) For simple peace of mind — and home-intrusion monitoring — the Petcube is worth ten times the price. My daily videos are mostly of sleeping dogs flopping around to get even more comfortable in their beds, but the Petcube has managed to provide some mild entertainment, including a major scuffle over a toy that I’ve rewatched as if it were Jake LaMotta and Sugar Ray Robinson going 15 rounds in Raging Bull.