I got the chance to show Kathy Lee and Hoda (and the viewers of the Today Show) some of the coolest new Pet Gadgets
Here’s the segment on the web: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/32913798#32913798

PET GADGETS:

-Mo-Bowl its a won’t spill bowl that goes in cup dispensor of most cars–Rich Skowronski is the inventor and his story is the FIRST story in my book Gadget Nation www.gadgetnation.net And for more on Rich’s Mo-Bowl www.mo-bowl.com FYI–Rich’s dog is named Bonnie–and she deserves some credit for this invention too –BY THE WAY –MO-BOWL is the FIRST gadget in my book GADGET NATION –if you want to learn about the back story (or is it bark story) behind Mo-Bowl, check out my book Gadget Nation www.gadgetnation.net

-Zoombak Dog Tracker– this little gadget fits on your dog’s collar and you can use it to keep an electronic eye on your dog. You can set it up so that if he leaves a certain zone, it will send you a text message. You can even see your dog’s location history (can go back 90-days) www.zoombak.com

-Pet Treadmill–At $600 this is a luxury item–but it will keep your dog fit. No more skipping a walk or a run on bad weather days–with the Pet Treadmill–every day is walk day. www.pawwws.com $600

-Pet Murphy Bed–you dog needs a comfy bed but you don’t have the room to store it–this hide-away bed is the solution www.mattress.com 800-824-7777 (Didn’t make the segment)

-Talk To Me Treat Ball–This ball has built in voice recorder and stores treats inside… when you dog plays with it–it will randomly releases treats and the moton triggers pre-recorded messages from the pets owner. Your dog will never even know you left the house www.target.com $20

-i-Pet Intelligent Pet Dish– your pet won’t miss a meal OR the sound of your voice, when you’re gone. This tray can serve up to 4 meals–you set the timer and it reveals self opening food trays —you can also record messages to your puppy on this high tech pet dish www.petgadgets.com $50 (Didn’t make the segment)

-Vibrating Pet Massager–Everybody loves a massage and pets are no exception. This vibrating massager lets you bring the stress relief of a massage to your furry friend $7 www.petgadgets.com (Didn’t make the segment)

-GoDogGo– This must have toy automatically plays fetch with your dog. AND if you can teach your dog to return the tennis balls into the GoDogGo pail–then your dog can have hours of fun and you don’t even need to be in the same time zone. http://www.godoggoinc.com $120 So much FUN !!!!

-Bubble Buddy and bacon scented bubbles–this gun shoots bubbles–and you can now get bubbles in lots of cainine loving flavors/scents–for example bacon scented bubbles–no dog can resist jumping at these bubbles–its hours of fun http://www.activedogtoys.com/bubble_buddy.html I Love this product !!! AND IT DOESN’T NEED BATTERIES !!!

Here are some #1 Pet Gadgets from Buzzillions.com

Kong Dog Toy This is the #1 Dog Toy according to the editorial website Buzzillions.com. Check out the link at: http://www.buzzillions.com/reviews/kong-dog-toy-reviews

Go-Cat Cat Catcher–This is the #1 Cat Toy according to the editorial website Buzzillions.com. Check out the link at: http://www.buzzillions.com/reviews/go-cat-catcher-reviews

Pet Gear Inc. Happy Trails Pet Stroller is the #1 Pet Carrier according to Buzzillions.com http://www.buzzillions.com/reviews/pet-gear-inc-happy-trails-stroller-plus-in-pink-reviews www.overstock.com

Home Automation a.k.a. Home Management Systems have been around for years. You know those systems that let you control lights, thermostat, cameras all from your laptop. But now Home Automation has just become affordable and super easy to set up. And the biggest shocker of all–its being launched by Schlage (the lock people).

With this Schlage LiNK you can lock and unlock doors and monitor access to your home from a cell phone or the Internet. You can even receive text or email alerts when your children arrive home from school.

Starter Kit includes a wireless lever lock or deadbolt, a “Bridge” module that plugs to your router and a light module so you can control a lamp. This kit is price just under $300 with a $12.99 monthly fee. With that Bridge and the same monthly fee you add 230 accessory devices. Add on’s include wireless camera ($179) and a thermostat ($149). This Schlage LINK is available at RadioShack, Lowe’s home-improvement stores and on online at Amazon.com

The average household throws out 35 batteries a year. Those batteries and the toxic materials inside those batteries make their way to a landfill and in some cases to our ground water.

There is a GREEN alternative– check out this new product– UltraLast Green™ Sol Charger™ Solar Powered Battery and Device Charger. These re-usable (aka rechargable) batteries can replace every disposible batteries in your home. And this starter kit comes with a solar charger, so you can use the power of sun to power up your batteries. Each battery can be charged 500 times and comes with a 3-year guarantee. Ultimately you save money and help save the planet. Another powerful option is the ability to use the same charger to charge your cell phone and other electronic devices through the USB port. The starter kit includes 2 AA Everyday Rechargeables™, ready to use right out of the pack, just like disposable batteries and the solar charger for under $30.

Now that’s a powerful idea. www.ultralastgreen.com

UltraLast Green™ Sol Charger™

The Flatiron building in NYC dates back to 1902–proving irons have had a triangular shape for a very long time. Panasonic has decided to rethink the iron shape. This new wrinkle in iron design gives the iron a 360° multidirectional soleplate that should mean faster ironing. Conventional irons are designed to remove wrinkles in only one direction, which can be slow, and can actually create wrinkles when moving backward. The Panasonic 360° Quick soleplate is pointed on both ends and slightly curved on the sides to remove wrinkles while you move your arm in all directions.

Other features include steam holes around the entire soleplate, allowing more steam over a wider area, to get out wrinkles faster.

And because the edge of the soleplate can always be seen from above, ironing edges and around buttons is easier.

According to Panasonic internal lab–ironing a dress shirt was up to 25% faster with the 360° Quick when compared to a conventional iron soleplate.

This new design may not make ironing fun–but if it can shorten the time it takes to iron– Well then I am imPRESSED (sorry about that)

Price: $39.99 – $49.99 – $79.99 www.panasonic.com (click on Home Appliances)

What do you get when you mix a refrigerator-freezer with a microwave oven? The answer is a MicroFridge. Its a new product that combines the function of two kitchen standards. Over the years I’ve seen lots of “combo” products–microwave toasters, clock-can openers, phone-calculators–and many more. Some combo seem like an unneccessary stretch–that’s not the case with the MicroFridge. First up is the price–its around $425. Next its perfect for small apartments, but also for dorm rooms, rec rooms, garage, wood shop, home theater, morning kitchen and more. Another cool feature–it plugs into a 110 outlet–and it can do that because it knows to turn off the refrig when the microwave is on. It has two outlets near the microwave for plugging in additional gadgetry–perfect for personal electronics. Located in the front of the microwave, busy consumers can power up their laptops, MP3 players, cell phones, digital cameras, or any device that draws four amps of power or less. This eliminates the need to reach into inaccessible places to plug and unplug devices that require charging. And the integrated Cord Clip prevents cables from getting tangled or caught in the doors of the fridge or freezer while the Dual Outlet Charge Station is in use. This MicroFridge uses less power than its separate parts and it has an Energy Star rating. As for the microwave and refrig-freezer–The compact MicroFridge refrigerator features over two cubic feet of storage space, while the separate freezer has a 0.75 cubic foot capacity. For food preparation, there is a fully programmable 700-watt microwave oven. And check out the refrigerator’s Smart Store Door that allows the upright storage of two-liter bottles or half-gallon containers to eliminate leaks and spills that can result when storing tall containers on their side (I’ve had that problem with other mini-refrig). And the roomy zero-degree freezer ensures that items like ice cream stay perfectly frozen – something that competitive single-door refrigerators with an internal ice compartment cannot do. Bottomline–sometimes combos makes sense–and make ice.