Petcube Bites treat camera lets you monitor and reward your pet from afar

Petcube’s existing pet camera is basically an advanced video camera and voice intercom, but the new Petcube Bites is also a treat flinging machine that gives you more ways to interact with your pet while you’re not at home. The Petcube Bites has a reservoir that can hold up to two pounds of treats for either dogs or cats – and it can fling those treats at different ranges, extending up to six feet. Plus, it has an integrated 1080p HD video camera, with wide angle capture, night vision, digital zoom, and 24/7 cloud recording backup.

The device, which goes on sale on July 24 at a range of retailers including direct from Petcube, Amazon, best Buy and more, connects with an iOS or Android app for remote control and live streaming, and also handles home security-like tasks including motion and sound alerts. It includes easy integrated wall mounting, or can optionally be sat on a table or ledge. It’s fairly large, so having option is great, but the design is relatively unobtrusive, and while it’s launching only with a matte silver option, it’ll also be shipping in black and rose gold finishes later this year.

The app features a lot of great features that, as a dog owner, I’m eager to try out (we’ll have a review of Petcube Bites up relatively soon here on TechCrunch), but one of the most interesting might be the ability to post a live stream of your pet to Facebook using the companion app. I’ve seen what my dog does while I’m away using my Nest cam, and it’s basically just lie on the couch, while raising her head once in a while when she thinks she hears something. That doesn’t sound like a recipe for internet stardom, but maybe with the incentive to perform for treats that’ll change.