Mobile pets are invading your mobile phones.

M Ridzwan

I’m not sure if you remember this but back in 1997, virtual pets were the rage. Girls, boys, adults and teenagers alike were all going crazy over an annoying little electronic gadget known as the Tamagotchi.

t was about the size of a matchbox and in it you would find a virtual electronic creature which would hold your attention for most part of your life. It would demand food and water and requires you to clean it up after it defecated, and should you fail to carry out these tasks, you could soon find your virtual pet dead of hunger or disease. Why anyone would pay money to clean up the crap of an animal that doesn’t exist is beyond me. But apparently the craze is picking up again – this time on mobile phones. Virtual pets are quickly becoming the next hot download and are now available on a variety of platforms.

The application Little Palm Pet 1.3, lets owners of Palm OS devices adopt one of thousands of randomly generated pets, each with their own look and personality. Based on your luck, you could soon be the proud owner of a purple kitten with yellow polka-dots or even a blue pooch with bizarre yellow stripes. Similar to the Tamagotchi, your new pet will soon demand food, water and care on a daily basis. Should you neglect these needs, it’ll soon die but treat it with love and affection and it’ll lead a full life throughout its lifespan and may even pay you a visit after its death. Now that’s spooky.

ets generated are surprisingly cute and life-like, each with their unique character traits and personalities. You can also “teach” your pet tricks which it will learn and repeat to entertain you whenever you are bored. You can also choose to “discipline” it when it does something you don’t like (like barking out rudely). It will learn and stay loyal to your instructions.

Your pet comes with its own habitat of a little kennel and you can unlock toys to play with your little fur ball, and the software progresses along. Pets typical lifespans range from 3 months to 6 years and the developers have prepared a virtual pet cemetery for owners to continue visiting them long after they’re dead and gone. Little Palm Pet will set you back by US$ 13.46 (around RM50) and can be downloaded from www.handango.com However should you prefer the genuine-stuff-cannot-bluff deal, there is always the original Tamagotchi. Yes, the pioneer has been resurrected as a downloadable pet for your mobile phone and other mobile devices. Instead of more conventional creatures like kittens and puppies, the quirky Japanese software will give you creatures that looked like they crawled out of Chernobyl. These include a cat with a duck’s bill and a tortoise with a rabbit’s face. Your pet will hatch from an egg and will grow well or sick, depending on how you care for it, exactly like the original Tamagotchi, but with a lot more colour.

However, unlike Palm Pets, the Tamagotchi sorely lacks variety. Besides just sitting there and looking cute, there’s little more you can do with it. No games, no toys, not even a few tricks to keep you occupied. It will just sit on its butt and demand food and water everyday. Sounds more like a spoilt girlfriend to me! Tamagotchi can be downloaded from www.bandai.com for free. But beware of adware and spyware which could accompany it and infect your PC during installation, so read the terms and conditions of usage carefully before clicking on the accept button! There’s a growing number of virtual pet owner communities on the Internet and it would help if you joined one of them if you’re really serious about your little critters.

ou could get lots of advice through them, like on pet care for example, so if this is your best way of getting some form of company on a Saturday night, enjoy your download and be kind to virtual animals!