There’s no denying that the iPhone is regarded by many as the pinnacle of smartphones, but there are many other devices out there with features that Apple devotees can only wish for. Consider IR night vision, thermal cameras, and even laser pointers.
Thermal imaging
A few years ago, I purchased my first thermal camera, a standalone FLIR unit, and I have found it to be really helpful. You can accomplish a lot with it.
Using a thermal camera, you can do the following things, to name a few:
- Identify any electrical parts that are too hot (faulty components usually run hotter)
- Diagnose a variety of HVAC issues, such as heat leaks from windows, improperly warmed radiators, and malfunctioning air conditioning equipment.
- locating rechargeable batteries that are dangerously overheated
- the discovery of radiator pipes under the floors
- Look for hot power cables.
- Identify cooling system issues with desktop and laptop systems.
- vehicle spot-binding brakes
night vision
What about night vision, though? That must be one of those specialised things.
You’d be mistaken.
The number of times that I have been in a room without any light (usually an attic or a basement). Perhaps it’s nighttime and I don’t want to flood the area with light to search for something (as a photographer that does a bit of night photography, I find this is something I do often).
Using the night vision camera to test the functionality of infrared LEDs is another fascinating approach. These can be found on a variety of gadgets, including TV remote controls and the IR floodlights integrated into security cameras.