FLIR One V2 Thermal-Imaging Cell-Phone Camera

Price not available; www.flir.com

Mama FLIR herself is now showing off what might be described as the FLIR One V2 thermal cam. What you’ll mostly see on the product site is the original version, which only fits the iPhone 5 and 5s, but the new dongle-style design will work with many Android phones. It’s due out around midyear and given the reversible Lightning port found on most iOS devices, that model will even take “thermies”—or thermal-imaging selfies. Andrew Liszewski of the tech Web site Gizmodo also reports that the new FLIR One will have more resolution but be less expensive and still retain the unique MSX dual-cam technology that overlays the thermal imagery with edges captured with higher-res visible light. It may be a crushing blow for the somewhat similar Seek thermal cam that several Panbo readers have asked me about. I warn them not to presume that a camera like this can perform like a true thermal navigation cam (which FLIR certainly doesn’t claim). In fact, I got a brief chance to try a prototype FLIR One V1 during their Miami press cruise last year, and found that even a fairly close bridge seemed out of range. I did wonder if the MSX image enhancement, also available in a new FLIR C2 pocket camera, might be useful in a real thermal navigation device. Then again, my shot was a prototype quickie and the new version is higher resolution. Plus, there are many shorter-range uses for an inexpensive thermal cam. App developer kits are available and there must be some neat ways to utilize this tech on a boat.