Finally, after all the SHOT Show 2014 stories, I get to write about the FLIR ONE which I consider to be the best add-on and mobile application for smartphones in 2014  for now. Why would I say that? FLIR ONE brings the ability to do thermal imaging to anyone with an iPhone 5 or iPhone 5s (and to other non-Apple smartphones soon). What was a specialized equipment before, the thermal imager, will now be within easy reach for civilians and can be easily used for a lot of situations.

First revealed at the CES in Las Vegas, FLIR ONE also appeared at the SHOT Show 2014 and thankfully, Jonathan Higgs of Airsoftology was able to get a video of the product:

The FLIR ONE is an add-on device to the iPhone 5/5s that detects heat with its dual camera and converts it into an electronic signal with the scene range temperature at 32 °F to 212 ° or O °C to 100 °C  with a maximum detection distance of 100 feet  and 50 feet identification range. The FLIR ONE App which is installed on the smartphone shows it as a thermal image on the screen. Since it is an add-on device, it has its own 1400ma/h rechargeable battery and thus does not draw energy from the iPhone and can in fact increase the battery life of the phone by 50% according to its makers.

Since the imaging is done with the Smartphon, it can thus capture an image, record a video, and be able to share such image or video via social media or email. The app also gives you battery charge indicator, a temperature readout and saves the images to the iPhone's Camera Roll.

There are many applications for the  FLIR ONE such as checking temperature of people in a crowd, especially for epidemic alerts. But it's most useful areas of safety and security. If you are walking in the dark you'll be able to detect an animal or a person lurking in a corner or behind a tree, and even spot intruders at night so you can sound the alarm and protect your home. Security personnel now get to have a thermal imager inside their pockets when they make their rounds.

For airsoft players, I am pretty much sure that someone's raring to have his hands on the FLIR ONE, attach it to an iPhone and build a protection and mounting solution for it to be used in airsoft night games. This perhaps can also be sold to security companies that like the convenience and price of the FLIR ONE.

Expected to be available worldwide for the iPhone 5/5s in Spring 2014 with the Android version (they have to decide which Android devices will be prioritized as there are just too many Android models out there) in the latter part of 2014. The price is said to be less than US$350 which may sound a bit steep initially but if you realise that there are many ways that the FLIR ONE can be used, the price may just be alright.