FLIR just got affordable

[ARG]

iPhone > Any 'droid phone just based of the CPU capability alone.

I have a note 3, quad-core 2.3GHz.
Looking it up, the iPhone 5 only has a dual core 1.3GHz CPU.

They would have a hard time making one for android seeing as theres hundreds if not thousands of different android devices.

The smart thing to do would be a separate unit that plugs into the USB port on a phone, or connects over bluetooth. That way when a new phone gets released the camera doesn't go out of date with it.

 

[Blarg King]

Yes but those two cores are 64 bit and have 1 billion transistors each. It has more similarity to a desktop CPU than a phone CPU. Cores and clockspeed are only part of the story. AMD's top 8 core CPU can't even match Intel's 4 core CPU's.

Back on topic though, 60X80 resolution? Thats less appealing now. Sure thermal imaging would be cool, but at a postage stamp sized resolution? Meh.

 

[Cyparagon]

iPhone > Any 'droid phone just based of the CPU capability alone.

Let's not pretend you need a supercomputer to display 60x80 video at 9fps.

 

[Blarg King]

Then lets not pretend an iPhone is a "downgrade" when its more capable than the vast majority of phones.

 

[MarioMaster]

The iPhone5's A6 CPU is 32 bit ARM7 compatible at 1.3GHz.

The CPU in the Samsung Galaxy S4 is a quad core ARM7 at 1.9GHz.

Heck the SGS4 is a transistor node smaller, 28nm vs 32nm.

Edit: Nevermind, it's the 5S that has the 64 bit SoC- that's why I was seeing the large discrepancy, it uses a new ARM architecture as well.

That point aside I think the discussion is way off topic at this point.

 

[Cyparagon]

ohhhh, I see what's going on. It's just a hair-triggered defensive response to:

I can't imagine anyone wanting to downgrade to an iPhone to get Flir.

Although at this point I'm not convinced that replacing the word "downgrade" with "switch" would have made you any more compliant. Let's not turn this into a mac/pc thread kthx.

 

[ARG]

Then lets not pretend an iPhone is a "downgrade" when its more capable than the vast majority of phones.

Android vs iPhone is all preference. It's all about what you use it for. There's nothing wrong with calling it a downgrade when it would be for some people, and the opposite would be true for a lot of iPhone users who prefer it to Android.

 

[rhd]

I didn't realize iPhone v. Android was contentious. I wasn't meaning to start a religious war here

I switched to Android from iPhone fairly long ago, but since then, almost everyone else I know has too. Even my elderly relatives have.

I perhaps haven't kept up with iPhone all maybe I owe them more credit for whatever their latest iteration phone is. I just remember them having these little tiny screens and incredibly locked down OS.

I said downgrade, but maybe if iPhone has caught up some ground, then "switch"would have been kinder. Who knows. Who actually cares?

 

[ped]

...Who actually cares?

Blarg, clearly :crackup:

I hate iPhones, but the hardware is undeniably good, droids are just more versatile...horses for courses.

/on topic

Yes its a tiny resolution, but its still usable.

 

[Bionic-Badger]

I just don't like the idea that this sensor is tied to any particular phone platform. Hell, I'd rather have it generic enough that I can use it with any device I can connect it to, computers, phones, tablets, whatever. Just keep it generic.

 

[Teej]

I just don't like the idea that this sensor is tied to any particular phone platform. Hell, I'd rather have it generic enough that I can use it with any device I can connect it to, computers, phones, tablets, whatever. Just keep it generic.

I agree generally, albeit, if you think about it...if you buy a dedicated FLIR (E$ etc) you can't transfer that to a new platform either...and if you get a new phone, you'd still have the same FLIR.

To keep the IR, all you'd do is not trade in the old phone, and, your IR would be the same as when you got it, etc....or, it would be compatible with the next phone too, perhaps with a hack, etc.

I would think a hack to "simulate" the iphone relative to the IR device would be doable.

Given the cost of a new phone/trade in value of old phone, and the cost for a dedicated FLIR (FLUKE has a new enhanced resolution version as well now btw), you could make an argument either way depending on your $/performance criteria.

Food for thought.

 

[Rifter]

I saw this on eevblog wasn't the conclusion that its way to low res to even be useable? So this is a marketing gimmick and nothing more.

 

[Cyparagon]

I saw this on eevblog wasn't the conclusion that its way to low res to even be useable?

It is useable because of the overlay of objects' outlines.

 

[BShanahan14rulz]

Maybe they're in the "Sell it for a lot while we still can" phase of this sensor..

It is a nifty toy, but kinda pricy. You might could get the same amount of resolution by using your finger to touch things in a grid pattern :na:

 

[Fiddy]

i haz this one:

 

[ixfd64]

I've always wanted a thermal camera, but they are still so damn expensive. Even though the prices have dropped significantly over the past few years, I still can't come up with a practical reason to justify buying one.

For the record, the latest version of the FLIR E4 firmware isn't so easily hackable anymore. At least nobody has figured out how to hack the new version yet. :-(