EcoRenovator  

Go Back   EcoRenovator > Improvements > Tools
Advanced Search
 


Blog 60+ Home Energy Saving Tips Recent Posts Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 12-07-14, 04:56 PM   #1
jeff5may
Supreme EcoRenovator
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: elizabethtown, ky, USA
Posts: 2,428
Thanks: 431
Thanked 619 Times in 517 Posts
Send a message via Yahoo to jeff5may
Default SEEK THERMAL unveils $199 thermal camera for android phones

Seek Thermal has begun shipping these units at $199, and they actually work.



Buy one here:

Seek Thermal Camera Android

Check out the seek:

Hands-On With The $199 Seek Thermal Smartphone Infrared Camera (Yes, Really Actually): This Is Amazing

This product has put to death a good amount of start-up companies attempting to realize the same type of product. They are just too doggone cheap for others to compete with.

To wit: a recent post by John McGrath, the man behind the mu-optics camera:

"Hello everyone,

Our apologies for the silence of late. Most of you have heard about Seek Thermal's entry into the market. Needless to say, it's quite the game changer. We've been working towards a response to this new market reality.

The arrival into the market of a camera with higher resolution than the sensors available to us and a sell price well below our cost of goods, with thirty million in the bank as a result of a patent settlement with FLIR and backed by companies such as Raytheon and Freescale Semiconductor has left us very challenged in bringing our camera to market. While it is true that Mu Optics has a number of residual advantages; with WiFi and transferring all the thermal data with the stills and videos being the main ones: it is still a Herculean task for us to get to market given this well-funded competitor.

Regretfully, just as our camera was ready for production, we're now finding it impossible to obtain financing for production. Financing for production has effectively vaporized as venture capital looks at the new competitive landscape and question wether we can be profitable and competitive. I understand their concerns; despite all recent efforts to redesign the camera utilizing more cost effective components (the most difficult item has been in further in reducing our costs has been the microbolometer), we still can't get our cost to manufacture a camera below $210. At that cost we believe that we would be competitive with FLIR's offerings. However, with mark-up, we're well above the retail cost of Seek Thermal's camera. Their strategy; that of minimal feature-set/ minimal cost/ high volume which has sent shockwaves through the industry.

I can't confirm when, or if, we'll make it to production. It would only be fair to say that, baring a miracle, that we are shutting down operations.

Despite the opinion of a handful of naysayers, our intent has always been earnest. We just didn't see Seek Thermal waiting in the wings, operating in stealth mode right up till their market entry. Our lack of communications was simply my paranoid belief that others were coming and I refused to share information about our camera that I believed to be detrimental to our timing into the market and the proprietary design of our camera. I never anticipated someone so deeply funded entering the market. I admit to mistakes along the way, without which we may have gotten to market quicker, and grab some market share before having to deal with Seek. "

If you've got to have one to play with, I would hurry up and get one in my hands now. Seek has seemed to have cornered the bottom end of the market with this product, so who knows what will happen after they sell out? As with most bleeding-edge products, they may up the price if people like them. Then again, the products may not perform well over the long term. But for a product priced so low, it may very well be worth the risk.

Either way, I'd sure love to get one for Christmas this year!


Last edited by Daox; 12-08-14 at 07:26 AM.. Reason: tried to fix the page format
jeff5may is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to jeff5may For This Useful Post:
AC_Hacker (12-09-14), Daox (12-08-14), Mikesolar (12-09-14), philb (12-07-14), Piwoslaw (12-11-14)
Old 12-08-14, 09:22 AM   #2
Daox
Administrator
 
Daox's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Germantown, WI
Posts: 5,525
Thanks: 1,162
Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts
Default

Very cool. I didn't know these are actually out yet. Thanks for posting!
__________________
Current project -
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.



To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
&
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Daox is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-08-14, 11:21 AM   #3
pinballlooking
Super Moderator
 
pinballlooking's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: SC
Posts: 2,923
Thanks: 172
Thanked 564 Times in 463 Posts
Default

FLIR ONE™ Personal Thermal Imager by FLIRŪ - See the Heat°
This one is $50 more but does not support android yet but it looks better.


A strange use for it.
http://youtu.be/8Vc-69M-UWk?list=PL45865A763BAB32CA

Last edited by pinballlooking; 12-08-14 at 11:47 AM..
pinballlooking is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-09-14, 01:41 AM   #4
AC_Hacker
Supreme EcoRenovator
 
AC_Hacker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 4,004
Thanks: 303
Thanked 723 Times in 534 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by jeff5may View Post
Seek Thermal has begun shipping these units at $199, and they actually work...
Don't forget... each manufacturer will have a "requirements" section that specifies which iphone or android device is compatible.

-AC
__________________
I'm not an HVAC technician. In fact, I'm barely even a hacker...
AC_Hacker is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-09-14, 07:36 AM   #5
Mikesolar
Master EcoRenovator
 
Mikesolar's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Toronto
Posts: 958
Thanks: 40
Thanked 158 Times in 150 Posts
Default

I want it for BB but no one seems to care about making things for this platform.

Why doesn't someone make an app for BB so that iphone and android stuff will work on it.
Mikesolar is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-09-14, 09:01 AM   #6
jeff5may
Supreme EcoRenovator
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: elizabethtown, ky, USA
Posts: 2,428
Thanks: 431
Thanked 619 Times in 517 Posts
Send a message via Yahoo to jeff5may
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mikesolar View Post
I want it for BB but no one seems to care about making things for this platform.

Why doesn't someone make an app for BB so that iphone and android stuff will work on it.
BlackBerry has been drowning in a sea of android for a few years now. I had bb phones and loved them for years. But since around 2008, their devices have not kept up with the functionality of either apple or android - OS devices.

The release of the Iphone and its "smart" functionality set a series of events into motion. The cell phone that included more than PDA functionality became real. But when Google entered the mobile market, the landscape changed. BB and moto both held onto their old ways of life for a short while to see if the new OS was a passing fad. Neither one believed a cell phone could (or should) have functionality rivaling that of a PC.

Whenever moto changed their path and let Google into the circle, a new reality quickly emerged. Many other OEMs fell into formation behind the android OS, and the assemblage reached critical mass. Blackberry was in denial of the potential, and clung to its old business model. The resulting market explosion has driven BB and their OS to the fringe of extinction. I'm not confident they will ever recover.

Last edited by jeff5may; 12-09-14 at 09:48 AM..
jeff5may is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-09-14, 01:02 PM   #7
AC_Hacker
Supreme EcoRenovator
 
AC_Hacker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 4,004
Thanks: 303
Thanked 723 Times in 534 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by jeff5may View Post
BlackBerry... I'm not confident they will ever recover.
I'm surprised that they're still in business.

I've been seeing them pouring into the thrift stores for the last couple of years.

-AC
__________________
I'm not an HVAC technician. In fact, I'm barely even a hacker...
AC_Hacker is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-22-14, 09:17 PM   #8
bennelson
Home-Wrecker
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: SE Wisconsin
Posts: 546
Thanks: 3
Thanked 165 Times in 96 Posts
Default

I have an iPhone, and that Flir One looks REALLY interesting. I'm sure I would have TONS of uses for it.

Doax, want to go in on one with me? We could have joint custody.
__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.


To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
bennelson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-22-14, 09:32 PM   #9
Mikesolar
Master EcoRenovator
 
Mikesolar's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Toronto
Posts: 958
Thanks: 40
Thanked 158 Times in 150 Posts
Default

BB is not a dead company by any means, they are just figuring out where their market is and fighting with Apple obviously isn't it. Their BBM, enterprise server security beats the others hands down and they have a lot going on behind the scenes that we don't see.

Now that the classic phone will be available with the BB10 system, I will be upgrading from my Torch. What someone needs to do is create an app for the BB so that it can use Apple/Android apps. That would be great.

About the SEEK product, I may have to get an old iphone just to have the camera and keep it off line. The thing that bugs me is that there are no specs available so that I can compare SEEK to FLIR or others, and I have no idea if I can switch to degC either.

If I knew that, I would be inclined to buy one.
Mikesolar is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-23-14, 06:50 AM   #10
redneck
Helper EcoRenovator
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: US
Posts: 57
Thanks: 1
Thanked 17 Times in 11 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mikesolar View Post

About the SEEK product, I may have to get an old iphone just to have the camera and keep it off line. The thing that bugs me is that there are no specs available so that I can compare SEEK to FLIR or others, and I have no idea if I can switch to degC either.

If I knew that, I would be inclined to buy one.

Iphones must be running iOS version 7.0 or newer. The "Help Center" page on their web site offers a little more information. No specs. though.

Seek Thermal


You can email them here.

App & Camera Questions support@thermal.com



I would like to get one for my android, but mine is older and not supported.


Maybe if I wait long enough, my next phone will have thermal imaging as a standard feature.


I remember when all phones came with cords that had to be plugged into the wall in order for it to work.


Now, portable phones and what they are capable of doing, is just unbelievable...


>

redneck is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:24 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Ad Management by RedTyger
Inactive Reminders By Icora Web Design