Turn your iPhone into a networked night vision scope

Imagine if you could turn your iPhone into an advanced night vision recording device, tuned to your every espionage whim. No, there's not an app for that ... but there is the USNV Night Vision iPhone Adapter. Before you get too excited about it, you should note that it doesn't directly turn an iPhone into a night vision scope – you'll still need an actual separate scope. What the NViA does is bridge the iPhone with the night vision scope to leverage iPhone features like video recording, geo-tagging and messaging ... because when you're in the middle of a midnight tail, sometimes you want to go back and scour the footage for more clues – or I assume that you might want to do that, if you were some type of vigilante running around the city with a pair of infrared goggles. The NViA slides onto the iPhone and connects with a variety of night vision and thermal imaging devices with a threaded mount. Once installed, the iPhone gives you a larger night vision display and allows you to record video and photos, zoom and adjust optic settings, geo-tag your footage, and send images to others.

Outside of sheer novelty and awesomeness, I'd wager that the average Joe has little use for night vision and even less use for iPhone-integrated night vision. Instead, the tool is marketed toward first responders and other professionals as a means of sending critical data quickly and cost efficiently. Other potential users include sportsmen, surveillance professionals and broadcasters. "This adapter really is a game changer," said NightVisionExperts.com Director Stewart Firman. "By integrating their iPhones and night vision scopes, professionals in the field can take the individual situational awareness that they currently enjoy to the next level – team-based shared awareness. For command and control, shared awareness supercharges their ability to plan, direct and control a networked emergency response." Like anything night vision, the iPhone Adapter isn't exactly cheap. It costs US$269, and that's before you factor in the cost of the night vision scope or iPhone itself. It's currently offered free with the purchase of specific night vision goggles and scopes, but both of those cost more than $3,500. That might not be bad if you rely on night vision for your profession, but it's a little prohibitive for the hobbyist that just thinks it'd be cool to watch night vision on his iPhone ... and boy, would that be cool. The NViA is compatible with iPhone 4 and 4s models.