If you’ve tried any of the countless smartphone apps that promise to turn your phone’s camera into night vision goggles, you already know they’re all snake oil. If you really want your device to see in the dark, you need a more sensitive sensor and a healthy blast of invisible infrared light, which the Snooperscope delivers.
Reminiscent of Sony’s QX100 smartphone camera, the Snooperscope doesn’t boost your handset’s built-in camera — it replaces it all together. A Wi-Fi connection to your Android or iOS device lets you monitor what the scope is seeing in total darkness for up to four hours with its rechargeable battery. And with a magnet on the butt it easily sticks to the back of your phone with the right accessories.
The Snooperscope is still raising funds on Kickstarter right now, but assuming retail versions every actually ship — never a guarantee-it’s expected to sell for just $US100. And while you probably won’t want to rely on it for covert night missions if you’re a Navy Seal, for the rest of us it sounds like a fun way to expand our smartphone’s capabilities even further. [Snooperscope via Gizmag]