What The iPhone Needs; A Real Thermometer
October 7, 2009 by Ryan Ray
Welcome to another post in the ongoing series, “What The iPhone Needs!” Created simply to give me a place to go on a rant at anytime when I think of something perhaps a little too obscure to be a reality for the iPhone. Even if not feasible, it’s always nice to dream. Obviously as Fall is upon us the temperature of each day keeps dipping and dipping. As I walked to class today in the coldest morning of the Fall yet, I wanted to be able to take the temperature with my iPhone. Fall is my favorite season, closely rivaled by spring. I just to love to be able to layer clothing and wear long sleeves, hoodies, scarves, etc… I guess it’s kind of my thing.
Needless to say what would it be like to have a thermometer on the iPhone? We have other things on the iPhone like a stinking compass… seriously! Although I do use the compass for photography and the compass makes a little more sense since it works well together with all of the map applications, why can’t we have a thermometer? Here is a novel idea… Imagine this as a press release.
Today, Apple has reinvented the fast food/health inspection industry. With a 3rd party accessorie made by the FDA you can now test the temperature of the food in every restaurant you’ve ever inspected with the FDA’s new health inspector app. Simply take your government issued iPhone and download the app and tell it what state you are inspecting in or let it find your location automatically. From there the app loads all of the specifications for that state among other things. The main feature of the app works with our 3rd party accessorie issued by your states health department. It plugs into the bottom of the iPhone and at the other end is a metal prong that simply extends the iPhone’s built in thermometer functions. Test the temperature of the meat and more with this new accessorie. When the temp is set you simply leave it at that. A report is automatically put together along with other info you input, and uploaded to the states database. This automatically notifies the health department if further action is needed, either to award the restaurant or shut it down until quality improves. The database further pushes the data to other health related websites and updates their certificates and posts their scores so you the consumer can see which food joints rate the highest in your area.
There is also an app for the food enthusiasts out there, that puts all of this information automatically at your hands. Using GPS the app will find the restaurants around you and shows you the highest rated. Thanks to Apple and their iPhone, this is all made possible.
That was just one scenario I imagined coming from this functionality. Imagine Apple reinventing the food inspection industry! Anything is really possible with the iPhone. But what if it had a built in thermometer? What uses can you imagine for it? Leave me a comment and let me know your genius idea, or just let me know that a thermometer is an idiot idea. As always thanks for reading, happy hump day to everyone.
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You are a fucking idiot. How they let this shit up on any website is beyond me.
Thanks for the feedback….
I’m gonna go with SeniorShizzle on this one ….
SeniorShizzle… admittedly you are entitled to your opinion on the subject of an iThermometer and all comments I suspect are taken on board. However, do you not think it was a little bit uncalled for to say that Ryan is a “fucking idiot”?
You may think you’re a big man sat at your computer shouting out names, and who am I to assume that you’re not? But have a bit of decency please! If you don’t like the idea then say so, but don’t get personal about it.
Personally I think the thermometer would be no more handy to me than the compass… I may use it once in a blue moon purely out of curiosity but other than that, it looks like it’d be just another app that would sit on my iPhone with irregular use.
The idea of it being used in the food industry is possible though. The iPhone doesn’t have the sensors available to achieve this unfortunately. I’ve heard rumours that the iPad DOES have a built in thermometer though… can anyone confirm this?
Terry
A thermometer would allow for hundreds of great applications, around home heating, food preparation. Its a small light component I wish apple would consider this as an upgrade
Totally agree…I was searching for remote Bluetooth/wifi temp sensors that could be monitored/controlled by an iPhone and ran across this. I know it’s old but u have a great mind. Loved the idea, seriouslu
Totally agree…I was searching for remote Bluetooth/wifi temp sensors that could be monitored/controlled by an iPhone and ran across this. I know it’s old but u have a great mind. Loved the idea, seriously
Keep em coming
check the http://www.icelsius.com
Turn you iPhone into a real thermometer would definitly mean a major breakthrough. Basically all our energy-use is one way or the other related to manipulating temperature. Cooling stuff in warm environments, and warming stuff in cool environments. An intergrated thermocouple would be best ofcourse, but maybe something can be done by using the batterytemperature as an indicator.
I also think having some sort of temperature sensor incorporated into the iPhone would be great. With the temperature reaching over 100 degrees daily for the last two weeks where I live, it would be nice to have a instant resource to the temperature where I am. I have that on my car but it always seems inaccurate. The iPhone might prove to be inaccurate as well, but at least I’d have two resources to consult. As it is, use The Weather Channel app.
I stumbled upon your post because I’m looking for a small thermometer that will tell me what the temperature is inside. My iPhone is inside with me anyway. I think this would prove to be a handy feature. (The first few people who commented had totally unhelpful comments and appear to have no imagination. Perhaps the food industry idea was too big of a stretch and they couldn’t think outside that to other uses for a built-in thermometer. Their loss.)
Well, I totally agree about this.
I completely agree that a thermometer would be a great addition. I found this post because we are having a problem with our thermostat at the office correctly registering temperature. I was hoping to find something I could plug into my phone that would give me real time indoor ambient temp readings… what I don’t get is people not thinking that this could be useful – no imagination.
I also found a very good thermometer app at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/temperature-thermometer/id468389443?ls=1&mt=8
I agree there’s no need to trash somebody because you don’t agree. My mama used to say you attract more flies with honey than vinegar. Now to the main point: I would personally use a true thermometer often. I have sensitive & VERY expensive equipment that can be ruined if the temp changes suddenly or if a room is too cool. I would use a thermometer every time I work off site, which is at least 50% of the time. So would others in my line of work.
Personally I would totally be interested in being able to take health temperatures with my phone. I am so sick of having dead thermometers when I need them. They never work when I need them and with the “restrictions” on mercury / glass thermometers there needs to be something that works with any digital device. Laptop, Phone, Ipod, Ipad, Iphone, etc. HELP ME PLEASE
I stumbled across this post because I _need_ a good digital thermometer to measure ambient air temperatures in data centers. The temperature very widely within a few feet in high airflow velocity environments, and sometimes I need to identify hot and cold spots without deploying extensive instrumentation. The temperature apps show outside temps based on location. I have a laser thermometer but that measures surface temperatures, which is a different kettle of fish.
I will check out iCelsius, but I do wonder if there is anything else on the market.
BTW, SeniorShizzle is a tiny, tiny man.
I was searching specifically for a thermometer FOR INDOORS only. There are oodles of apps available for the temp. & weather. Thermostats are inaccurate on heat & air units. So I wanted a second source. I use my iPhone for EVERYTHING. Why not this?
And Senior-whatever-his-name-is (very unmemorable name) obviously doesn’t even have a vocabulary, & I agree he HAS TO BE a very little man!! What is this website for, anyway, but for ANYONE to discuss potential additions. I’m sure Apple designers have people reading these websites. So???
Great idea, (because i had it to) I checkedout iCelsius and their stuff looks ok but I ideally want a wireless IP thermometer, basically a stand alone thermometer that connects to a wirless lan and can be accessed by many iPhones. Imagine the possibilities! I was thinking about using it to monitor temperature sensitive equipment remotely or even as a way to monitor the temperature of a sick child.