Skip to main content

New iPhone dock doubles as smoke and carbon monoxide detector

Sense+_Image2
Image used with permission by copyright holder

You know how you’re supposed to regularly check the batteries in your home’s smoke detectors? Without a doubt, most of us fail to do this as often as we should. But, provided this Kickstarter campaign achieves its desired funding, you’ll have a backup plan, as long as you’re charging your iPhone. 

Sense+ is a sleek looking portable iPhone docking station that doubles as both a smoke and carbon monoxide detector. When the dock senses either of the hazardous materials — which the company claims it can do in a noticeably faster time than the most commonly used devices — it immediately triggers the user’s phone. (Though it’s not confirmed on the Kickstarter page, we believe the phone must be plugged into the dock in order for it to work.) You’re given a window of opportunity to acknowledge and dismiss the alarm before the app automatically dials your emergency contact numbers, which you’ll have to program in upon downloading the accompanying app. Afterward, a pop-up will display offering emergency services, if need be. 

Though it’s designed for the iPhone 5, it will work with the iPad mini, and it also has a USB plug in the rear that can connect to other devices. However, we can’t really see the point of plugging in other devices without the associated app, which is necessary to making the whole thing work. (The folks behind Sense+ do say that they are planning on releasing future versions that will work with both Android and Windows devices.) 

While they have been able to create some working prototypes, the folks behind Sense+ are looking to raise $150,000 via their Kickstarter campaign to help fund production costs. At press time, they were shy of $1,000 of their goal, with about a month and a half left for donations to roll in. 

Editors' Recommendations

Joshua Pramis
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Spending a childhood engrossed in such technologically inspiring television shows like Voltron, Small Wonder, and Power…
Best iPhone 14 deals: Unlocked and refurbished
The Apple iPhone 14 Pro's camera module

Some of the best Apple deals and best iPhone deals come from the iPhone 14 lineup. While it has been around a couple of years now, the iPhone 14 is still only one generation old as iPhone releases go. This means it still has a lot to offer, including much of what can be found in the newer iPhone 15, but it will often see some impressive price drops. Many of the best iPhone 14 deals we’re seeing right now are on refurbished models, but both new and refurbished models are out there, and each makes for some of the best phone deals going on at the moment. You’ll find all of the information you need to save on an iPhone 14 below, but if you’d like to land yourself the latest and greatest you should also check out the current iPhone 15 deals, Samsung Galaxy S24 deals, and Google Pixel 8 deals.
Apple iPhone 14 -- from $491, was $699

With the Apple iPhone 14 you’re getting what is still one of the most popular smartphones on the market. This is the iPhone 14 model that’s meant for everyone. It holds back a few features you can only get on the Pro model, but it still has an impressive 6.1-inch display, an impressive camera, and dozens of ways to personalize your iOS experience with widgets and fonts. The phone can reach up to 26 hours of battery life on a single charge, and it’s powered by Apple’s A15 Bionic chip. Face ID, emergency SOS via satellite, and super fast 5G cellular connectivity round out the top features of the Apple iPhone 14.
Buy Refurbished at Amazon — from $491

Read more
What Apple isn’t telling you about the new iPad Pro’s OLED display
Watching video on M4 iPad Pro.

Tandem OLED! Awesome, right? Wait … hold the phone. Tandem OLED? What in the what?

Did Apple geniuses just smash together two OLED panels and, et voilà, a brand new, unprecedentedly awesome display is born, exclusive to the new iPad Pro? Well, not exactly. There’s more to it than that, and in the end, it’s great news for all of us.
Digging into the world of Tandem OLED

Read more
Here’s how iOS 18 could change the way you use your iPhone
The lock screen on the Apple iPhone 15 Plus.

It seems the long-overdue Siri overhaul will finally arrive at WWDC in just over a week from now, and the digital assistant will embrace AI trickery in all its forms. According to Bloomberg, Apple’s planned upgrades for Siri will deeply integrate with on-device functions at the OS level and with the installed apps, too.

“The new system will allow Siri to take command of all the features within apps for the first time,” the report says. The most notable capability is that Siri will only require voice prompts to interact with apps, thanks to a major change in the AI architecture powering it and putting large language models in command, just the way Gemini or ChatGPT draw their own skills from such models.

Read more