You Can Now Analyze Wind Speed with the iPhone!
It never ceases to amaze me what you can do with an iPhone, especially when paired with add-on accessories. Case in point, Vaavud makes a Smartphone Wind Meter ($40) that attaches to an iPhone, iPad, or Android phone. Unlike most accessories that connect via Bluetooth or Lightning, this gadget connects via the audio-in jack, just like the Square credit card reader. Because newer iPhones have the audio jack on the bottom, you flip the phone upside down and run their companion app while holding the iPhone in the air.
This replaces dedicated devices like you might see in the movie Twister. In fact, the other day, Twister was on TV and I grabbed a screenshot of just such a gadget. Even if you're not a hardcore tornado chaser, you might want to measure wind speed at a sporting event.
We are getting closer and closer to Mr. Spock's Tricorder. The iPhone has numerous sensors built-in, but with clever add-ons from folks like Vaavud, there's no limit to what an iPhone can measure.
Todd Bernhard
Todd Bernhard is a bestselling (6+ million downloads) award-winning (AARP, About.com, BestAppEver.com, Digital Hollywood, and Verizon) developer and founder of NoTie.NET, an app developer specializing in Talking Ringtone apps including AutoRingtone. And his profile photo is of the last known sighting of Mr. Bernhard wearing a tie, circa 2007!
An iPhone is almost always attached to his hip or in his pocket, but over the years, Mr. Bernhard has owned an Apple Newton, a Motorola Marco, an HP 95LX, a Compaq iPaq, a Palm Treo, and a Nokia e62. In addition to writing for iPhone Life, Mr. Bernhard has written for its sister publications, PocketPC Magazine and The HP Palmtop Paper.
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