New Galaxy Nexus phone has a barometer, but what good is it?

Most people know that barometers have something to do with weather, but what good is having a barometer in your phone? According to BOSCH, it can and will be used for the following things:

BMP180 target applications

• Indoor navigation
• GPS-enhancement for dead-reckoning, slope detection, etc.
• Sport devices, e.g. altitude profile
• Weather forecast
• Vertical velocity indication (rise/sink speed)

The spec sheet for the BOSCH BMP180 barometer is here.

I'm looking forward to seeing what developers can create to take advantage of this new sensor. I'm still hoping that a wind speed sensor gets put into a smartphone sometime soon.

"4G" data speeds on the space coast of FL

T-Mobile "4G" HSPA+(42): 8-15 Mbps
T-Mobile "4G" HSPA+(21): 5-9 Mbps
T-Mobile "4G" HSPA+(14): 3-7.5 Mbps

AT&T 3G: 0.5-1.8 Mbps
AT&T "4G" HSPA+ (21): 1.5-4.5 Mbps

MetroPCS 4G LTE: 1.2-4 Mbps

Verizon 3G: 0.5-2 Mbps
Verizon 4G LTE: appears to be coming in 2012

Sprint 3G: 0.1-1.8 Mbps
Sprint 4G Wimax: appears likely to never come to the space coast
Sprint 4G LTE: appears to be coming in 2013

Most all of the upload speeds appeared to be capped at or near 1-2 Mbps. But often were much lower in actual use, often 0.1-0.5 Mbps. Generally though, most uploads can run in the background and don't cause you to wait for them to complete like downloads do.

*Disclaimer: speeds are affected by many factors and are subject to change. This is in no way a representation of all possible scenarios or locations/towers. Carriers are constantly upgrading towers and bandwidth, so speeds should improve over time. This is only a snapshot of the testing that I personally have been able to perform over the last 2 weeks.

I have learned that Sprint 3G towers are being upgraded in this area between 10/31 and 11/15 of this year. I don't have detailed information about tower upgrades for other carriers.

Hurricane Katia

9/7 swells from Watson & 9/8 swells from Millennium Park.

Hurricane Irene

Wallace Ave, Indian Harbour Beach, FL.  Double overhead on Friday afternoon.

Patriots vs Bucs NFL Pre-season

I saw the Pats beat up on the Bucs last week. There are some pictures of Raymond James Stadium here. The game was enjoyable and the field was clean and well maintained. The concessions on the other hand were a nightmare, the worst concessions experience I've ever had at a sporting event. You can read more about it in the review that I posted on the Ticketmaster site on 08/18/11.

Panoramic view of Amway Center

Maná

You can see more pictures of the concert and Amway Center here.

Parade in La Victoria, Lima, Peru

For the Señor de la Ascensión de Cachuy.

Volcanoes in Arequipa

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UCSM in Arequipa

One of the courtyards on the back side of the school and a classroom prepped for a dissertation.

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Today's shuttle launch

Again, possibly the last shuttle launch. View from Melbourne, FL.

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Francesco's Costa Verde

Cevicheria muy buena. I think that it was the 3rd best tiradito that I've had in Peru.

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OCASION - Vendo Hyundai Elantra 1997 1.8L GLS SW

OCASION - Vendo Hyundai Elantra 1997 1.8L GLS SW:

Color Verde
Motor 1.8L 128 HP DOHC 16V inyectado, gasolinero
Trasmisiòn Automatica
Aire Acondicionado
Lunas Electricas
Bateria nueva ETNA
Luz de Salon, maletera y 2 luces de mapas.
Apertura de Maletera Interior
Apertura de Tapa de Gasolina Interior
Cierre centralizado
Llantas Radiales Hancook
Asientos posteriores rebatible
Parrilla removible Mont Blanc ideal para tablas de surf
Uso Particular
Llanta de repuesto Goodyear nuevo 14"
Radio Sony Xplod con CD (MP3) con frontal extraíble
108000 Kms De Recorrido.
Tapiz y alfombras originales OK
Tiene SOAT hasta Enero 2012

Update: Sold!

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Florida Keys piano bar

Chocolate fondue

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