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Android Phones At the Edge of Space
garymortimer writes "It seems like the Google crowd are really keen to replicate what many in the small Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) world have been playing with for the last couple of years. It really will be interesting to see the UAS apps that must be coming for the Nexus S. Quoting the Google Mobile Blog: 'Recently, we traveled to Ione, CA and sent seven payloads up, up, and away into near space, each equipped with a Nexus S. We took some cues from others who have sent homemade weather balloon rigs far up, and we wanted an opportunity to collect some interesting data about the sensors in Nexus S – GPS, gyroscope, accelerometer, and magnetometer. We also couldn't resist what looked like a great way to spend a weekend. Sending the balloons up also gave us an opportunity to capture some stunning imagery and videos of Earth.'"
Don't know if you're being sarcastic or not, but just in case:
http://newsfeed.time.com/2010/10/13/father-son-team-launch-balloon-with-hd-camera-iphone-into-space/
If I didn't have absolutely NOTHING to do, I wouldn't be here.
Consumer GPS units aren't supposed to work above 60,000 feet or 1,000 MPH. Otherwise, they're subject to US military export controls. Of course, since Android units are probably made outside the US, that doesn't apply.
(The US needs to give up on export controls in the electronics area. It's just a headache for US firms, and everybody else can get everything they need elsewhere.)