I did a search and didn't find anything on this so as far as I know, this hasn't been discussed before. Came across a piece of equipment that turns your smartphone into a wind meter. It started off as a kickstarter project and has been funded. I haven't used this device but I find that if this can be accomplished with a small investment and a phone that most have already, it's only a matter of time before the Kestrel Horus/AE has some serious competition.
Granted, as far as I can tell, this just tells you windspeed at the moment. But imagine if the existing ballistic apps software could be modified to use the real time wind data from this device, you would have a pretty good start on getting rid of a kestrel. It's not a perfect replacement as is but I can see the potential for this or something that spins off from this to potentially be a replacement in the future.
A link to the device can be found here: Vaavud
A video explanation of it can be seen here: A wireless wind meter containing no electronics by Vaavud ? Kickstarter
Granted, as far as I can tell, this just tells you windspeed at the moment. But imagine if the existing ballistic apps software could be modified to use the real time wind data from this device, you would have a pretty good start on getting rid of a kestrel. It's not a perfect replacement as is but I can see the potential for this or something that spins off from this to potentially be a replacement in the future.
A link to the device can be found here: Vaavud
A video explanation of it can be seen here: A wireless wind meter containing no electronics by Vaavud ? Kickstarter