I wanted to let everyone know about a Kickstarter campaign for a waterproof position and orientation data logger called the TRACE:
If you remember the ShadowBox, this looks like it might be a worthy successor at a fraction of the price, supported by people who've had some success in this market. The advantage to this gadget over something like the Xensr is that the unit itself is sealed, you don't have to take your phone on the water with you, and it will support both iOS and Android. Further, having the device mounted to the board should allow for deeper analytics than just height, perhaps something akin to ShadowBox Live. While kiteboarding isn't a target market for the Kickstarter campaign, there was a Reddit AMA yesterday with one of the founders who said it's on their list of sports to do next.
I have no affiliation with the company, I'm just looking for a device which might help my progression by giving some hard data. I was able to get some good answers to my questions yesterday, and I'm about ready to put forward the money. If they reach $175k (only $25k more than the $150k they're asking for), all backers will get 3 mounts instead of just the one; which would come in handy since we all know how kiters like to accumulate gear. If they get funded but miss the $175k mark, 2 extra mounts will be available to backers for $10 or so. If you decide to back the project, don't forget to include the extra funds for shipping to your region.
If we can help get this project funded and make our voices heard, hopefully they'll prioritize app support for kiteboarding. Even if they don't, between the raw data and the surfing app we could have a neat tool to help relive a session and derive some lessons from it.