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A tale of two iPad weather apps
Since Apple stripped the iPhone weather app from the iPad, it left the door open for 3rd parties to do their thing. They've done just that, and I'd like to spotlight two apps that come at weather from very different places. We've looked briefly at both these apps. Our Victor Agreda Jr. used and liked WeatherBug Elite, and Erica Sadun took a quick look at Weather HD in April. Let's start with WeatherBug Elite for iPad and look more closely. The app is free, and has a compelling display on the iPad screen. It is the more conventional app of the two, with radar and cloud cover overlays, animation, severe weather alerts from the National Weather Service, Extended 7 day and hourly forecasts, and webcams for most locations that show you a semi-live view of the current weather. You can save multiple locations, and get to them with a tap. As I do a lot of landscape photography, I really appreciate the infrared and visible satellite maps, that show you cloud cover down to the street level. The app works in portrait or landscape mode, and it can cache weather data for off-line viewing. I think this app is for serious weather consumers, and I have found it reliable and up to date. There are also versions for Windows and Macs, and an iPhone version. Strangely, the iPhone version sells for $0.99, while the iPad version is free. You can also get a free version for the iPhone, but it has ads.
Just got my iPad. Now what?
It's pretty clear that new iPad owners are hitting the app store in droves. Books, games and movies are all flying off the virtual shelves. Since you may be suffering from sensory overload, or just looking for some ideas, here are some things I've seen that might be worth a look. I tried Time Magazine (U.S. $4.99) and Popular Science ($4.99) magazines on the iPad. The both look striking on the luscious iPad screen, but neither one really excited me enough to get me to subscribe. Time had nice use of video. Pop Sci looked stunning, but didn't have a lot of text. I think both magazines will need to come down below 5 bucks an issue to attract readers. For news, I liked Reuters News Pro, the new NPR app and the New York Times Editors' Choice app. All are free, and make clever use of the screen and finger gestures. USA Today looks nice, but tends to crash and has some confusing navigation. Sometimes I clicked on one story and got another. I'll be patient with them, because they have some sharp coders and I know the app will quickly get better. Be aware that the USA Today app is free for now, but will cost money at some time in the future. The AP News app (free) is a bit of a mess. It has some clever ideas, but the stories are reduced to little thin strips and a lot of screen space is wasted. I don't want my news apps cute. I just want the news. The Netflix app (free, but requires a Netflix subscription) is a major win. I tried a 2 week free trial, and the streaming movies look really good. The selection isn't always in line with my taste, but I'll probably sign up when the trial ends. Kudos to Apple for letting them in. They are certainly a movie competitor.
