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Apple buys Dark Sky weather app
Apple has bought weather app Dark Sky, which is highly regarded for its radar maps and accuracy of its hyperlocal, by-the-minute weather predictions. It'll still be available on the iOS App Store, as you might expect, but the Android and Wear OS versions will shut down on July 1st. You'll no longer be able to download the app on those platforms, and people who are still subscribed to the service when Dark Sky pulls the plug will receive a refund.
Dark Sky's hyperlocal weather app is now available on the web
Four-year-old mobile weather app Dark Sky is mostly known for two things: its beautifully rendered radar maps and startlingly accurate hyperlocal weather predictions. The latter was Dark Sky's killer feature by far, and used your smartphone's GPS to let you know exactly when and how long you'd get rained on. With notifications like "Heavy rain starting in 12 min." it can be a lifesaver in rainy regions or places prone to sudden thunderstorms. Now those same features, along with a suite of new maps and visualizations, are available on your desktop via DarkSky.net.
Google's mobile app gets more detailed weather info on Android
You can now get more detailed info about the weather from Google's standalone Android app. In an effort to help people better prepare, the search giant has revamped its interface with new climate-related tidbits that'll be useful for everyone. Starting today, the Google app will display an array of fresh data, such as severe weather alerts (pictured above), 10-day forecasts, hourly sky conditions and what the chances of rain are, among other things. This update also lets you set multiple favorite locations, in case you'd like to access information regarding these at a later time.
BBC to stop using Met Office weather data after 93 years
For almost a century, the Met Office has supplied the BBC with weather data for its daily forecasts. Its predictions aren't always correct, and they're often a depressing end to TV news bulletins, but they hold an important role in British culture. Until now, that is. The BBC says it's looking for an alternative provider "to make sure we secure both the best possible service and value for money." The Met Office, an executive agency under the UK's Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, has called the news "disappointing."
As Time Goes By HD for iPad is half-baked
Every so often we get a request to review some software that sounds intriguing and we try it and like it. This is not one of those times. I've been playing with As Time Goes By, an app that has what is advertised as 'compatible with new iPad resolution'. The app has full screen time lapse loops of several cities like New York, London, Berlin, and one scenic spot, the Grand Canyon. The app also offers an optional display of local time and weather information. Let's get down to it. While the time lapse movies are compatible with the new iPad retina display, that doesn't mean they are high resolution. In fact, I'd say they are not the full resolution of the iPad 2. Worse, the loops are too short. The Grand Canyon loop, for example, is about 7 seconds. That gets boring fast, and there is no way to slow the frame rate down. The local temperature displayed is in centigrade, which is fine for most of the world, but not so great for US residents who don't want to do the calculation. Local time for each location is displayed, but not the local time for your iPad, so you can't compare. The app is only US $0.99, but I think it has too many missing features to be of much interest. Apps like Magic Window have far better resolution, better photography, more weather information and even Airplay support. The photography in Magic Window is first rate, while the As Time Goes By photography is pretty average. I applaud ideas like those contained in this app, but they are half baked and not executed with thought about what users might want. I'd give this app a pass, unless the developers respond and make the app much, much better. As Time Goes By is a 78 MB download and requires iOS 4.2 or later. %Gallery-152945%
