Friday, August 15, 2008 -- 3:45 p.m. -- on my couch

I'm a pretty good person to write a weather review ... I'm a weather junkie. I remember the last time The Weather Channel's Jim Cantore had hair. I also know the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale by heart.

So for a weather app to receive 5 stars from me, you know it has to be good.

MyWeather is good. Darn good. Could it be better. Yep. But a key part of a great application experience isn't just the application ... it's the support and service behind it ... and in talking to the folks at MyWeather, I have no doubt that future versions will address the concerns I mention here.

Let's get something out of the way up front because it usually overshadows the other reviews of this app.

MyWeather costs $14.99.

Is it expensive? Yep.

Are there cheaper weather apps? Yep.

Is there another app currently in the App Store that even comes close to matching MyWeather? Nope.

As many folks point out in the reviews, Weatherbug is free. Yes indeed. I wrote to the developers about a month or so ago asking about the 3 location limit and am still waiting for a response. I wrote to the folks at MyWeather to ask a question about severe weather alerts and I heard back in 10 minutes.

See where I'm going with this?

In this day and age, weather apps need to do much more than show me pretty icons. Apple's weather app is pretty. Beyond that, it does nothing. No radar. Nothing but a forecast.

When I downloaded MyWeather, I moved Apple's weather app to page 5 of my icon screen -- that's the place for the apps I no longer need.

A lot of people say that the thing that separates MyWeather from the rest of the pack is the radar, which turns into a big bold presentation the minute you rotate the screen horizontally. Vertically, the radar really doesn't do much, but no points deducted because of the other view. And, you can zoom into the radar to street level. It's relatively fast and stable.

I don't disagree with those people per se, but there's just something elegant about MyWeather's presentation in general. The typeface is clean, the colors are pleasing, the icons are nice ... it's just a nice package.

The trends section shows what the forecast should be in increments of hours along with an icon showing the expected weather conditions. Also a very, very nice touch.

So what needs work? Truthfully, not much ... but severe weather alerts are so important these days. And I know they'll come ... but to me, the severe weather section really shows me how serious an app is about providing every bit of weather information I need. As someone who grew up listening to a weather radio and knowing the severe thunderstorm watch box is yellow, I feel like I'm missing something when I don't have it.

Knowing what Apple is planning with this new push notification service, I feel like MyWeather has the perfect opportunity to knock the severe weather feature out of the park.

Another thing I noticed was at 3 a.m. this morning, I had a sun icon over Chicago. Chicago's vibrant and bright, but I could see the moon. The icons are correct in the trends section, but not in the current conditions section. Small thing ... it's pretty clear that it's not sunny at 3 a.m., but I like my icons to be correct.

Other than that, I'm pleased with the $14.99 I spent on this app and I know that investment will pay off over time. I picture an upgraded MyWeather with severe weather boxes covering the radar, alerts (visual via push) that indicate severe weather and more ... Perhaps a company like MyWeather could even add an interesting little section inside the app that explains weather phenomenon -- (i.e. the differences between a severe thunderstorm watch (potential) and a severe thunderstorm warning (imminent/occurring).

Not that every app has to be everything to everyone, but why not make the best weather app in the App Store a true one stop shop? Just a thought.

Up until now, the most I paid for anything in the App Store was $4.99 and that was just once. So it's a big leap for me to pay $14.99. Again, it was worth it.

Here's the direct iTunes link. Tell me what you think. And whatever you do, don't review the app based on the price ... at least try it first. Too many reviews over in iTunes from people who clearly didn't pay the money and felt it necessary to give 1 star because they are comparing it to Weatherbug or Apple's weather app. That's truly like comparing apples and oranges.

Thanks for calling.

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Scott,

I like MyWeather too and look forward to upgrades that include foreign cities. Also would like humidity and dew point. It is a really well designed app and has some growing to do.

thanks for the suggestion
N

SCOTT'S REPLY: Anytime, Neil.

I am so mad with my iPhone 3G. Problems problems problems! Sorry scott, i needed to release some steam, and no place better to do it then here

SCOTT'S REPLY: You can always release steam here. Anything specific I can do to help?

MyWeather, like many good apps, is not available in Ireland. And in any case, if it were this August would merely display rain, rain, rain, rain and more rain.

SCOTT'S REPLY: Well, I believe I read that international support is coming ... and even if all you see is rain, you'll see it on awesome radar!

Husband and I have been looking for a good weather app, and took a close look at this one. Something *very* important for those of us in Florida (and those on the entire Gulf coast and east coast as well) really need is an app that gives us information on the tropics (i.e., tropical storms and hurricanes). There is no app which does this. Advance information is crucial to us; getting info once the storm is a few hours away is too late. Maybe you could use your good karma with this developer to talk him into adding access to information on the tropics. :-)

SCOTT'S REPLY: Indeed. Tropical weather is a very important aspect. I do wonder if that's on the list of future features. You are right ... that aspect really doesn't exist in any weather app.

How much data does this app. move? Would this app. be useful with a non 3G iPhone? Thanks

SCOTT's REPLY: It's useful still ... you just wouldn't have the benefit of the app knowing where you are. As far as how much data, you know that's an excellent question, Kevin. I don't know that there's a true and accurate way to measure how much data is used by an app. I would guess that the number always varies depending on network conditions and what data is actually being loaded.

This is for Jake and Helen.

Jake, hang in there. We will have an international version soon. Right now we want to get some needed features in for the next release that sets the application up for the international release. For instance, we have changed our city look-up so that the application can hold 50,000 to 60,000 cities, lat/lon data and other information without any performance hits. The current version has a little over 6,000 cities.

Helen, thanks for the suggestion on tropical weather. We don't have anything specific to tropical weather planned although this is the kind of feedback we look for. We want to continue to move the application forward with information or the way it is displayed that will set us apart. I will definitely add your request to our features list.

Thanks again,

Chuck Sholdt
Project Manager

SCOTT'S REPLY: Thank you very much, Chuck, for taking the time to come here and address questions ... that's the customer service I'm talking about, folks, and believe me I didn't ask Chuck to come here. But I'm not surprised that he did.

And to add, Chuck, I'm with Helen on tropical weather. It affects so many people ... and if you live on the coast, well, you start watching the storms the minute the first clouds appear off Africa. Sure, it's not something for everyone, but it would indeed set this product apart in a way where it would be hard for someone else to catch up.

I read your review and went to app store & purchased. I am still playing with & have not decided if I like yet - am I missing something regarding alerts do not see anything for them? Btw, I read this blog daily on my iPhone 3g- keep up good work!

SCOTT'S REPLY: Thank you for the kind words, Mike. No, you aren't missing anything. ... there currently aren't any alerts with this app ... until Apple releases its push notification service, alerts are tough on any app, specifically a weather app.

I THINK THERE IS TOO MUCH GRAPHICS OF THE LAND IN THE RADAR THAT CAUSES IT TO LOAD SLOW. A SIMPLE OUT LINE OF THE MAP AND NOT THAT GOOGLE EARTH KIND OF LOOK WOULD PROBABLY LOAD FASTER, ALSO TOO MANY CITIES AND TEXT THAT IS LARGE AND CLUSTERING A ALREADY SMALL MAP. TIDAL INFORMATION AND A MARINE FORCAST WOULD ALSO BE WELCOMED BY ME. HOPE TO SEE SOME IMPROVEMENT, BUT I STILL LIKE IT.

SCOTT'S REPLY: Well, sure, an outline would certainly load faster, but I believe in this day and age that you absolutely need the minute detail that apps like these provide, whether it's on the iPhone or somewhere else. If you look back to the way radar used to be, it was what you describe and it just didn't do justice. Sometimes, you need something a little more detailed.

And I'm sure MyWeather and the other weather apps all plan to add more to their apps down the road. Marine information is certainly something that's limited in scope, but necessary nonetheless.

As a sailor, I'm also a weather junkie. This is the best weather app I know of - I use it at least once a day. I really like the radar looping.
Would like to see European and Asian weather data at some point.

SCOTT'S REPLY: And since I hear international weather is coming, sounds like you'll get your wish.

Great review Scott. Have you had an opportunity to compare this to Fizz Weather on the app store? I'm torn between the two of these, and was hoping to see some sort of comparison. Thanks!!

SCOTT's REPLY: I have not done an actual review of Fizz, but I have downloaded it. I think the radar is much clearer and crisper on myweather than on fizz and I haven't been able to get the radar to loop on Fizz and it says that it's a feature. So I'm a little confused by that.

So this app does give you weather alerts (Thunderstorm, Tornado, etc etc)?

You just have to launch the app to get this information? At least until push notification is launched?

This is the one thing from keeping me from buying this program. I had the Weather Underground app on my Sidekick3 and loved it to death because it gave me up to the second alerts on everything.

SCOTT"S REPLY: Currently, no, Josh -- there are no severe weather alerts, but I'm told that it's in the cards in a future release.

can you e-mail me a few screen shots of the radar? perhaps zoomed all the way in on NJ. thanks.

SCOTT'S REPLY: Mike, I can ... but I need a few hours to get out of meetings. Can you tell me what town in New Jersey you live in?

I would gladly purchase this product if they included humidity as a variable their product tracks. Until then, no thanks. Pretty pictures only get you so far...

SCOTT's REPLY: Interesting. Not sure I ever heard of anyone being so interested in humidity, but, that said, it doesn't mean it's not important. 89 degrees in Florida is more like 143.

for the commenter who was looking for tropical weather
and severe weather alerts, one shouldn't forget about
the iphone tweaked version of weatherunderground:

http://i.wund.com/

severe storms and tropical weather right at the top,
and animated, although not full screen, radar maps.
(and it's free!!) i use it so often, i've added to my home screen.

mikey

SCOTT'S REPLY: I couldn't agree more, Mikey. Check out the following link:

http://weblogs.redeyechicago.com/iphoneblog/2008/08/excellent-tropi.html

I like the myweather app also - one thing they also need is a time stamp on the radar - I have no idea how current the radar image is - hopefully they add that soon.

SCOTT's REPLY: Interesting observation, Michael. That would be most helpful. Thanks for bringing it up.

Can you provide a means of sorting the cities alphabetically?

Some of the features I would like added in future versions of My Weather Mobile are:
1. A humidity chart; There is a chart for sun, rain, and wind; I can’t see it being that much harder to add one for humidity.
2. Show the actual sunrise and sunset on the sun chart or another chart.
3. Show less map detail in the radar or at least an option so maps load faster.
4. An option to show trends in one-hour increments.
5. Severe weather notifications (not sure if this is already included; I have not had any bad weather yet).

This is just about a one-stop application for me; I absolutely love it. I have had to use Weather Bug and weather.com for all my needs; Now I can use this application for nearly everything and weather.com for sunset times and hourly humidity charts. I would love to ditch weather.com and solely rely on My Weather Mobile.

If you care about the weather enough to buy an application when there are free options, then I would absolutely recommend this one; It has lots information and many ways to view it.

http://www.joelcarlton.com/my-weather-mobile/

SCOTT's REPLY: Thanks for the great thoughts, Joel. I agree 100 percent.

The developers have said that severe weather alerts are coming and I applaud that. Absolutely necessary.

Also needing fixed (to speak like the Pittsburgher that I am at heart) is the icons - sun shows in the middle of the night -- and barometric pressure is shown in millibars which is no good unless I'm in Canada or I'm tracking a hurricane.

Speaking of, I'd like to see a tropical weather function added as well.

But overall, I agree ... as far as the apps go, MyWeather is the best of the bunch.

Hey Scott,
Well, I went out and finally purchased My Weather, and I have to say that I'm disappointed with it. It looks beautiful, but other than that, it's proven so far to be very inaccurate. First off, it was raining here last night, and yet the sky graph showed 0" and clear for the time, 10:30 pm. Same thing happened this morning. Speaking of icons, last night the sun icon was showing when it should have been a moon with clouds and rain; you mentioned this, but I don't understand how/why My Weather still hasn't updated this small feature. The standard iPhone weather app gets the icons right, so I would have thought a paid app would as well. Lastly, certain towns where I live are not listed as selectable cities to add to the list; very frustrating because I can add them to the standard iPhone app. Maybe these will be fixed in an update, but so far, my impressions of My Weather haven't been that favorable. The format is very nice to look at, but I personally prefer accuracy over visuals. Thanks for listening.

SCOTT'S REPLY: Damion, I'm sorry to hear this. It's been quite accurate sans the icons for me all along. Have you sent this comment along to the developers? They are very, very receptive it appears from my experience and I'm sure they will address this because obviously this isn't what anyone wants to hear.

Hello Damion,

You’re right; there is no moon icon in the current conditions. This is the result of time not being associated with the thousands of weather stations from which we receive hourly data feeds. Thus when we display current conditions, we cannot associate the display with the proper day or night icon. We can display the weather features, rain, snow, etc. icon based on the data feed. We are working on a database update that will determine time and properly display the moon. Sounds easy, but is actually a large project for our database. Be assured, we are working on this issue.

As for the precipitation trend graph, why don’t you write our support line and we can go into further detail about the Trend graphs. Low precipitation, updated forecast models and low rainfall sometimes causes confusion for users on the apparent rainfall.

We look forward to helping you.

Best,
MyWeather Mobile
Project Coordinator

SCOTT's REPLY: Just another reason why my opinion of MyWeather is so high ... when you can get a project coordinator to take the time to answer questions here in this forum, I think it speaks volumes.

Hello.....I am about to upgrade my existing phone for another, but currently have a Motorola Izar. I have used "MyCast" (from Garmin) for several years, & love it! It has about all of the features that you have mentioned for this app, but also has warnings via text AND colored county alerts, & also tells you if one of your towns you have saved is in some kind of warning. (Including severe weather, heat warnings, high wind warnings, fire risk, etc.) It has radar, infrared radar, visual clouds radar, & a weather map showing humidity, etc. It also has warnings as well as various radar shots for hurricanes/tropical storms. It gives text forecasts, as well as live conditions, & more.....It does not have just selected cities already programmed in, you can pick the smallest of towns, & it will have it.....I didn't think it was available for iPhone, but see upon checking their site, that they now have a Beta version for the iPhone:
http://www.digitalcyclone.com/products/free-web-weather/#betaBrowser

Main page:
http://www.digitalcyclone.com/products/mobile-my-cast/

SCOTT'S REPLY: Not sure if this is someone trying to put in an ad or what, but I checked it out -- and you know what? This is really good. However, we mustn't forget the difference between an iPhone-optimized site and an actual application. They are not the same. Applications allow for much more freedom (usually) and don't always require a constant Internet connection. But overall, I do like this.

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