| Author | Message | ||
     Blake |
Knowing when & where bad weather ![: ]](http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/clipart/proud.gif) may threaten is vital to us serious two-wheeling men of substance and discerning adventurous women too. Thus a good weather app for the phone is invaluable. Yeah, we can tote around a weather radio, but then we have to listen to the whole routine. Visual works WAY better for me. Which is the best most informative weather app for our phones? My vote is for the prior version (3.x) of AccuWeather.com's weather app, NOT their newest 4.x version; it is lacking in many ways, not just features, but format and presentation, not to mention the intrusive ads. The features that make the prior version AccuWeather app the best weather I've found...  One screen five day inclement weather "Alarm" summary for rain, snow, ice, fog, wind...  One screen eight hour "risk" assessment for disruptive weather potential  National Weather Service Alerts  Full Screen, No Ad, Radar.  The current, hourly, and 15-day forecast screens are easy to read and instantly informative. Five days or hours are displayed at once and scrolling left to right pulls in the rest. Rockin'!  I've not found any other weather apps with the above features. Did I miss one? | ||
| Jaimec |
I've always liked "Weatherbug" both on my PC and on my Droid. The Droid has a "Status Bar" that posts various alerts. Without even opening the app, I can see the current temperature and whether or not there is a severe weather alert in the area. Not unlike the little "Status" section on the Windows Task Bar, actually. I can open the app for more detailed information, including current conditions, five day forecasts, and scrollable weather radar map. Very handy. The latest versions of Android come with a built-in weather app, but it isn't nearly as good, nor as complete as the Weatherbug. I'll admit, however, that I haven't looked at anything else. I'm sure there's an iPhone version of Weatherbug, but from past reviews comparing the two operating systems I know iPhone doesn't have an equivalent of the Android "Status Bar" so I don't know if the Weatherbug developers have worked around that or not. | ||
| Toona |
I've been using the Weather Channel's app. It has a screen for current temp, screen for next 36 hrs, 10 day forecast, 30 min elapsed time radar loop (that can be zoomed in and out), alerts for severe weather-when necessary and I can have it play my "local on the 8's" at any time | ||
| Guell |
ive just been using the weather channel app on my evo. Works fine for me | ||
| Blake |
Weatherbug is the closest I found, but falls short. I don't own an Android phone. Not worth swapping at this point. Maybe in the future. I really like the iPhone. It feels like it's carved form solid billet. | ||
| Badlionsfan |
I use the weather channel app and one called myweather mobile, which I don't see in the app store any more. I drive a truck in Ohio and Pa every night, so good weather info is important to me. The things I like about Myweather is the radar is nicer than twc and I have push notification set up for when a weather alert is issued for several cities along my nightly route. The weather channel app has more forecast options, from the hourly, 36 hour and ten day. When I just want to see a quick look at current conditions, the pre installed app is great assuming you've got the city in question pre programed. | ||
| Court |
Kinda related . . but Verizon will be holding a press conference at Lincoln Center here in NYC on Tuesday to roll out the iPhone. Apple store employees have been told that no one is allowed to take vacation in February. Cool. | ||
| Blake |
Sweet. No more free upgrades for my AT&T family account. Verizon here I come! | ||
| Court |
I'm with you . . . I'm not a huge fan of Verizon but it allows me to do something that AT&T doesn't . . . talk on the phone. Seriously . . it's a joke in NYC. All the years I had Verizon . . I dropped maybe 1 call a month. With AT&T I drop at least 10 a day. To tell you the truth . . . I wasn't totally unhappy with my first mobile phone. it was IMTS and my number was YP-80895.  It was a simple matter of picking up the handset . . making certain no one else was on the channel. If they were I'd listen to their conversation to entertain myself. (Note: Only one person could be using the phone, on a given channel, at a time). When they got off, I'd squeeze the trigger and the gal would answer "Mobile" . . . I'd respond . . "This is YP-80895 registered Topeka, KS and I want to call area code and number". I could likely make 25 calls a month out . . . and receive perhaps 2. I upgraded to the sleek Executive when they came out. Same IMTS system . . . but a real James Bond look.  We, at the time, were one of Motorola larger commercial accounts . . . in that we had several hundred 2-Way radios (we used primarily the Motrac . . again a head on the console with a large drawer unit in the truck or mounted behind the spare tire in our Chevrolet Blazers. Needless to say . . . when the cellphone system was announced . . I ran up to the Motorola store on Belt Line in Addison and bought a couple of the first ones. They were the Motorola, GMS I think . . . first models about the time they introduced VSP (Vehicle Speaker Phone) which was a real novelty. To make a cellphone call from Dallas to LA . . .I'd dial the LA cell number . . . get an LA dial tone and then dial the local number . . . I have to say . . that system was far better than the current AT&T service. P.S. - Yes . . . I bought one of the first Motorola 8000X "Brick Phones" . . but we had portables . . even in the IMTS days . .  | ||
| Blake |
I hated those curly chords. I don't get dropped calls very often, but I sure do appreciate the vast 3G coverage that Verizon offers. | ||
| Blake |
But speaking of weather... What the?!?!?  So much for mowing the lawn today.  | ||
| Badlionsfan |
I've been hearing verizon will get the iPhone since I first got my original iPhone 3 years ago. I'll believe it when I see it. I've been with att for years and really don't have much of an issue with them, other than once I get east of Pittsburgh on the Pa turnpike I lose 3G. If verizon gets the iPhone I'll sit back and see what people complain about and go with the lesser of the 2 evils. | ||
| Jaimec |
Most likely the billing. Verizon is NOT the cheapest provider out there... but in my experience they are the best, hands down. Its worth the extra expense to me. | ||
| Americanmadexb |
http://techcrunch.com/2011/01/09/five-ways-the-ver izon-iphone-will-change-the-mobile-landscape/ | ||
| Timo31 |
Good article. Personally, I haven't had any issues with AT&T since I got my iphone 3g a couple years ago. I will probably be even happier after all of the complainers jump ship and choke the VZ network. Also, I like the older version of the Accuweather app. | ||
| Ourdee |
Blake, Wish it was that warm here. I'd be riding. Court, My first was in a bag and plugged into the car. Antenna went on top with a magnet. I made one or two calls a month. | ||
| Jaimec |
Verizon's been selling Android phones hand over fist. If they haven't choked the network yet, then Steve Jobs little baby won't do it either. Android outsold iPhone in 2010. That's easy to do... just like in the PC World, Android is available from multiple manufacturers in multiple form factors. iPhone is the modern tech equivalent of the Model "T:" Any color you want as long as it's black. Like I said in the other thread... iPhone is facing the same thing the Mac did and for the same reason: Apple's obsessive need to control every single aspect of the device. You will see far faster evolution occurring in the Android world where you have a much freer flowing source of ideas feeding it. | ||
| Court |
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100014240527487047 39504576068170230339348.html | ||
| Americanmadexb |
I been with Verizon for 10 years and i will stick with the Android platform. Not a fan at all of how Apple likes to control everything. I have an Ipod and i don't like that i cant even update FREE games without a credit card on file. Told a guy at work who has an iphone that and he was like HUH? He was shocked to know that i dont need a credit card for my phone to work. He is switching to Verizon this week. | ||
| Blake |
That article is hugely biased, trying to belittle Verizon's superior service by pointing out that massive congestion will affect Verizon the same as it effects AT&T. That doesn't change the fact that Verizon's data network (high bandwidth, high speed cell phone internet service) dwarfs that of AT&T. Nothing illustrates it better than a picture...  Their plain old voice coverage is better too. | ||
| Xl1200r |
I tried Accuweather a few years ago, didn't like the doppler feature as you couldn't zoom and/or pan around easily or at all. Since then, I've stuck with the Weather Channel app and it's gotten much better over the years. I downloaded the new Accuweather (understanding it's not as good as the previous version) and the Weatherbug app - both look good, but after a quick playing around I still like the Weather Channel app best, Weatherbug second and Accuweather third, but I'll leave them on the phone and give them all a fair shot - maybe I'll switch. As far as AT&T vs Verizon - I was with Verizon before I switched to AT&T when I got my iPhone a couple years ago. In my area, I noticed no change in service in any regard. I do have to say, looking at the maps posted above, that I've been in many of the areas where Verizon has coverage and AT&T does not, and I have to ask "Why?" lol. Also, this is just hearsay, but I was led to believe that AT&T's lackluster 3G coverage was due to them working on a next generation network, but I could be wrong. Like I said in the other thread... iPhone is facing the same thing the Mac did and for the same reason: Apple's obsessive need to control every single aspect of the device. You will see far faster evolution occurring in the Android world where you have a much freer flowing source of ideas feeding it. Go look at Mac's laptop sales growth and revisit your comment. I agree that Mac, both phones and computers, are more limiting in many ways, but still more than flexible enough for 99.9% of users. And the real techy ones that need to mess with things know all the ways around to do so. | ||
| Blake |
Good article Court. Some interesting excerpts... Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs ... criticized Android as fragmented, referring to the myriad ways the software appears on the many different phones that use it. | ||
| Jaimec |
I'm just waiting for the first Android phones on Verizon's new LTE network. Of course they'll be at a premium price level... but that will change. | ||
| Americanmadexb |
Actually, the LTE will be $10 cheaper, but there will be a 5mb download cap for $50. Or, for $80 you can get a 10mb cap. If you go over your cap, its an additional $10 per gigabyte. Not going to do anything for me until they get rid of the cap. All the LTE means to me is i will be at the cap faster. (Message edited by americanmadexb on January 09, 2011) | ||
| Americanmadexb |
Also, verizon claims 12mb upstream with the LTE. It will take 55min to reach 5mb. | ||
| Jaimec |
Right now I'm on an unlimited 3G plan. I've exceeded 5M almost every month for the first several months. It's slowed down now... the novelty has worn off, and I use more WiFi when I can find it as it IS faster. Still, it's come in handy when I needed to use my laptop and I thought the hotel was charging more than I thought I should pay for WiFi. Just used my phone as a high-speed digital modem. Speed is comparable to a DSL connection. I suspect with LTE it will be more like cable. Blake, when using Verizon's flavor of 3G, there is one limitation: You can do voice OR data, but not both at the same time (unless you have a WiFi connection too). I don't believe you'll have that limitation with LTE, but the first iPhones will be CDMA, not LTE. I've never had a problem with this limitation. The only time I've had to worry about it was when I was using my phone as a navigator and a phone call would come in. Still, the Google Navigator caches enough of the route that even a long call won't interrupt your navigation; when a turn comes up it'll interrupt your phone call to tell you (your listener will hear it too). I used to be like the others here... had a Motorola V60s for YEARS. I got it to make and receive phone calls... PERIOD. Stubbornly refused to upgrade till the Droid came available. Now that I have the Droid, I wonder how I was ever able to get along without it! Modern smartphones are electronic Swiss Army Knives. You can do damned near ANYTHING with them. Navigation, finding a nearby movie or restaurant, flashlight, ATM locater, camera, travel alarm, etc. etc. Amazing stuff. | ||
| Blake |
Ian, I have no idea what you are talking about, not even the pricing; it costs $50 for 5MB but only $10 more for 1GB?  Are you talking bytes or bits? Lowercase typically implies bits, but your "m" "mega" is also typically uppercase so as not to confuse with "m" for "mili". 55 minutes to reach 5MB at 12MB upstream? There appear to be denominators missing; "per second" perhaps? I wanna learn, but I'm just more confused. "LTE"? | ||
| Americanmadexb |
Sorry Blake. I did mean to put 12mbps on the upstream. I didn't do the math but I read where at that rate it would take 55 min to reach your 5Gb cap. Its $10 more PER every 1Gb you go over the 5Gb at the $50 monthly plan. For $80 a month you can get a cap at 10Gb, but there is still a $10 extra charge for every 1Gb you go over 10Gb. Hope that's clearer. I'm on my phone at work and I'm sure I'm missing something.  | ||
| Americanmadexb |
Oh. "LTE" is Long-Term Evolution. I guess because there is really no such thing as 4G, they didn't want to call it 4G? Idk | ||
| Reepicheep |
Cool walk through history Court... thanks for posting those pictures. |
