[App Review] Weather Services PRO
Weather Services PRO is unique in the fast-growing field of weather app in so much as you can actually customize the just about any aspect of the app to your liking. Combine that feature with a good-looking interface, and you have yourselves a decent weather app. However, there are some issues that the buyer should [...]
Weather Services PRO is unique in the fast-growing field of weather app in so much as you can actually customize the just about any aspect of the app to your liking. Combine that feature with a good-looking interface, and you have yourselves a decent weather app. However, there are some issues that the buyer should be aware of, and these issues should be considered when thinking about buying Weather Services PRO. Read on past the break to get our take on this app.
Let’s not beat around the bush here. There are a lot of weather apps out there, and they are all clambering for your attention, and more importantly, your money. The main thing to consider here is what very much obvious to begin with– these apps pretty much just take data from a couple of weather sources and make them look pretty. Here is where Weather Services PRO shines, it is very pretty.
CORE FUNCTIONALITY:
- Live and detailed local weather conditions and forecasts
- Access up to tens of thousands locations around the world
- Exact dynamic and automated current location search with ‘My Location’ functionality
- 6 desktop weather widgets with (Flip Clock 4×2, Forecast 4×2, Large 4×2, Forecast 4×1, Clock 4×1, Mini 1×1)
- Notification bar icon witch temperature and weather details
- Up to 10 active locations
COOL FEATURES:
- Live Webcams for every location to see the real weather conditions (largest webcams network)
- Forecast Charts
- Weather Maps for precipitation, clouds, temperatures and wind (also in HD available)
There are a few themes to pick from, and they are all very nice to look at. There’s a default theme, a shiny theme, a dark theme, a light theme. You get the picture, but what’s very unique about Weather Services PRO is how you can take that theme and make it all your own by customizing it and making it your theme. So while the themes that are provided are more than adequate, you can certainly spend time digging into the settings that allow you change how the app looks. However, looks are one thing, and actually reporting the weather is another thing.
The app defaults to a weather provider called YR.no. While I understand that having a Norwegian weather service might allow for more accurate weather reporting in Europe, it is so poor at reporting weather in the US that I actually thought that there was something wrong with the app. While there are also selections for WeatherBug and Google weather, YR.no is the default service. While I really wished that the 82º F was right, the reality is it is over 100º F, and that’s a pretty significant difference.
The charts and general flow were very smooth through the whole app and overall felt smooth on both my Droid Charge running Gingerbread and also my Galaxy Nexus running Jelly Bean. However, on JB I did see an issue with the little temperature notification that lives in the top left hand corner of the notification tray. The app defaults this temperature notification to white, but it shows up as black font on a black background. I assume this is an issue with the app itself, changing the color of the notification didn’t seem to help. It may be a compatibility issue with 4.0+.
Overall Weather Services Pro does go above and beyond as a weather app by allowing the user to customize their experience with the app. The widgets are pretty and come in all sorts of sizes to accommodate the real estate needs of users on their home screens. However, the default weather service is located halfway across the world from the US, and does a terribad job of reporting the weather, but Google Weather and WeatherBug are good options to choose from. The weather maps came across in low res and were unusable. However, the app as a whole is missing just a bit of spit and polish, the indistinguishable quality that makes it stellar. The devs are constantly looking to make this app better and it has a 4.1 rating on the Android Play Store, which I agree is an accurate score for this app.
Rating:
Google Play Info
SIZE: 6.3M
UPDATED:June 15, 2012
CURRENT VERSION: 1.6pro
REQUIRES ANDROID: 2.1 and up
CATEGORY: Weather
INSTALLS: 1,000 – 5,000
Play Store Link: Weather Services PRO $1.89
John Ennis
When the USAF dropped this New Jersey boy off in Louisiana, he had no idea that the fun was just beginning. John has turned wrenches on jet engines in a Combat AGE team, raided Molten Core in the day, pwn n00bs in Battlefield 3, and can speak iOS and Android.
John has a BS degree in Culinary Arts, and is working on a Master’s in Education. Married and a father of 4 boys, John gets his screen name, Broadwayblues, from the NHL team the New York Rangers, loves the NY Giants and admits that he likes the NY Mets too. He cuddles his Galaxy Nexus at night.
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