The Weather Channel Interactive Inc.

Your Android smartphone or tablet probably came with a handy weather app and widget pre-installed, but sometimes they’re just not detailed or flexible enough. This is where third party Android apps come in handy. Joining the ranks of some already popular weather apps like The Weather Channel and WeatherBug, here are a handful of 2011 weather apps that made us pray for rain. While Accuweather has been around for a while, it’s good to see the company has optimized its weather app for the ever-growing Android tablet sector. This Honeycomb version gathers everything you expect from the smartphone app, but makes it shine on the bigger screen. With its Google Maps integration and GPS capabilities, you can access local forecasts from anywhere you and your tablet may be, as well as see upcoming predictions for the next 15 days. Accuweather’s app is totally free and offers a lot of deeper functionality like alerts, lifestyle forecasts, home screen widgets and more. This was once only available from outside the Android Market, but thankfully developers made it available within Google’s marketplace. Before you fork out the $2.99 being asked for Palmary Weather Premium, give the free version a test drive first. The app’s forecasts are very accurate, with a database of 80,000 world locations that pinpoint where you are as you travel. You can display the current temperature in your status bar, and there are plenty of charts to view (though admittedly, they’re not the app’s strongest feature). The widgets available within the app are highly flexible, but you’ll need to pony-up for the full version to access them all as the free version offers just three. This one gets in because it takes a refreshingly novel approach to weather reports. Weddar dubs itself as “the first people-powered weather service in the world.” Instead of broad and generic readings like temperature, wind speed or relative humidity, in Weddar the people out in the real world report in about the current conditions where they are. Someone on one side of the city might say it feels cool and breezy, for example, while someone else in another part of town may claim it’s colder there. As we all know, the weather can feel different depending on where you are, especially in a large metro area. For Weddar to be successful, it needs lots of people reporting the conditions, but if you really want to know Read More

With the wet and cold winter season already upon us it’s important as ever to know what the weather’s going to be like outside so one can plan their day accordingly. Depending on where you live and what you do for a living, the weather can have a big impact on what kind of day you’ll have, and reliable weather forecast information is vital to it all. There are tons of weather apps for Android smartphones available, but which are the best to use? And in particular, which are the best free weather apps for Android smartphones to use? I’ve gone through dozens of them and sorted the good from the bad to save you time. I’ve listed the pros and cons of each and included screenshots to give you an idea of what to expect. AccuWeather for Android is probably my favorite of the bunch. It’s a free weather app for Android that has all of the features and functions I’d need packaged in a clean and sleek user interface. An interesting option is the ability to share weather data with family and friends via email, Google+, Facebook, Twitter, and more. Save up to 10 favorite locations that show current temperature along with a short description. Pros: Cons: MyWeather Mobile for Android is free weather app for Android that offers a more customized weather data experience than most. Users can automatically sync the app with their MyWeather.com site account settings so that they can have access to important weather data wherever and whenever you want. Pros: Cons: Weatherbug for Android is a free weather app for Android that’s probably one of the more widely used weather apps and for good reason: It has a ton of features and functions that the others simply don’t have. Weatherbug offers everything from weather cams and live Doppler radar to video forecasts and weather alerts. Want to share current weather information, forecast, alerts and weather cam views with friends and family? Well, you can do that too. To be honest, there’s not much Weather bug doesn’t do, and for some that’s the problem. It can be a real memory hog if some of the app’s settings aren’t tamped down accordingly. Pros: Cons: Unsurprisingly, the Weather Channel offers a weather app for Android of its own. The TV channel that offers nothing but weather news 24/7 puts that same information in the palm of your Read More

...problems with the new Weather Channel for iPad app, however, are the same as with the old app: the advertising. There's simply too much of it. There's actually so much it becomes distracting. Yeah, The Weather Channel for iPad is a free app and they've got to make their money back some way, but it would be nice if TWC offered an in-app purchase for $0.99 or so that allowed people to get rid of... Read More

Get ahead of Hurricane Irene and storm season with some watchful Android apps designed to keep you safe. With hurricanes overhead and earthquakes underfoot, there’s no telling what could happen next. Whether you’re in the middle of danger or concerned about loved ones living on the east coast, there are Android apps from FEMA, The Weather Channel and others that can alert you of oncoming danger, and help you prepare for the worst. Stay safe and in-the-know with these Android apps. For all things natural disasters, the FEMA app is the way to go. It can help you prepare for different types of disasters, including hurricanes and earthquakes. With an interactive checklist for emergency kits, a planner for emergency meeting locations and a map with FEMA Disaster Recovery Center locations, this app is a digital toolkit for survival. The FEMA Android app also contains information and tips on staying safe after a disaster has hit, but be certain to study this app before danger arrives, so you can be mentally and physically prepared. Even if you’re not in the middle of a disaster yourself, this app also has information on ways to help those affected. As one of the most trusted resources for weather updates, The Weather Channel app contains animated radar data and storm tracking information so you can stay in the know. Get alerts pinpointed to locations, including one that will follow your location. There’s also integration with iWitness Weather and multiple language support, along with many map views for varied perspectives. The Weather Channel app also has an online community where you can share photos and videos, telling your own story. The full version of Weatherbug gives you current conditions, forecasts, radar animation and alerts, for locations all around the world. You can map all sorts of weather occurences, including lightening strikes, wind speed and pressure. You’ll also see alert maps with message updates from the National Weather Service, and you can save as many locations as you want in order to track storms across the nation. Weatherbug also has a home screen widget for instant access, and weather cams to see live images from hundreds of weather cameras across the U.S. For a more specific take on weather tracking, the full version of Hurricane Hound features current radar and weather satellite overlays for its ad-free edition. Radar data is based on satellite coverage on most of the Read More

If you're in the path of Hurricane Irene and you haven't gone through the App Store already looking for the best sources of info on the storm, there are others who have done it for you. Information Week, Appolicious, and MSNBC's Technolog have all made lists of apps for various flavors of smartphones. Virtually all the lists of apps include the free Weather Channel App for iOS, Android, Windows Phone 7, and Blackberry*. The application description doesn't clearly state if the free app (there's a paid version) has push notification for weather alerts, but the $3.99 Weather Channel Max app does include them. Aside from TWC's contributions, there's also the paid Hurricane for iPhone or Hurricane HD for iPad which shows up in multiple lists of suggested apps. You may want to try searching for an app for a TV station in your area; a lot of them have notifications for breaking news or weather alerts which you can set up. CNN has a few apps listed alongside Twitter feeds to watch and things like a multipurpose radio which includes weather band information, a flashlight, a USB port for charging, and a hand crank to make the whole thing go. Google has set up a crisis response map with a wide variety of layers including power outages, shelters, forecasts and loads more. Here are some basic tips for maximizing battery life on your smartphone/tablet/laptop/e-reader in case of power outages: Turn the screen brightness down as low as you can, turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and if you can run multiple apps at once, quit anything extraneous. That way you'll get the most out of your battery before you have to hook it to that Axis radio and work the hand crank till your arm gives out. If you do need this list of apps because you're in Irene's path, all of us at TUAW (who aren't battening down our own hatches) are thinking of you and wishing you well. *Irene doesn't care what smartphone you use. Read More

by There’s a lot of excitement on the East Coast this week. In addition to Tuesday’s earthquake, Hurricane Irene will likely make an appearance this weekend in the Carolinas and possibly elsewhere. As I write this, Hurricane Irene is wreaking havoc on the north coast of the Dominican Republic, but who knows where it will go? The National Weather Service reported Tuesday morning that the storm is moving northwest at 10 mph. By Thursday, it’s expected to strengthen into a Category 3 storm. Predicting the path of a hurricane is notoriously difficult work. Since things can change quickly, you can, in effect, become your own meteorologist by using many of the same tools the pros use. In this day and age, there are a wealth of online tools that can help you track the hurricane. If you’re one of the millions of people in the path of Hurricane Irene, you might want to avail yourself of the following resources. 1 of 12 If you want the official word on what's going on, check in to the National Weather Service's site. Though there are sites with better graphics, the NWS is a good all-around resource for all things weather-related, including oil spills and even space weather. 1 NOAA nowCOAST lets you make a customized, real-time map using NOAA data. If you're interested in variables like the sea surface temperature and precipitation estimates, this site may be for you, but for others, this may be TMI. 2 A great resource from MyFoxTampaBay and the FOX Network, MyFoxHurricane has tons of pictures and an obsessively updated blog. 3 The Weather Channel has all the stuff that the other sites have along with lots of video, of course. 4 AccuWeather has forecasts and lots of news, with just about every angle into the hurricane you can think of. 5 Ibiseye is a big map with information about the storm's track and intensity. A graphical synopsis of the storm’s winds, pressure and wind field is also available. 6 The Weather Underground has the usual features of the other sites plus the site’s trademarked “Wundermap,” on which you can choose layers of information to display. 7 Stormpulse integrates information from the National Hurricane Center to give you a real-time map of the storm's progress. 8 Are you curious about what the hurricane looks like from outer space? Check out the latest satellite pictures direct from NASA’s Earth Read More

As the Android market grows it gets harder and harder to separate the golden apps from the dross. Here's a list of 50 Android apps that you don't want to pass by. 1) The Weather Channel Keep up with everything you need to know about the weather with this app. It features hourly, 36-hour and 10-day forecasts and live video from the TV channel. Free. 2) iTriage Mobile Health Use this app to help take better care of yourself. It was designed by two emergency room physicians to help users identify their systems and find a healthcare provider. Free. 3) Google Goggles Google Goggles is a visual search app. Take a picture of the object, landmark, logo, etc. you want information about and Google Goggles will return relevant search results. It will even provide information about businesses by displaying their names directly in the camera preview. Free. 4) Flixster Use this app to keep up with everything about the movies. In addition to movie reviews and show times, you can watch trailers and clips from just about any movie. Free. 5) Kayak Flight and Hotel Search This travel app lets you search multiple airline and deal Web sites for the best price on a flight. You can use it to book your travel, hotel and car rentals, and even to check the status of your flight. Free. 6) Mint.com Personal Finance Manage your money and keep track of your budget while on the move using Mint. It gives you up-to-date information on your accounts and lets you edit transaction info right on your phone. And it's password protected to make sure your information stays safe. Free. 7) Amazon Kindle for Android Want to read an electronic book, newspaper or magazine but don't have your Kindle with you? Or don't have a Kindle at all? It's not a problem with this app, which allows you to read any of 900,000 Kindle-formatted books with your Android device. And Amazon's Whispersync that your last page read, bookmarks, notes and highlights will sync across your various devices. Free. 8) Google+ If you're already an avid desktop Google+ user, this app is for you. It lets you seamlessly take Google's new social sharing platform mobile. Free. 9) Slacker Radio Want to create favorite radio stations and take them with you wherever you go? This app has you covered. While other apps—notably Pandora and Last.fm—also allow you Read More

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A few weeks ago I got stuck for many hours at LaGuardia airport in New York (shocking, I realize, given how smooth air travel is these days). While at the Delta terminal I saw dozens of iPads installed next to small booths, designed for travelers to recharge and possibly play a game or order some food. We knew this was coming, but I was surprised to see them there nonetheless. While the iPads were physically locked down, iOS was pretty much just stock, with the apps Delta wants you to use on one screen, and all the stock iOS apps (Mail, Safari, etc.) on the other screen. I didn't see anyone swipe to the second screen while I was at the terminal. As you can see in the screenshot below, the apps Delta has added to the iPad are: Epicurious, Google Earth, SportsTap, Checkers Free HD, CNBC Real-Time for iPad, USA Today, Hangman Classic HD (the one I saw people playing the most, incidentally), Marketboard, Tic Tac Toe Free, The Weather Channel Max, WebMD, , [it is a web shortcut to Delta.com, in fact. - Ed.] plus web shortcuts for a feedback form about the food and beverage company which runs the services at the terminal, and a pitch to have your apps on the iPads. Lastly, there's a simple menu app for Crust, which was at the Delta terminal. Have any of you tried these out? Let us know your reactions in the comments. Read More

If you're in the market for a brand-new smartphone--or if you feel that you haven’t fully taken advantage of your current one--finding great apps is the last piece of the puzzle. The sheer number of apps available on the market can be daunting, but our package of essentials should be more than enough to get you started. In this article we've assembled the top software for Android phones; if you have a different mobile OS, be sure to see our picks for BlackBerry, iOS, or Windows Phone 7. Our list is selective: Apps such as those for Amazon, Facebook, and Google Maps aren’t included here, because if your phone didn’t come preloaded with those, you’ve probably already downloaded them. The apps we did choose to list are intended to expand the functionality of your smartphone and make tasks easier, faster, more secure, and even more fun. You may even discover a few items in this collection that you simply can’t live without. You can easily find the following apps by searching in the Android Market. You'll need to have an account there, and the apps may cost a dollar or two. Before you buy, read the minimum requirements for each app to confirm that it will run on your phone. Remember that downloading apps counts against your monthly data-usage limit. And for the latest app reviews, be sure to visit our Android AppGuide. Beluga The easy-to-use Beluga group text service allows friends to join conversations, coordinate activities, and update their locations on a map, making this app a perfect tool for organizing group gatherings in new places. Imo Have tons of friends? Do they all use different instant messaging services? No problem: Imo eliminates the hassle by allowing you to sign in to the most popular instant messengers all at the same time. Bump Pass information easily from one smartphone to another with Bump. When two devices both running the app are physically "bumped" together, the selected content transfers over, even if one is an iPhone and the other is an Android-based handset. Dropbox If you use Dropbox on your desktop PC, you already know that it's the easiest way to sync files across multiple systems. With Dropbox for your mobile device, you can quickly move files from your PC to your phone without having to plug your handset into the computer. Gmote Through this app, you can move the cursor Read More