For those of us who commute to work, plan quite a few trips, or plan events outdoors, taking the weather conditions into consideration bodes well for preparations. It allows for advance planning and preparation, bringing the possibility of disaster-free success a little closer. Let’s look at some of the weather clients that are available for the Symbian mobile user.
Mobile Weather is a great weather client, but unfortunately it works only on Nokia S60 mobile handsets, and furthermore only on the Second and Third editions of S60. Apart from this particular flaw, the client delivers weather information perfectly well.
The user can choose as many cities as he wishes to appear in his list. The application comes bundled with a database with a lot of city names, from all over the globe. The user can then select the cities as per choice, and set up a list for weather information. The list is quite comprehensive and as a direct result exceedingly long. There is a search function similar to the one used in the Contacts application. A definite plus point is that the database occupies very little space and saves on receiving information via mobile Internet.
The information available for weather is comprehensive, including parameters such as temperature, exact weather conditions, and details about wind – like direction and speed, for example. The detailed view of the city also specifics exactly when the last update had taken place, and at what time. A forecast of the weather only up to the next day is possible.
Updates can be scheduled regularly as per user preferences, and can either be automated at specific time intervals, or manually carried out. The interface is colourful and neat, but there are no extra features to make this application unduly exciting in any way.
The first impression of Handy Weather is that it is very aesthetically pleasing. The interface is beautifully designed, and although it is a simple application, it presents an extremely sophisticated look.
Once a city has been configured, the application displays a graph depicting the weather graphically over a period of five days. The days are divided into columns and contain, a small graphic at the top depicting the conditions, a temperature reading, and the date information along the x-axis. The dots are connected, showing a trend. This graph is separated into the Day graph and the Night graph.
Updates take place every eight hours, unless the setting is changed. Detailed information about the weather is provided on a screen, however there are two features which make this application truly exceptional.
One is the satellite map views of the city and the surrounding cities. This can be zoomed out to include countries and continents. These views can be customized to show pressure and weather. The second great feature is the application’s ability to take the city’s weather information and display in the phone’s screensaver, making the information instantly accessible without even entering the application.