 Weather apps for iOS are a dime a dozen. However, there are a select few that really stand out in terms of user interface (UI), accuracy, and are just plain nice to look at. A new app called Check The Weather is one that combines a nice UI and clean presentation of weather information. Starting the app brings you to the primary information screen which displays the current temperature and conditions, a chart showing the tempurature progression for several hours and a 3 day forecast at the bottom. As you can see, Check The Weather (CTW) follows what I call the "clean" look that many UI's are standardizing on, a white background with use of selective font typefaces. I find the presenation style of CTW very plesant to look at.  CTW is very quick to refresh its data which cannot be said for some other weather apps that I have used in the past. In terms of accuracy, I am not sure of the source that the developer is using but I have found that CTW is usually on par with another one of my favorite weather apps, Weather HD which uses Accuweather for its data source. To obtain more detail, the UI supports swipe gestures from the sides of the screen to access other panels of information, including extended hourly and daily forecasts. A swipe from the bottom will open a doppler radar map that integrates with Dark Sky, an extremely accurate information source for precipitation levels and chance of rain for a given area. Extended Daily Forecast (Swipe to Left), Extended Hourly Forcast (Swipe to the right), and Doppler Radar (Swipe from bottom):
Hazardous weather alerts from the National Weather Service are also displayed on the main screen when available. CTW uses the iOS location service to poll GPS coordinates and report the weather from the current location. Other locations can be added by pressing the location bar at the top of the screen which will slide down a panel which will list other locations and provide the opportunity to add addtional ones. CTW's minimal settings controls (24hr time and Celsius/Farhenheit) are also accessible from this panel. One of the minor issues I found with the reporting of locations was that app did not report my town as the current location but rather the larger New York City metro area. Sometimes the difference in weather conditions can be significantly different based on the granularity of the location, even in the same city. I contacted the developer of CTW and he informed me that the weather information is based on the GPS coordinates that are read from the device and that the labeling of the location may not be as accurate. The developer mentioned that he will attempt to improve that reporting in possible future updates. This is a minor quibble, just as long as the weather is being reported accurately for my current location. Overall, CTW is yet another very well designed weather application for the iOS platform. The app is is priced at $1.99 USD. If you are a fan of elegant design and accurate weather data, Check The Weather is the app for you.  Update: Version 1.2 was just released and is available in the App Store. The major feature for this version is the app is now universal and runs as a native iPad app. To keep the app data looking uncluttered with the larger screen iPad, the extended data can now be seen by running your finger along the weather graph. At each data point, a little pop up window shows the detailed information for that time. Pros
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Incipio has jumped out the gate offering a bevy of cases for the newly released iPhone 5. The DualPro hardshell case with silicon core is a nice solution that offers a good level of protection and a bit of unique style to your iPhone 5. The DualPro comes with the usual accouterments that accompany iPhone cases: a clear screen protector, plastic applicator, and a small microfiber cloth. The package also includes a black plastic piece, which for the life of me, I could not figure out what it was for and how to use it. The instructions that came with the case did not explain what it was for. I decided to ignore it and move on to the case.
The case is a two-piece design, consisting of a soft silicon inner shell and an external soft-touch shell made of what Incipio calls Plextonium (plastic). Once the iPhone 5 is placed into the silicon and the shell is applied, the iPhone is fully covered from top to bottom. The power button and the side volume buttons are fully covered and have decent tactile feedback when pressed. The DualPro also offers lay-on-the-table protection for the screen as the sides of the case extend over the edge of the iphone. One complaint that I had with the design is the outer hard shell does not cover the front of the device around the button area so the silicon is exposed. This part of the case had some give to it, which is understandable, but became a bit annoying after some use. Also, I found some difficulty accessing the side mute switch with the tip of my thumb. I had to make a concerted effort with my index finger in order to flip the switch up or down. Your mileage may vary. The back of the case has an oval cutout for the camera and flash which is outlined by a blackout ring which assists in keeping down any light reflection that surfaces can produce. The bottom of the case has individual cutouts for the speakers and the headphone jack. I had no issues plugging in any of the headphones I had available (Apple Earpods, Klipsch s4i’s, and Bose OE2i’s),
Overall, this case with its two levels of cover protection offers a good amount of drop protection and covers enough of the phone to absolutely minimize the possibility of damaging or scratching the iPhone 5. The DualPro sits in the middle of case designs in terms of bulk and protection with the Otterbox defender (most protection) and the bevy of ultra thin shell type cases (least protection). This is a good choice for anyone looking for good protection in a relatively compact form factor. The case I received for review is a Cyan Blue with Grey. Several other colors are offered on the website, with enough combinations to satisfy even he pickiest individual.
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As an avid tech fan I look forward to sharing my tech experiences both personally and professionally with those that have similar interests and passion for technology.
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