Weathertron Review

iOS users are used to apps looking particularly stylish or attractive. Weathertron isn't such an app. It actually looks fairly basic. With lines and graphs forming the basis of the app, it might not be for everyone but it does, at least, provide some useful weather based information.

With such a minimalist appearance, it's fortunate that Weathertron is quick to set up. All the user has to do is enter their location or use their current location. It's not possible to organize a number of presets, requiring users to stick with one place or search once more for others, so it's lucky that it's quick to do. The weather for right now is immediately displayed, through a series of graphs and bars.

A graph at the bottom half of the screen demonstrates the temperature and how it will rise or fall through the day. On the top half of the screen, blue or white bars demonstrate the precipitation and chance of rain, hail or snow, while cloud coverage is explained through another light bar just above it. It makes sense in time, but I did find myself occasionally having to recheck the help section to remind myself which was which.

It's possible to get that level of detail for today and tomorrow, with the user able to drag a finger to move the line to show exactly what's happening at any given time. It's not so easy to move it back to the current time, though. A "Week Ahead" section gives basic details as to the weather forecast for the next week, also, and in arguably clearer form than the current day.

Backed up by the ability to change to 12 or 24 hour clock, as well as fahrenheit or centigrade, Weathertron completes all the necessary requirements for a weather app, but it can be a little awkward to look at. Relying upon bars and lines isn't the most intuitive interface, so it's not the kind of app to briefly glance at, unlike more visually appealing apps. This is more of an app for those desperate for absolute visual minimalism.