Quick first glance at "Storm Radar" by IBM/the Weather Channel
I saw something in my twitter feed come up about a new weather app from IBM and The Weather Channel called "Storm Radar". It's an app that's supposed to give radar data for people to use in their everyday lives, in more detail than is available on the Weather Channel or Weather Underground apps. and it's supposed to also work worldwide. So I downloaded it on my Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 and decided to take a look at it.
And what did I notice with it? well, I chose the satellite-based map background. And I have to admit, the maps look awesome, as good as what can be gotten by Google Maps and other mapping places on the web. Give them credit for doing this worldwide, thanks to IBM's computing reources.
As for the past radar, it works in some places, and not others. It works well in the US, Canada, Japan, and the UK (probably Australia as well). As for places like Johannesburg South Africa, Manila in the Phillippines, Mexico City, Moscow, and Rio De Janerio, Havana Cuba, etc; those places I know have Weather Radar available, even if they are an older version compared to the US, Canada, and Europe. But they do have it? yes, just google it. If you plan on using this when you go overseas (of course using a local carrier on a cheap local service, not via global roaming charges), Keep in mind outside Europe, Japan, Australia, and Canada, you will not be able to see what is going on at the moment. IBM/Weather Channel needs to make some deals with other countries to add their radar nets, ASAP. I know they may not be cheap to do. But if they want to compete on the global level with global weather conglomerates the likes of Weathernews, Storm Geo, Ubimet, and the like, it has to be done, period.
As for the future radar that is highlighted on there, it looks like most of the products you can get right now from different high resolution models available on the internet for different parts of the globe. They are semi-useful in the fact that they can help spot trends in potential weather issues, which is a good thing. But want to know how it can help better? getting the past radar together with the future radar to see how everything is trending. And as I said above, it's good in some areas, but not in others.
And finally, how does it run on my devices? now mind you, I don't have the top end of mobile devices here, with my Android tablet being a Galaxy Tab A 8.0", and my cell phone being a Moto G 3rd edition (unlocked). But that being said, on my Galaxy Tab A, it actually worked quite smoothly and there was plenty of real estate to work with. As for the Moto G, the operation is generally pretty good, with only a stoppage here or there but only very brief. As for the real estate, it was a bit of an issue, at least on my screen. on higher resolution phones and larger screen phones, it may not be as much of an issue. But you can get rid of the search bar once you find where you are where you want to look at, which helps a lot.
Overall, for a radar app, it's better than what you'd get on most all in one weather apps out there, and it runs pretty smoothly at least on what I have, which about mid-range portable hardware. And for the general public who might be more worried about what radar is showing, like at a ball game, walking in a park, etc and doesn't need anything else at the moment, I could see people using it without much of an issue. As for professionals, this might help if looking at radar while chasing in Europe or Australia. But for North America, stick to your Radarscope or py3kl.
What do you think? chime in and let me know.
And what did I notice with it? well, I chose the satellite-based map background. And I have to admit, the maps look awesome, as good as what can be gotten by Google Maps and other mapping places on the web. Give them credit for doing this worldwide, thanks to IBM's computing reources.
As for the past radar, it works in some places, and not others. It works well in the US, Canada, Japan, and the UK (probably Australia as well). As for places like Johannesburg South Africa, Manila in the Phillippines, Mexico City, Moscow, and Rio De Janerio, Havana Cuba, etc; those places I know have Weather Radar available, even if they are an older version compared to the US, Canada, and Europe. But they do have it? yes, just google it. If you plan on using this when you go overseas (of course using a local carrier on a cheap local service, not via global roaming charges), Keep in mind outside Europe, Japan, Australia, and Canada, you will not be able to see what is going on at the moment. IBM/Weather Channel needs to make some deals with other countries to add their radar nets, ASAP. I know they may not be cheap to do. But if they want to compete on the global level with global weather conglomerates the likes of Weathernews, Storm Geo, Ubimet, and the like, it has to be done, period.
As for the future radar that is highlighted on there, it looks like most of the products you can get right now from different high resolution models available on the internet for different parts of the globe. They are semi-useful in the fact that they can help spot trends in potential weather issues, which is a good thing. But want to know how it can help better? getting the past radar together with the future radar to see how everything is trending. And as I said above, it's good in some areas, but not in others.
And finally, how does it run on my devices? now mind you, I don't have the top end of mobile devices here, with my Android tablet being a Galaxy Tab A 8.0", and my cell phone being a Moto G 3rd edition (unlocked). But that being said, on my Galaxy Tab A, it actually worked quite smoothly and there was plenty of real estate to work with. As for the Moto G, the operation is generally pretty good, with only a stoppage here or there but only very brief. As for the real estate, it was a bit of an issue, at least on my screen. on higher resolution phones and larger screen phones, it may not be as much of an issue. But you can get rid of the search bar once you find where you are where you want to look at, which helps a lot.
Overall, for a radar app, it's better than what you'd get on most all in one weather apps out there, and it runs pretty smoothly at least on what I have, which about mid-range portable hardware. And for the general public who might be more worried about what radar is showing, like at a ball game, walking in a park, etc and doesn't need anything else at the moment, I could see people using it without much of an issue. As for professionals, this might help if looking at radar while chasing in Europe or Australia. But for North America, stick to your Radarscope or py3kl.
What do you think? chime in and let me know.