AccuWeather for Windows 8 Review

excellent
key review info
  • Application: AccuWeather for Windows 8 -
  • Reviewed on:
application features
  • My AccuWeather custom lifestyle forecasts that show how weather conditions affect specific health risks or even your favorite outdoor activities.
  • (3 more, see all...)

Running a weather app is more like a trend these days, no matter if we’re talking about laptops, tablets, desktop computers or mobile phones. And since so many users look for weather apps, this particular software category has grown a lot lately, so much that it’s now one of the largest on the newly released Windows 8 operating system.

How come? you may ask, given the fact that a weather app comes pre-installed on all Windows 8 builds. Basically, the built-in weather tool provides the very essential information, but those who wish to get a little bit more on their Start Screen should have a look in the Store.

AccuWeather is undoubtedly one of the top choices, and it’s no wonder why. It has a truly breathtaking feature package and the provided information could turn you into an experienced weather presenter in just a matter of minutes. Not to mention the extremely eye-candy interface that makes everything a real breeze.

AccuWeather is already available on a wide array of platforms, including iOS and Android mobile devices, but when it comes to Windows 8 users, they get a bit more special package.

Just like the built-in Windows 8 weather app, AccuWeather can automatically detect your location and display the forecast in just a few seconds without further configuration.

The main screen of the app provides basically all weather details you would ever need, but the really amazing thing is that this great amount of information is provided in a very easy to read layout.

First, you can pick the location at the top of the screen (you can configure as many cities as you want), as well as the current temperature and weather conditions.

Next, there’s the real feel, wind speed and direction, gusts, humidity, visibility, cloud cover and UV. The bottom of the screen brings you a timeline to easily jump to a specific date, as well as the latest updated time to see the newest refresh.

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All the aforementioned information is displayed on an animated background that changes according to weather conditions and time. This means that the wallpaper is changing frequently, every time weather conditions change, so you’ll get a new background whenever it starts raining or snowing.

Another feature that’s extremely important for some users is AccuWeather’s screen that displays specific health risks or the possibility to perform outdoor activities, such as fitness or traveling. You also get information regarding respiratory health and other custom lifestyle forecasts.

Jumping from one screen to another can be easily performed by swiping left or right, just like you usually do on the Start Screen in Windows 8.

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But there’s more to discover about AccuWeather in addition to these two different screens. Swiping up or down from the bottom or from the top of the window brings up a new menu that allows you to configure locations, check maps, the calendar, and read news with weather alerts for any configured location.

The options at the bottom of the screen allow users to enable or disable data density and thus remove some of the displayed weather conditions, but also pin a specific location to the Start Screen or toggle between Celsius and Fahrenheit units.

Once you hit the “My Locations” button, AccuWeather displays a brief overview of the weather conditions for every configured location, so you can easily see current temperature and a three-day forecast.

Maps, on the other hand, uses Bing Maps data to show you a fully customized map with weather conditions, obviously based on your location. A radar reveals the chances of rain, snow and ice, just like the ones you see on TV.

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Another great thing about AccuWeather is that it boasts full Windows 8 integration, so you can use both the search and the share Charms to quickly look for a specific location or share the current temperature with one of your friends via email, Facebook, Twitter, Messenger, or any other social networking client.

There are only two different settings to toggle between – imperial and metric units, and to enable or disable animated weather.

AccuWeather for Windows 8 works like a breeze on any Windows RT device, including Microsoft’s Surface RT, so it takes just a few seconds to load and display the current forecast. The animated backgrounds don’t affect the overall performance at all, even though it takes a while for them to load.

Of course, it also depends on the speed of your Internet connection, so the faster your network connection is, the quicker AccuWeather displays the forecast.

Last but not least, if you have a permanent Internet connection, AccuWeather automatically retrieves weather details and displays them using the live tile support straight on the Start Screen for all configured locations. While you can’t change the update interval, the app automatically checks for new forecasts every 15 minutes.

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The Good

AccuWeather for Windows 8 is clearly one of the top apps of its kind in the Store and it’s pretty difficult to name a single best feature. The entire package is pretty appealing, starting with the interface and ending with the amount of information offered to the user.

You get basically all the details you would ever need and, thanks to Windows 8 integration, the forecast is being delivered straight to the Start Screen, so you don’t even need to launch the app.

The Bad

It’s quite hard to find something wrong about this app, but if we really have to name something, we must go for the in-app ads. They’re a bit annoying and sometimes we accidentally tapped them while swiping across the displayed screens.

A great improvement would be the possibility to create weather alerts and receive messages whenever a new forecast is available using the built-in Windows 8 notification system.

The Truth

AccuWeather for Windows 8 is a great pick for all those who want a truly powerful weather app. It has exactly the options you need to quickly check the weather forecast, plus a few extra tools that make the whole package pretty appealing for all Windows 8 users.

It’s not the complete or the perfect Windows 8 weather app, but it’s undoubtedly very close to becoming so.

user interface 5
features 5
ease of use 4
pricing / value 5


final rating 5
Editor's review
excellent
 
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