14 DAY TRIAL // My initial thought about getting WeatherBug was a bit hesitant since I've heard many a horror story from all the adware that they used to include with their software. Let's see if anything has changed with version 6.05.
After getting the .exe I was soon on my way to seeing what all the hype was about. Well, I was immediately annoyed after starting the program and letting the auto downloader do its job. And do its job?. And do its job. I think I waited for a good half an hour for WeatherBug to finish its download. Yes, I said it correctly, it hadn't even installed, and that is just for the download. For those of you asking yourselves what kind of connection speed I average, well the answer is I usually average about 100 KPS. So that's clearly not the issue.
Well, after the bumpy start I went ahead to the install. Beware when you do a typical install since it not only adds WeatherBug, but also an extra WeatherBug Browser bar. Although it's only 380K, it's still a hassle to have it in your browser especially if you already have the Google or Yahoo Browser Bar installed.
A feature that I didn't know WeatherBug had is its severe weather alert. A chirp sound notifies you when a severe weather alert has been issued in your area. If you don't want this little chirp to distract you from your work or play, you can use the Silent chirp feature. The only exception to the Silent Chirp is if the weather alert is 'Life Threatening' (tornadoes, severe thunderstorms and flash flood warnings).
Launching the application is a bit overwhelming. A lot of colors and information flood your screen immediately. Along with the cornucopia of colors comes a registration form that, once completed, lets you receive live neighborhood weather and storm alerts from WeatherBug.
Your main interface consists of 3 separate windows. The first is for 'Exclusive Live Conditions,' the second is for your 'Forecast,' and the third main window is your 'Weather Window.' With these three windows you can see a complete analysis of what to expect.
When it comes to features, WeatherBug includes a lot that will let you experience weather in a totally interactive way. An example is that you can receive weather alerts on your mobile phone if you set up that option. You can check out the weather in Fahrenheit and Celsius, you get the wind-chill, highs and lows for the day. You get a ten day forecast under your 'forecast' tab.
A weather radar and map of your specified area which has the potential to animate and show you which direction the weather is planning on taking. If all this information is still not enough for you, there's a button you can click for a more in depth review of anything and everything related to weather. From temperature to pressure, to sunrise and sunsets, to the dew point of the day, to the moon phases and rain rate, you can find it all with WeatherBug.
You can follow weather news, see photos and cameras of specific locations, and have some weather fun with their trivia question of the day.
As I played around with WeatherBug I was constantly peppered by advertisements. If I was looking at an interactive map, trying to read some data in order to BAM! You're hit by an ad. In fact, WeatherBug is surrounded by advertisements, so try to not have a stroke by looking at the flashing bright lights.
The Good
WeatherBug has nearly every piece of information related to weather that you can possibly think of. Radars, cameras, photos, forecasts, pressures, wind speeds and wind-chill, you name it, they have it.
The Bad
For international users that want to use this product, well you're S.O.L. Version 6.05 as far as I noticed only supports the United States' weather. Also there are a ton of ads that tend to overshadow the benefits of having WeatherBug. The traffic function isn't supported for every state.
The Truth
If you want it just for the weather, set your preferences and settings and keep it minimized. It's worth the download if you live in the U.S. and are frequently pondering about the fluctuation of water vapors, the accumulation of cumulonimbus clouds and/or category 5 tornadoes. You don't need to have the weather taskbar because it'll just get in the way. Enjoy.
Check out the pics below.
