While Apple provides a native weather app on all of its iOS devices (except the iPad), it’s fair to say that it’s not particularly riveting. It does what it says on the tin – offers current and 5-day weather for just about any area of the world, but it’s up to third-parties to add a little finesse and grandeur to proceedings. While plenty of small app houses have done just that, today’s aesthetically-pleasing offering arrives courtesy of a rather unlikely source. AOL, famed former owner of Bebo, has been busy preparing its SKYE Weather+Photo app for those running on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, and unlike the aforementioned investment, it really isn’t bad. In fact, it’s rather good.
Free over at the App Store, it offers a clean, if not rather generic interface when it comes down to the nitty-gritty of presenting weather info. However, while many weather apps try to integrate photography (particularly night-stand apps), AOL’s Weather+Photo offering allows users to share photos of a certain location – throwing up all sorts of weird and wonderful possibilities.
In searching for a city or ZIP code, your chosen location will be presented visually, using any one of the many photos taken by somebody in that location. In a sense, it’s like a strictly-geographical take on Instagram, and it’s actually quite an eye-opener. We all have our own views and suppositions regarding what a certain area is or may be like, but thanks to AOL’s SKYE weather app, we can get a varied, up-to-date sneak look at many of the world’s cities and towns.
It’s a nice idea, and is pulled off well. The app is not as slick and polished as the likes of Instagram, but if AOL keeps updating it, it will be very interesting to see where this dabble in the social spectrum may end up. Hopefully, AOL’s ground-up approach means it will not land on its face, as Bebo did all those years ago.
(Source: SKYE Weather+Photo for iOS on App Store)
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