Review of SPB Weather for Windows Phone

Over the course of 2009 Spb Software House went through the process of updating and improving the vast majority of their applications.  The Saint Petersburg, Russia company focused on a common user interface between all of their applications to simply the learning experience for their customers.  One of the latest applications to receive this new interface is Spb Weather.  Version 2.0 builds on what was already a strong weather application in version 1.0 but adds several key new features, improves integration with other Spb programs and of course gets the finger friendly new user interface.  It is a worthy upgrade to an already great program and one that Windows Phone users, especially those who travel, could find a real benefit in owning.

Spb Weather is installed by CAB or by desktop installer through ActiveSync or Windows Mobile Device Center and requires about 2.2MB of storage space on your device.  You can install it onto a storage card or into main memory and it works well in either location.  Your Windows Phone will need to be running Windows Mobile 5.0 or higher in order to use Spb Weather 2.0.  Keep in mind as well that Spb Weather updates its forecasts and conditions by accessing the Internet.  You will therefore want to make sure you have an adequate data plan with your carrier.  This automatic update is adjustable so you can avoid data use if you must.  However it is my opinion you will lose some of the robustness of the application. 

When you first start the application you have several cities already programmed into the application – New York, London, Moscow and Tokyo.  You are first brought to the screen for New York since it is the first city and the designated start up city (which I will discuss later) for the application.  Here you see the current weather conditions along with 6 days of weather forecasts for New York.  Spb has incorporated their new user interface into Weather so you will find the application very finger friendly.  Simply slid your finger up or down the display to move the days of the forecast up or down.  Likewise, you can tap on a day and get a breakdown of the forecasted weather for various parts of the day selected.  If you want to switch between cities you have programmed into Spb Weather, slide your finger across the display to switch between them.  The icons used to represent the various weather conditions are very well done and look exceptional on VGA display devices.

Figure 1: The Spb Weather Display

Figure 2: Detailed weather forecast in Spb Weather

At the bottom of the display (or on the right-hand side if you are in portrait mode like I am on my Advantage), you will see the menu bar for Spb Weather.  These icons, like the rest of the application, are oversized to make them finger friendly.  The two I will be focusing on for this review are the menu button and the globe button of the menu bar.  When the menu icon is tapped the display changes to a list view of all of the cities that you have programmed within Spb Weather.  The city name and the forecast for today is shown along with another menu icon which I will discuss in a minute.  The menu bar on this screen has also changed a bit.  You still have the refresh icon but now you have a plus sign to add cities and a gear icon to adjust the settings of Spb Weather.

Figure 3: Cities Listing Display in Spb Weather

To add a city in Spb Weather, tap the plus sign icon and you are brought to a list of available cities.  You can search by city name, by country, by airport code or by GPS coordinates.  There are some 10,000 cities in the database of Spb Weather but if you live in a smaller city, it is possible it won’t be on the list.  If that is the case, select the closest city to you.  Once you add the city, Spb Weather will automatically go out and download the latest forecast for that city.

Figure 4: Entering a new city in Spb Weather

With the new city entered you are brought back to the listing display in Spb Weather with your newly added city at the top of the list.  You can tap that city to get the full forecast for it just as with any other city on your list.  If you tap the menu icon next to the city you will be given a new menu that relate specifically to that city.  You can move the city up or down on your list, you can edit or remove the city or you can set it up as your start up city and choose the weather forecast sources.  If you select to set your city as your start up city, this will be the first one displayed when you open Spb Weather.  It is quite handy, especially if you have multiple cities listed.  It saves you time by having to scroll through them.

Figure 5: The City menu in Spb Weather

Figure 6: Dallas now configured as my Startup City in Spb Weather

Another important feature is the ability to choose your weather sources.  Depending on the city you are selecting in Spb Weather, it is beneficial to use a weather service that is close to that city.  In the application there are three weather sources provided:  Foreca, GisMeteo and Weather.gov.  Here in the United States I have selected Weather.gov for my US-based cities.  To set your weather source, tap the menu next to the weather source and tap Set as Default. 

Figure 7: The Weather Sources selection page in Spb Weather

Figure 8: The Weather Sources menu in Spb Weather

The Globe icon on the main display of Spb Weather brings you to a new and impressive feature of the application.  When you tap icon a 3D view of Earth is provided and the cities you have programmed within the application are labeled and displayed.  At this point you will be shown a warning message that a connection to the Internet will be necessary to continue.  By selecting yes Spb Weather will download the global satellite view of Earth and will update the display.  Now as the globe rotates to each city, you can see the cloud cover for that city.  It is an amazing view and really shows off the power and depth of the application. 

Figure 9: The Satellite view of the 3D Earth in Spb Weather

On the menu bar you will see a 3-layer paper icon.  This allows you to select the different views beyond just the satellite view.  You have to option of Overcast which will show you the expected cloud cover around the planet (in motion).  The temperature forecast shows you the anticipated temperatures for the day which is again animated to go throughout the day.  Finally there is the precipitation view which shows a radar overlay of precipitation around the world.

Figure 10: The layers menu for the 3D globe in Spb Weather

Figure 11: The Overcast view of the 3D Globe in Spb Weather

Figure 12: The Temperature view of the 3D Globe in Spb Weather

Figure 13: The Precipitation view of the 3D Globe in Spb Weather

The options menu on the Globe view allows you to turn off or on the night layover on the globe as well as turn on or off the animation of the globe.  If you are trying to look at one city or region it can be helpful to turn this off so the 3D Earth is not constantly rotating between cities!

Figure 14: The Globe options menu in Spb Weather

As you would expect, Spb has done a great job of tying Weather into other Spb applications such as Mobile Shell and Diary.  This integration allows you to get the full benefit of Weather while using these other applications.  It speaks well of how Spb is working to give end users the best options and features.  If you don’t use Mobile Shell, Spb still has you covered with the Today screen plug-in for Weather.  By default you will have a tabbed display of all of the cities you have programmed within Spb Weather.  This plug-in however is highly customizable.  Just tap-and-hold on the plug-in to bring up the customization menu to make the plug-in work best for you.

Figure 15: The Default Today screen plug-in for Spb Weather

Figure 16: My customized Spb Weather today plug-in

I have been a big fan Spb Weather for a long time now and this latest version only solidifies my thoughts.  The new user interface is outstanding and makes navigating in the application a breeze.  The richness of the icons used in the application are fantastic and the ability to customize many aspects of the application – from the weather sources to the Today screen plug-in – make it customize to me and my uses.  If you are looking for a weather application for your Windows Phone, it’s hard to go wrong with this one.

What I Like:
* Finger friendly user interface
* Customizable weather sources
* Customizable Today screen plug-in
* Deep integration with other Spb applications
* 3D Globe feature – fun and useful! 

What I Don’t Like:
* Nothing

Price:  $19.95