Weather site

[John Blasdell]

A friend can bring up an animated display of weather systems (rain, snow, etc.) on his Sprint phone. This is great to see approaching storms. The display shows our local area, so it must use info from the phone to generate a map of the proper area. He doesn't know the URL, how to find it, or what weather service provides this. Do you know of a site viewable on a wireless-enabled PDA that shows moving weather patterns, not just a stationary weather map?

Thanks!

[Pat Logsdon]

I don't think this particular service (http://www.accuweather.com/pda/pda_5dy.asp) has animation, but it's close. They do have a "wireless" feature (http://www.accuweather.com/sharpbin/index.asp) that uses "Sharp MotionArt", but I couldn't get it to work in either IE6 or Opera 7. It looks like it's free and that it may include animated weather maps. If you check it out, let us know how it goes! 8)

[Wiggster]

I think you need this (http://www.accuweather.com/sharpbin/index.asp) for animation, but I haven't checked it out yet.

[John Blasdell]

That was quick. I attempted to register (required) so I could download the required software. I couldn't register because I didn't fill in my "income range" on the form. My income range is NONE OF THEIR BUSINESS! This kind of intrusion is uncalled for. I don't want to borrow money, get another credit card, or file a tax return, so that item shouldn't even be there. How many people do you think answer this truthfully? Do they really think they're gathering accurate information? I fired off an e-mail; we'll see if they respond. I used to fill these forms in as either $0 or $3,000,000, but I figured I'd either be filed somewhere as "broke and on welfare" or the IRS would want taxes paid on the $2,900,000+ I hadn't declared.

[Wiggster]

Yea, it reeks of them selling their mailing lists.

[John Blasdell]

Oh, I almost forgot another negative. Here's a Q&A from their FAQ page: Q -- Does SharpMotionART work with a live wireless connection to the Internet using PocketPC Internet Explorer?
A -- No, Pocket Internet Explorer does not download SharpMotionART files over the air because they require an ActiveX control that is not able to be embedded in the Pocket IE. Therefore SharpMotionART files will only play in Pocket Internet Explorer when you ActiveSync the weather forecast of the city, or cities of your choice by creating a Mobile Favorite.

[John Blasdell]

Just a followup to my post above, about AccuWeather wanting my income range before they allow me to download software. I fired off an e-mail to them stating this information was private, do they really think people answer this question accurately, they shouldn't be asking this, etc., etc. It's been almost a week and I've received NO reply from them. Another bad sign! It's a shame, as I always considered their forecasts fairly accurate. They may produce a good product, but these two things (harvesting private data, not responding to e-mail) tell about the character of the company.