Clinton Fitch Reviews Spb Weather 1.0

[Darius Wey]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.clintonfitch.com/reviews/spb/weather-1-0/default.asp' target='_blank'>http://www.clintonfitch.com/reviews...1-0/default.asp</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Like many things today, weather information on the Internet is abundantly available. The daily weather and forecast for almost any location in the world can quickly be found. This proves to be handy for business travelers, wanting to know how they should pack for their next trip, as well as vacationers. Until recently, the challenge has been getting this information to a useable format on Pocket PCs. Spb Software House has a long and impressive lineup of software application for Pocket PC owners. This line was recently made better with the addition of Spb Weather 1.0."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/wey-20050226-SpbWeather.jpg" /><br /><br />Clinton Fitch has just put together another review on an Spb product. This time, it's Spb Weather 1.0. If you're out scouting for a weather application for your Pocket PC, be sure to give this review a read.

[moondog755]

many people, including myself, who use the sprint/verizon PPC 6601/6600
have been complaining of frequent lockups with this product.

I have yet to recieve a reply from SPB on the issue, and i'm kinda miffed.
I paid for this product, and I cant use it. :(

[Don Tolson]

I kinda wish reviews of products like these would go into more detail about exactly 'how' the updates are retrieved, and how to set up the connections to the internet, etc.

Not all of us are Wi-Fi enabled/connected to the Internet all the time, or have this service available. I think it would be useful to point out, especially for the newbies among us, that internet connection is required to get updates, and how that connection could be achieved.

[chrisloker]

I like the look of the Marsware Weathertoday better.

As far as connections. With the Marsware - anytime an internet connection is started it will update itself in the background and every so often refresh if the connection is maintained. Pretty transparent and as long as you connect to the internet once a day or cradle it once a day (to internet connected computer) it keeps itself pretty up to date.

[ctmagnus]

I kinda wish reviews of products like these would go into more detail about exactly 'how' the updates are retrieved, and how to set up the connections to the internet, etc.

Not all of us are Wi-Fi enabled/connected to the Internet all the time, or have this service available. I think it would be useful to point out, especially for the newbies among us, that internet connection is required to get updates, and how that connection could be achieved.

fwiw, I am unable to update the weather via ActiveSync. However, as soon as I establish a non-AS connectiion, it generally updates immediately.

[[email protected]]

I have to agree with Clinton, this is a nice program for retrieving the weather on the today screen. It's fast and simple. But, if you want in-depth forecasts, this isn't the product, and I guess that's why it's so fast.

I haven't experienced any problems getting the weather once my internet connection was set-up in either ActiveSync or via Wi-Fi.

And if you're using SPB's Pocket Plus, it integrates nicely on another tab so you're not loosing precious today space.

[armwood]

SPB Weather is a decent program, nice icons, automatic updates but it has one flaw which for me makes it useless. It does not give the current temperature. What good is a weather program that can't gove you the temperature. What were the developers thinking? I wasted money on this program. I prefer Weather panel. It has the speed advantage of SPB Weather but gives you in depth weather reports and maps plus the current temperature. It can be installed on a storage card unlike both Stocks and Weather Today and Journal Bar, two other programs which I have used extensively and which are both resource hogs.

[i_spock]

I have to agree with Clinton, this is a nice program for retrieving the weather on the today screen. It's fast and simple. But, if you want in-depth forecasts, this isn't the product, and I guess that's why it's so fast.

I dont' find spb pocket plus in general to be very fast. I found it bogged down my 400MHz Toshiba e805 so much it took easily over 30 seconds to soft reset (which dramatically improved upon uninstalling spb). I tried the weather plugin too and was underwhelmed by what it offered. I've grown to like weatherpanel's "mini" setting and it's ability to show you a radar image with a single tap on the current weather icon. Too bad spb pocket plus' performance was so terrible for me, I really liked what it offered. I'm currently trying a combo of wisbar advance for the battery monitoring on the title bar and handylauncher. So far so good.

[beq]

It's great to read about all the experiences, as I get torn looking at all the available apps in the same category (weather in this case).

In regards to MobiMate's WorldMate:
http://www.mobimate.com/ppc/worldmate/index.shtml

I was considering subscribing to the Pro version for a heavy travelling family member, but it's too expensive for my blood -- though the auto-updated status of flights and such sounds amazing...

[Frank2]

fwiw, I am unable to update the weather via ActiveSync. However, as soon as I establish a non-AS connectiion, it generally updates immediately.

Yes, I am unable to sync weather forecast via ActiveSync, too. I have to connections in my xda II. One GPRS Connection and a WAP Connection with a proxy. I have to disable the proxy or to change the connection settings from office network (is this the right name in the english OS? In german it calls "Firmennetzwerk") to ISP. Than I can update the weather via ActiveSync, but I can not make a WAP connection. So I have to change the connection settings every time when I want to update via ActiveSync.
Updating via GPRS connection works all the time fine.
Other weather tools have no problems to update via ActiveSync without changing any connection settings.

regards
Frank

[drop]

SPB Weather is a decent program, nice icons, automatic updates but it has one flaw which for me makes it useless. It does not give the current temperature.

While I am happy with Spb Weather, I agree the current temperature is as important as forecast.

I like the simplicity and speed and the fact that it doesn't take up much valuable Today screen space. I used Stock and Weather Today before but seldom looked at the details anyway. For those who travel a lot might find Spb Weather inadequate. It is perfect for me.

[SiliconAddict]

First of all, I really like Spb Weather. But I also think it should display the current temperature as well. And I have found a bug.

I always update via WiFi. Yesterday I was in a public place with a WiFi hotspot, which was secured via WEP, for which I did not have the key. So I could not connect to the AP/router.

Spb Weather however said that it had sync-ed 8O ... Which was totally impossible of course. Seems to be a bug to me. Raises the question how you I verify at all that the app has really synch-ed.

[Ed Hansberry]

fwiw, I am unable to update the weather via ActiveSync. However, as soon as I establish a non-AS connectiion, it generally updates immediately.
I've had no problems with AS passthrough connections, nor the first lockup. :| This as an awesome app. Sorry to hear some are having problems.

[Darius Wey]

I've had no problems with AS passthrough connections, nor the first lockup. :| This as an awesome app. Sorry to hear some are having problems.

I'll second that. I've been using it since the early days of development, and I've not had any problems with connections thus far. Perhaps it may be a good idea to contact Spb Support to see if it's a recognised problem.

[ctmagnus]

:clap: v1.0.0 build 323 fixes my issue! :)

[Darius Wey]

:clap: v1.0.0 build 323 fixes my issue! :)

What version were you using before? B323 is the official release.

[ctmagnus]

I'm pretty sure (but not 100% sure) that the About screen said 322.