weather

Weather forecast icons can be cryptic. There's only so much that can be communicated by a picture of a gray but-not-too-gray cloud with some raindrops and a sun poking out behind it.

All you really want to know is, "Am I going to freeze my nuts off out there?"

Enter the Cryoscope, an invention that allows you to feel the temperature of tomorrow's forecasted air.

Created by Robb Godshaw, an industrial design student at Rochester Institute of Technology, the Cryoscope uses an aluminum cube to house a heat sink, a thermoelectric-cooling Peltier element, and a cooling fan, all operated by an Arduino controller that receives forecast data from a Web-based app. … Read more

The Wt360 app uses weather trends from the past to predict future weather up to a year in advance.

Obviously, you can't expect the app to be terribly accurate at predicting the exact temperature for a date eight months from now. But you can expect it to give you a good general idea of the weather on any given date within the next year. It's a handy tool for anyone planning a major event, like a wedding or birthday.

When you first open up Wt360, the first thing you'll notice is that it's decidedly unattractive. The … Read more

Popular weather guidance site Weather Trends 360 has just brought its future-telling powers to the Android platform.

Previously available only on iOS, the wt360 app can now help Android users plan events up to a year in advance. For instance, are you wondering if it could rain on your destination wedding next May? Just fire up the wt360 app, enter a location, and take a look. Obviously, you can't expect the app to be terribly accurate at predicting the exact temperature eight months from now. But you can expect it to give you a good general idea of the … Read more

Nobody who uses an iPad will ever confuse it for a full-feature notebook PC (especially once they've tried to enter data via the device's built-in keyboard). But anyone who computes on the road knows there's more to business travel than keyboarding.

These four free iPad apps transform the tablet into a clock radio, weather reporter, file manager, and multi-talented notepad.

Free file manager simplifies transfers to PCs via Wi-Fi, USB If you store Word, Excel, and other Office documents online, you may not need to keep copies of the files on your iPad. But many iPad users … Read more

Sometimes developers come up with some pretty clever workarounds to provide users the features they want, as is the case with Lock Screen Weather.

Lock Screen Weather acts as a media player by using the "cover art" display on the lock screen to display your local weather forecast.

To get your local weather forecast on your lock screen, visit the App Store and download Lock Screen Weather [iTunes link], it will set you back $0.99. … Read more

Meterologists, pilots, and others whose lives and livelihoods depend on the weather use METAR data to report and transmit weather information. NirSoft's MetarWeather is a free tool for decoding raw METAR reports from around the world. Airports, weather stations, and observers use METAR far more than any other reporting format, so this software gives you access to an unprecedented amount of high-quality data.

MetarWeather's interface is plain but clean and efficient. We clicked the blue Metar icon to download data online, though we could also open METAR files and even type METAR lines directly with a simple wizard … Read more

With the holidays fast approaching, many of us will soon be heading to the airport, crossing our fingers that our flight home to our family won't be delayed because of bad weather.

But new technology for airline pilots could someday soon mean fewer such delays. Honeywell is developing software that combines infrared imaging with real-time 3D ground-terrain mapping, giving pilots a more natural, "out the window" view of the runway below, even in poor visibility. SmartPlanet's Sumi Das gets a demonstration of the technology from Honeywell chief test pilot Jary Engels.

This video originally appeared on … Read more

Facebook and Google both scored spots near the top of the list of the 15 most popular Android apps, according to new ratings by Nielsen.

Breaking down the results by age range, Nielsen found that Android Market was the top app--not surprising, since that's where most Android users go to find their favorite apps in the first place.

But in second place was Facebook, popular among 80 percent of those 18 to 24 years old, 81 percent of those in the 25-to-34 bracket, and 77 percent of those 35 to 44.

From there, the results varied based on age. … Read more

The time has finally come, and iOS 5 will be available to the general public October 12. During the last four months, we have been covering some of the key features of iOS 5 to ensure we were prepared to help you on the first day of iOS 5's release. Below you will find 15 tips and tricks to help you master iOS 5, and maybe even allow you to show off a bit to your friends. … Read more