Weather Live Review

The app is simple to setup, locations can be setup either using the iPhone location service to set you current location or you can search locations world wide. You can also add multiple locations and switch between them with a simple swipe of the screen.

With a location set the screen loads with multiple pieces of weather related information from the current, minimum and maximum daily temperatures to current humidity, precipitation, pressure and visibility all encased in a beautifully animated weather background based on the current conditions and a digital clock in the center.

Weather Live looks beautiful, it pops off the screen and the information is presented clearly and concisely. That being said there are customizations to me made in many areas to get the display to be just how you like.

While having all of the details loaded provides you with he maximum amount of information taking it down to the text only options provides the best view of the gorgeous animated backdrops.

Also under your control are the temperature and distance units, clock settings and alerts for when the temperature drops below zero. As previously mentioned you can also enable the temperature badge to display the current temperature on your home screen. I’ve had mixed results with this and while it displays it doesn’t always update as I would expect it to without going into the app first.

Weather Live is now my new ‘screensaver’ for both my iPhone and iPad, it’s informative, great looking and simple to use, the only feature I miss is that I would love to be able to see some of the other weather animations that I may never get to see living in mid-west
USA!

What we like:

• Looks amazing
• Customizable
• Filled with information

What to know:

• Temperature icon doesn’t always update
• No way to preview other weather animations

Gallery

Apple’s and Google’s smartphones both collect location data and transmit the data anonymously  back to the companies’ servers. The general understanding is that the location data is stored and transmitted via opt-in menu and if the user doesn’t want to share the location then this feature can be turned off.

However, today WSJ published a new report which claims that iPhone continues to store location data even when the ‘location services’ option is turned off. It wasn’t clear if Apple continues to receive this data but it does raise some serious questions about such sensitive information being collected and stored on users device.

The report also highlights the fact the even though the location wasn’t very accurate at all times, it does present the details with frequent data and time stamps. If someone loses their iPhone then they could be exposed to anyone gaining access to all the places they usually visit and at what times.

Apple is yet to release an official statement regarding this issue. But its clear that people and media will certainly follow this story closely until they get an answer from Apple. We’re already hearing reports about iPhone customers suing Apple for “privacy invasion and computer fraud.”

Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs reportedly responded to an email from an iPhone user regarding location tracking and said:

We don’t track anyone. The info circulating around is false.

Now, its important to understand that we already voluntarily store important information like contacts, emails and photos on our smartphones these days so obviously if we lose the device it will automatically give anyone access to all this information. So, the most important question Apple would need to answer as John Gruber of Daring Fireball highlights is; why does the iPhone contain historical location data instead of just recent history.