Marco [reminded][1] me that I’ve been sitting on a few weather apps that I tried recently. Let’s get started.
## Haze
[Haze][2] believes that a subtly animated background image behind the temperature makes for a better iOS weather app. I assume.
There’s no doubt that Haze is a pretty looking app, but what void does it fill? The data is mostly buried, requiring far more tapping and swiping than Apple’s weather app.
Haze’s differentiator is to display the total hours of sunshine today, which is problematic for two reasons:
1. I live in Western Washington where the sun don’t shine.
2. Even if the sun did shine, what good does the amount of sunshine do for me? Yay, 9 hours of sunshine…?
## Yahoo! Purple Icon Weather
The day Yahoo! launched [their weather app][3] I received a ton questions from readers asking for my take on it. I resisted downloading the app solely to boycott the hideous icon. I finally downloaded Yahoo! Weather and am underwhelmed.
Contextual background images from Flickr aside, I really don’t like the way data is displayed in this app.
The hourly forecast is too small to see at a glance. The week forecast is decent, but not unique. The font size on the ‘details’ screen is too small. The map is hideous. I do like the precipitation chart, but — uh — Dark Sky.
Hey, cute, windmills! …?
To be perfectly honest I just don’t understand the Sun and Moon portion. Why do I need to see a visualization of the Sun’s position again?
At least the app is free of ads and free to install…
## Allergies
Allergies is a [simple “weather-ish” app][4] that shows pollen count (I assume) and the type of allergen in the air. It also displays the pollen count for the next few days.
The app also shows the current weather conditions to fill space, I assume. Why would you want this? Because you have allergies.
The app looks really nice, but the data it presents would be far better served inside another weather app so you don’t have to check something else.
## ZYRTEC® ALLERGYCAST™
This [App™][5] is® similar to Allergies with two notable exceptions:
1. It’s very ugly.
2. It’s potentially very useful.
Let’s just get this out of the way upfront: there isn’t a single good looking aspect of this app. However, ZYRTEC® ALLERGYCAST™ lets you record your symptoms for the day — in an attempt to help you figure what you’re actually reacting to. Logging is very fast and easy to do: Simply indicate how you’re feeling and what your symptoms are. Over time this app might help you get a better idea of the pollens you should avoid.
It’s free, and probably worth trying if you have mild allergies.
[1]: http://www.marco.org/2013/05/10/tire-kickers
[2]: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/haze/id594476963?mt=8
[3]: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/yahoo!-weather/id628677149?mt=8
[4]: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/allergies/id568425029?mt=8
[5]: https://itunes.apple.com/app/zyrtec-allergycast/id320298020?mt=8