| would you say if I told you I could stuff a whole | | | | So even though the app is free, you feel like |
| specialized cable network into your iPad, provide | | | | there’s an opportunity cost just for |
| just about everything you get from that | | | | running it. You know how you will pay a few |
| network, plus add some cool social networking | | | | hundred bucks for a new computer every two or |
| features and tons of special information you can | | | | three years because the old one's just too slow? |
| only get online? | | | | That’s how you will end up feeling about |
| Don’t answer too fast. I’m talking | | | | TWC Max. You’ll gladly pay to get the |
| about The Weather Channel Max for iPad, and | | | | weather information you want without the |
| this app is the definition of running before you | | | | time-burn of watching another car commercial. |
| walk, an exercise guaranteed to make you look | | | | What else? The videos load slowly. The maps |
| awkward and uncoordinated. | | | | animate slowly. And TWC Max is so notorious for |
| But let’s get to the positives first: The | | | | crashing that some iTunes store reviewers have |
| Weather Channel Max indeed gives you just about | | | | taken to calling it TWC Crash. |
| everything The Weather Channel offers. You get | | | | There’s a ton of information in TWC Max, |
| forecast videos, which are also available in just | | | | but TWC has misjudged how much of it can be |
| about every other weather app out there. But | | | | delivered without crippling the app. There's a |
| you also get storm videos, national and local | | | | chance of a sunny future in the forecast, but for |
| weather alerts, tweets from TWC personalities, | | | | right now, this one's a washout. |
| and live traffic cams. There are weather maps | | | | There’s a ton of information in The |
| with overlay layers for radar, temperature, rainfall, | | | | Weather Channel Max, but The Weather Channel |
| snowfall, and clouds. And of course, just as in a | | | | has misjudged how much of it can be delivered |
| cable weather broadcast, the maps are in motion. | | | | without crippling the app. There's a chance of a |
| In addition to all that, the app is free. So how | | | | sunny future in the forecast, but for right now, |
| could you be anything but ecstatic with this app? | | | | this one's a washout. |
| Let’s start with the “free” | | | | Unfortunately, no one weather app is likely to |
| part. TWC Max for iPad may be free, but by the | | | | please all users, but since The Weather Channel |
| time you’ve used it for any length of | | | | Max app is free, there’s little harm in |
| time, you will probably wish it were not. | | | | downloading it and giving it a test run. If you find |
| That’s because TWC Max is chock full of | | | | that it’s not the app for you then you |
| ads. Static ads appear on selected pages at | | | | may want to consider AccuWeather instead. You |
| selected times. Every video starts with a | | | | can find just about all the weather information |
| commercial. You don’t care; | | | | that the lay user needs using with the |
| you’re not buying the product; you just | | | | AccuWeather app. You’ll only need to |
| want to know if it’s going to rain. Yet | | | | learn a trick or two in order to make it work with |
| there they are. | | | | minimal frustration. |