Accuweather – No more unpredictable weather

I have been planning to go on a vacation for some time now, but it is really difficult to plan one because of unpredictable weather. At times I carry loads of clothes just to be on the safe-side while at others I am not as equipped as I should be.

Take the example of something that happened just a few days ago. I had an appointment at my parlour. All of us know that Delhi is a big city where weather changes within 5 minutes as well as within a mile. As I walked outside in the sun, I thought of taking an umbrella but decided against it. After all it was burning hot and I was going by metro. I offered a silent prayer for rain and nice weather and continued on my way.

Looking back, how I wish I'd prayed for something else! Guess God was feeling particularly kind towards me that day. The moment I got out of the metro, I noticed that the floor appeared wet. I muttered something about careless people and continued on my way. Just as I was going to walk out of the station, I saw a crowd standing near the stairs. One look outside was enough to understand the reason. It was raining cats and dogs. I love rains per se. But I was not prepared. I waited for about 15 – 20 minutes hoping that it will stop. I was getting late so I decided to continue on my way. By the time I arrived for my appointment I was completely drenched. It was really embarrassing. How I wish I could predict the unpredictable Delhi weather?

And can you believe my luck? I found an application that can help me plan my day, weekend as well as vacation and help avoid such inconvenient situations.

It's called accuweather - an Intel application. Just choose any location in the world and you can see the weather forecast for 15 days and this for every hour. Simply check out the map of an area to find out what the weather is going to be like.

You can even see the lifestyle you'll have at a given place.

If you plan to go out either for just a few hours in the neighbourhood or for a week abroad, I suggest that you give it a try. At least you won't end up over or under prepared. Enjoy your trip and wish that the weather-gods will be kind with you... and stop worrying because even if they're not, it's not impossible to plan for it ;-)



This blog is an entry to the "My Favorite PC App" contest. Check out numerous apps for PC/Netbooks available at the Intel AppUp Center. If you are looking for an opportunity to build and monetize your applications, check out the Intel® Atom™ Developer Program.


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NOOK – Don't look back Readaholics, it's time to take the plunge

Which is the best application for a bookaholic and readaholic? Of course, one that lets one read without going bankrupt, which is one of the biggest risks of being a readaholic. Though I manage to control my urge to buy books most of the time, I inevitably end up buying several while traveling. That's one of my biggest weaknesses (I think).

Recently I discovered an Intel application – Nook by Barnes and Noble – that made me really feel on top of the world. I can read as much as I want... including several classics at very low rates. And then there are so many free e-books that I can choose from.
I loved the fact that I could adjust the page and font size to avoid getting too tired. I only see the page I'm reading but a simple click helps open the left menu. I can bookmark, annotate, highlight text... do everything that I can do with a real book. And simply by selecting words I can actually highlight the selected text, add notes, and look up the word on dictionary.com (a monolingual on-line dictionary site) as well as on wikipedia.

Here is a comparative list of advantages and disadvantages of NOOK:

Advantages	Disadvantages
1000s of books at your fingertips.	You can't feel the book in your hands.
Free application and several free and inexpensive books.	Strain on eyes.
These days solar chargers are available for laptops and cell-phones; therefore, one can limit the impact on environment and still recharge these tools.	One needs electricity to operate/ charge notebook, laptop, and mobile phone.  What if there's a power failure?
Ecological: Paper-less so helps save trees.	Though the application per se is free and one can get lots of books for free or at a very low rate but one has to make a one time investment on one or more tools such as PC, laptop, notebook, IPhone, etc.
No need to re-read the whole book if you forget where a sentence/ phrase is.  Simple search feature.	You have to give your credit card number even if you download a free book.
One can change font, font-size, display area, etc. and thus limit the strain on eyes.
Portability: How many books can one carry if one is traveling?  With NOOK you can have as many as you want.
Your credit card isn't charged for Free books and you get receipts by e-mail.

From a readaholic's point of view, the advantages largely outshine the disadvantages. So in short, I think that it is an excellent application or readaholics, bookworms, students, researchers as well as everyone else. Want to read a book on the move? No need to carry heavy suitcases. Now you can do so on your laptop as well as on your phone! What else can a readaholic ask for?

Guess, there's one more thing that a readaholic can ask for: more books for free... So here's the icing on the cake: the unique LendMe(TM) Technology helps one exchange books with friends and family.

I can talk about it for hours but am busy reading a new book today. So check it out for yourself and happy reading! :-)







If you like this post then please go and vote for it on indiblogger.

This blog is an entry to the "My Favorite PC App" contest. Check out numerous apps for PC/Netbooks available at the Intel AppUp Center. If you are looking for an opportunity to build and monetize your applications, check out the Intel® Atom™ Developer Program.