iPad News

Back in January of 2011, when the Mac App Store first opened, one of the first apps I downloaded was Swackett. Not only is it a useful weather app with local and national satellite radar, but it is adorable too. When I found out that the makers of that hip forecaster released a version for the iPad, I was giddy like a dancing stick figure. Peepometer is everything I wanted a Swackett app for the iPad to be, and more.

This is not just an optimized version of the desktop app. Peepometer actually looks a lot different. The only thing that remains the same as Swackett is the “Peeps” and the settings. Peepometer also includes an attractive clock, a barometer, a compass and much more. The app is designed to look like a mechanized looking glass with a sleek, black, stainless steel background that Steve Jobs would have been impressed with.

The Peeps will show you what the temperature is like outside by what they are wearing. If it is cold, the will have jackets on. If it is hot, they will be in bathing suits and carrying sunscreen. In addition to the Peeps, the local temperature is displayed, along with the wind speed, humidity and other weather-related information.

Switch over to the forecast and you can see a pinwheel of the predicted temperature for the next five days.

If you don’t go in for all that cuteness, you can switch over to the manlier temperature gauge. Instead of Peeps, you’ll see a gauge that divides out the sections between Frigid and hot.

The barometer will show you information about rain and storms. The wind gauge will let you know of fast the wind speed is. If you click on the “Imagery” feature, you will see the local radar. You can switch the view to regional and national by turning the dial on the gauge.

Just like in Swackett, users can adjust the temperature ranges based on their own preferences. For example, I get cold at anything below 70 degrees (I know, I have lived in California my whole life. I don’t know what “cold” really is), so I set my range to go from cold to warm between 65 and 75 degrees. However, my friend sets hers between 55 and 65 and calls me a princess for not being able to handle the cooler weather.

Peepometer ended up being a sweet surprise for me because it really is a lot more than just Swackett for the iPad. There are even some fun Easter eggs that will unlock episodes of “The Three Stooges” and old commercials from the late 1950s.

What I liked: Basically everything. The design is nice. There are a lot of useful features. The Easter eggs are entertaining.

What I didn’t like: Absolutely nothing.

To buy or not to buy: If you’ve been looking for a new weather app, one that just gives you what you need to know without all the scientific mumbo-jumbo, this is the app for you. The $1.99 price tag is a fraction of what the app is worth.