Home
Apps
Apps News
The Weather Channel App Can Now Receive Alerts Without a Cell Connection

The Weather Channel App Can Now Receive Alerts Without a Cell Connection 2b6b4t

By Shekhar Thakran | Updated: 17 February 2017 12:17 IST

Highlights

The new update already available in 42 countries on Google Play
Company has reduced the size of app to just 3.2MB
s can save weather data offline for 24 hours

ment

The Weather Company, an Android, which allows s to receive weather alerts even without cellular connection. The peer-to-peer technology, developed by IBM researchers, might turn out to be crucial, and even save lives in case of severe weather conditions, especially in developing countries where Internet and cellular connectivity can often prove to be an issue. 6j274o

The new mesh technology is being made available via The Weather Channel app on Google Play and according to the company the mesh weather alerts are "coming first to India", followed by other emerging markets. The version of the app ing this feature is already live on Google Play in 42 countries. Further, the company has reduced the size of its Android app to just 3.2MB and the app now allows s to weather data offline for up to 24 hours.

The mesh technology, which has earlier been seen in peer to peer messaging apps, "converts mobile devices into links" to enable them to on alerts to other s even if the cellular go down.

"Each smartphone becomes a node that stores the message and es it to the next nearest device, creating a daisy chain to reach more devices and remove the need for a cellular network," the company said in a release.

Notably, the mesh networks technology used by IBM doesn't convert mobile devices into mobile hotspots to avoid excessive battery drain) but sends out alerts using devices connected to Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

"The combination of the innovative Mesh Network Alerts and global reach of The Weather Channel mobile app can help deliver a new level of emergency awareness to underserved populations," IBM's Bijan Davari was quoted as saying in the release.

IBM purchased The Weather Company, which runs weather.com and The Weather Channel, in 2016.

Comments

For the latest reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.