Weather applications and alerts continue to be some of the most popular content for mobile devices. In February 2008, AccuWeather.com’s mobile weather site generated more than 30 million page impressions.

The US-based AccuWeather.com provides full-service weather information across multiple channels including TV, radio, print and mobile.

Don Heaton, senior manager for Global Business Development at AccuWeather.com, says the firm’s mobile weather applications have become increasingly popular and now represent one of the top-selling content applications on Sony Ericsson’s download site after ringtones and wallpapers.

“People are generally interested in weather. It changes rapidly and they want to be constantly updated,” he says.

Heaton says that, since late 2006 a free, basic version of AccuWeather.com’s subscription product has been preloaded onto most Sony Ericsson devices shipped for sale to countries where the service is offered.

“Within the application there is a path for the user to upgrade to the full-subscription version which includes satellite imagery, maps and a 10-day forecast. We are now looking to provide even more high-resolution graphics,” he says.

The full subscription version of the product, AccuWeather.com Global, sells for about USD 3.50 per month. Heaton says thousands of subscribers have opted to upgrade to the monthly subscription.

The downloadable application is offered by most major US carriers including Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon. AccuWeather.com also has a mobile internet site which in February 2008 had 32 million page impressions.

Other products include mobile widgets, a mobile weather-site builder and text-based weather alerts.

“AccuWeather has the ability to produce any type of weather-related content, anywhere at any time,” Heaton says.

As part of AccuWeather.com’s mobile strategy the company plans to introduce more multimedia content such as location-based weather updates and alarms. Already, the weather service is providing weather-related videos for Sprint, Alltel, Bell Mobility, Rhythm NewMedia and mobiTV.

“People are becoming more and more dependent on mobile devices for accessing information they need,” Heaton says. “We are constantly trying to make life easier for our users where weather is concerned.”

By David Fancisco

Related links:
AccuWeather.com
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