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| 2007 |
| 12/8/2004 |
| 21st CENTURY DESIGNER WEATHER |
| It’s not that long since you’d find a barometer on the wall in every home. But trends moved on and high tech weather stations moved in, primarily as a ‘boy’s toy’ or a gift for the person who has everything.
But according to Oregon Scientific, the world leader in electronic weather stations, we’re on the cusp of a new trend where once again a weather system will be found in every home.
Oregon are selling 13 per cent more weather stations year on year. The company believes it’s down to the innovation, sophistication, reliability and ease of use of new barometric technology, where electronic weather stations with colourful LCD displays are combined with clocks, phones and UV predictors. They make a stylish addition to any room – why just have a phone, when you can have a combined phone and weather station which not only looks great on the sitting room table but helps you plan your week at the same time?
In recognition of this growing trend, Oregon Scientific is launching this month limited edition designer versions of three of its most innovative and popular weather stations. Anyone with a penchant for forward planning and an eye for designer good looks will want to own one of these superb models: whether it’s the Meteo Vision, with its dazzling, full-colour display; the voice-activated Meteo Dialogue; or the “talking” Meteo Voice with UV monitoring.
With sleek black casing and a copper finish, any one of these three models will grace the living room, hall or kitchen of the most fashionable home – and with a tactile rubber “feel”, they’re great to touch and use as well as to look at.
Picture Perfect
Looking at the Meteo Vision (AWS 888N-K, rrp £149.99)
is something you’ll want to do often – and not just for its
intrinsic attractiveness. This model features a 3.8” full-colour
display showing the weather forecast either as a series of
“from life” photo-images, or animations accompanied with
sound effects – so you can see at a glance what the weather’s going to be.
There’s a choice of display modes, still picture or auto-rotation. Set the unit to auto-rotation mode and it will provide you with just about every piece of weather-related data you could wish for, for example:
• Indoor and outdoor 5-channel temperature and humidity. (A splash-proof, wireless, remote sensor with a range of 50 metres “at sight” is included; the sensor has its own mini LCD display, so you can consult it for time, temperature and humidity readings even when you’re outside.
• Barometric pressure measurement with bar chart display of history for the last 24 hours.
• Maximum/minimum temperature and humidity memories (so you’ve got a record of just how hot – or cold! – the day or night was).
• Temperature and humidity trend indicator.
And if all this isn’t enough to help you be fully prepared for any outdoor eventuality, the Meteo Vision also incorporates a Radio-controlled clock and calendar showing the day of the week plus month in any one of five languages. Plus there are two independent crescendo alarms with 8-minute snooze – so you can wake up in the morning and know what the weather’s going to do before you even get out of bed. With such breadth and sophistication of functionality, ease of use, it’s easy to see why consumers are increasingly turning to electronic technology to fulfil their weather forecasting needs.
Let’s talk about the weather
Just as versatile as the Meteo Vision – and just as stylish - is Oregon Scientific’s Voice Activated weather station, the Meteo Dialogue (BAR 998HGN-K, rrp £129.99). Like its stable mate, this great-looking weather station is completely cable free for easy installation (wall or table-mounted, it too comes with a remote thermo-hygro sensor, with a transmission range of 70 metres) and gives you all of that essential weather forecasting data in graphic form on its blue backlit LCD screen. The weather itself is indicated by universally-accepted, easy-to read animated symbols – sun, clouds etc. – and is shown centre screen, with all of the ancillary information – temperature, humidity, barometric pressure and trends and so on – displayed around it.
Where the Meteo Dialogue really comes into its own, however, is in its voice activation facility: the unit will respond to the sound of your voice to display time, weather and alarm status information, so you can operate it from the comfort of your armchair or sun lounger!
Other features of this intelligent instrument include a Heat Index indication and a Frost pre-Alarm, as well as Oregon Scientific’s trademark Radio-controlled clock (regulated automatically by MSF radio signal, so it never needs adjusting) and dual crescendo alarm. Health-conscious sun-worshippers will also want to consider investing in the optional UV measurement sensor.
Easy Listening
The third model in this exclusive collection is the Meteo Voice (BAR 323HGN-K, rrp £149.99). UV measurement comes as standard with this model – and in an era when we’re all conscious that whilst sunshine is good for our health as well as our tans, too much can have damaging long-term consequences, this feature could be of vital importance during a summers day.
As well as displaying UVI history in both bar chart and numerical form, this instrument calculates your individual “safe” sun exposure time (based on the data you input into it – your skin type and SPF levels); when your UV exposure reaches “Danger Level” (and remember, you can be exposed to the sun’s powerful ultra-violet rays even on a cloudy day) an audible alarm alerts you that it’s time to fold up the deck chair and head back indoors for a spell.
But that’s not all the Meteo Voice will tell you. Whilst the weather forecast and other meteorological information (temperature, humidity, comfort levels etc.) is displayed in graphic from on the instrument’s display, this model can also be set to “announce” time and weather information, meaning it will tell you when it’s time to break up the barbecue and bring out the umbrellas!
A splash-proof remote sensor (wireless, naturally) also comes as standard, with a temperature measuring range of -20C to +60C and a transmission range of up to 70 metres, and as well as a Radio-controlled clock and calendar, there’s a user-selectable “Talk” or “Beep” 2 minute daily crescendo alarm with snooze function.
* * * * *
Mechanical barometers will doubtless continue to grace the walls of antique lovers for many years yet – but for those who desire ease of use, real performance and reliability in weather forecasting, there’s no doubt that the future is electronic.
Sadly, modern science notwithstanding, it’s not possible to design the weather to our own personal specifications – not yet anyway! But with a super-elegant weather station from the Oregon Scientific Design Edition Collection in your home, you can at least predict it in designer style.
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