Rain clouds, real time weather forecasts for mobile phones

Written by: Rebecca Milner on October 9, 2008 at 11:48 pm | In DIGITAL LIFE, LIFESTYLE / FASHION | 2 Comments

The capricious tendency of typhoons (now in season in Tokyo) to change their course at whim means that no matter what the weather forecast predicted in the morning, the details of exactly when and where you might get caught out in a trouser leg soaking down pour are hard to pin down.

While we tend to think of this as a fact of life, the National Weather Association has teamed up with mobile phone provider NTT Docomo to offer a “rain cloud mail messaging” alert service. Yes, this means your mobile phone alerts you of the approaching presence of a big fat rain cloud that you probably can’t detect from within your cubicle. It also means that you know to go pick up your take-out lunchbox from the convenience store now because in 30 minutes it could get ugly outside.

Specifically, subscribers to the service, which has a monthly service charge of ¥105 (about $1), input their location and the strength and proximity of the rain clouds about which they would like to be notified. At the bottom of the mail is a link to the current 6 hour forecast for your area on the National Weather Association mobile site.

Meanwhile those with GPS capable phones can take advantage of a new service called “10 minute furidasu” (“furidasu” means “begin to rain”) from Dwango and Life & Business Weather that offers a rain forecast in 10 minute intervals based on your current location.

The ¥105 a month service rates the weather within a 1kg radius on a seven-point scale from “clear” to “violent rain.” This type of live feed is also intended to track “guerilla rain,” the aforementioned shoe soaking variety that, due to its strong but short-lived nature, could easily be avoided with accurate, up to date information.

Not only are these services time and place specific, they are also season specific. Like the UV level forecasting services we covered during the summer months, these new rain sites address a concern that is fortunately (for us) not year round. On the other hand, together they display a level of customization that makes the standard nightly news forecast seem down right obsolete.

Tags: Mobile phones, Weather
Category: DIGITAL LIFE, LIFESTYLE / FASHION
Other categories: MARKETING IDEAS, PRODUCT INNOVATIONS

UV forecasts you can carry in your purse

Written by: Rebecca Milner on May 22, 2008 at 1:04 pm | In DIGITAL LIFE, LIFESTYLE / FASHION | 1 Comment

Talk about multi-tasking: how about being able to check your makeup and the UV level at the same time? Horiuchi Mirror Manufacturers has released a line-up of compact and lipstick mirrors with a scale on the reverse side that measures the level of UV rays from low to very high.

Why should you care about the level of UV rays? UV protection products score big with the substantial number of complexion obsessed women, the latest trend, however, seems to be about matching your protection level to the current intensity of the rays.

Last week we reported on the Japan Weather Association’s UV Forecast and now it seems that skin care company Dr. Ci:Labo is taking that idea one step further by introducing a mobile phone mail magazine service to keep users informed of the daily UV forecast for any of 1,800 specific locations around Japan.

The free service also advises users on the effects of the day’s predicted weather on their skin and well-being and makes cosmetic and dietary recommendations accordingly.

Tags: Skin Care, Weather
Category: DIGITAL LIFE, LIFESTYLE / FASHION
Other categories: MARKETING IDEAS, PRODUCT INNOVATIONS

SPF forecast for UV-conscious weather watchers

Written by: Rebecca Milner on May 11, 2008 at 11:58 pm | In LIFESTYLE / FASHION | 2 Comments

With summer around the corner we are already seeing the expected deluge of “UV Care” goods, including creams, shirts and parasols that all promise to cut out the harmful rays and keep a woman’s skin from showing any signs of outdoor activity. Knowing a buzzword when it sees one, the Japan Weather Association has added a “UV Information Page” to their tenki.jp portal, the nation’s largest weather information website (Tenki = Weather in Japanese).

The site includes a recommended SPF for the day and map detailing the strength of UV rays around Japan, expressed through a color-coded five level scale.

Surely this will turn not a few complexion-obsessed women into devout UV weather watchers, but we have to wonder, where is the cute character? Surely if they didn’t have the resources to create one they could have gotten the always tan-less Hello Kitty to sign up.

Tags: Skin Care, Weather
Category: LIFESTYLE / FASHION
Other categories: MARKETING IDEAS, DIGITAL LIFE, PRODUCT INNOVATIONS