Many of us love to keep up-to-date with weather developments. Whether it’s because you want to know if the weather is going to be great for an outdoor party, or if you’re going to be snowed in again, it’s nice to know what’s coming. WeatherAtPoint is a new gadget that promises to be the world’s smallest weather station. Slotting onto your smartphone and small enough to fit on a keychain, it’s a practical and effective way of tracking the weather.
The small bullet shaped gadget instantly measures temperature, humidity, UV radiation, atmospheric pressure and ambient light. There’s no need for a battery as it’s powered through your smartphone, and no internet connection is required either. Using it is a matter of plugging it in, opening the Weather Point app, and consulting the measurements. Four sensors keep track of things at all times.
It’s a particularly useful device for those who regularly enjoy outdoor activities. In theory, it means you won’t get caught in a storm while you’re hiking or fishing, and campers will know when to duck for cover in their tents. It’ll also mean no longer being reliant on a cellphone signal to see what the weather forecast will be, ensuring you’re self sufficient. The app provides additional information such as the maximum amount of time you should be exposed to UV rays, so you won’t risk sun damage or other long term issues.
Elsewhere, its light measuring sensor could be useful for photographers trying to get the lighting just right for their work, thanks to the sensor gathering information on artificial as well as natural light. In all, it’s a lot packed into one small keychain based device.
As the firm’s CEO, Natasha Bajat, explained, “weather changes greatly affect our daily activities.” She noted that weather stations can help, but they’re frequently many miles away, meaning more precise weather reports are far more useful. “The idea is to have measurements for users right on [the] spot, and they can share them with the network of other users,” Bajat says.
The main challenge in creating WeatherAtPoint was being able to fit it into a keychain sized casing at an affordable cost. Bajat cited “improving functionality, housing design, [and] finding and dealing with [the] right manufacturer” as key to the gadget’s success.
While using conventional investment was an option, the team felt it was better to pursue crowdfunding in the form of an Indiegogo project. It doubled up as both a form of income and as a source of validation and feedback for such a new product. It’s proven to be a success given that WeatherAtPoint is now available as part of Indiegogo’s InDemand project, having successfully raised enough funds through a regular campaign.
For now, the company is content with solely focusing on WeatherAtPoint. “We would like to be laden with feedback from our backers and contributors,” explained Bajat when discussing what’s next before launching on more “regular” markets.
Currently priced at $35 for one Anodized Aluminium WeatherAtPoint, with a plan for that price to rise to $59.95 at retail, it’s a keenly priced gadget. For something so small and flexible, it could make a substantial difference to those who are frequently outdoors for work or pleasure.
The Indiegogo InDemand campaign is ongoing with early bird purchases being shipped for October 2017. Keen customers can pledge $69 for a premium delivery WeatherAtPoint which is set to be dispatched May 2017.