Weather apps are a fixture on smartphones and tablets. Apple's rather basic weather app has evolved very little since its inception, but thankfully developers have stepped up to produce plenty of options for those looking for more detailed information.
There is no shortage of weather apps - paid or free. I have at least six installed on my own phone, but most are ad-supported. One standout app, Weather Live, is priced at $1.99 in the App Store. With the many free alternatives, it is only fair to ask what this paid app delivers, aside from no ads, over its cheapskate rivals.
Presentation and customization are what set the Weather Live app apart from the competition.
Stunning live screen animations that mimic the current weather scroll across the display. Weather Live has six different layouts users can select with varying degrees of detail. The most detailed view includes loads of information including the current conditions, an hourly forecast, and an outlook for the next seven days. Other display options allow users to simplify the screen layout.
Weather Live will track conditions for multiple cities and deliver alerts in the event of severe weather. There is also a freezing temperature alert.
No weather app is complete without an animated weather map and Weather Live offers four map choices: cloud, radar, satellite and rain maps. This is one area Weather Live make bring improvements. 
The maps are attractive, but you can't zoom in on them. They also lack any city names for reference. When a storm is rolling through nearby users naturally want a more local view. Weather Live says map improvements are coming. I don't have a time frame, but Weather live says it is working to include the map improvements in an update.
Weather Live offers some nice extra touches like displaying the current temperature on the app icon, and the ability to select from two different weather data providers. You can also adjust the app brightness by swiping vertically. A horizontal swipe will load weather from other saved locations.
Weather Live gets overwhelmingly positive feedback in Apple's App Store, and it is not hard to see why. Weather Live is worth considering at its $1.99 price, but it needs to improve its maps to be complete. When Weather Live offers map zooming to display more local imagery it could be the ultimate one-stop weather app.
Matthew Fortner has been at The News & Observer since 2002. He has a passion for gadgets, cutting-edge technology and all things geek.