There are a ton of weather apps available for Android and all pretty much just report the weather. However, there’s a new app called Coton that isn’t as much about reporting the weather as much as it helping you learn more about it.
Coton is a cloud identification app — designed to help you identify the, apparently, highly varied and complex world of clouds. I say this because, honestly, I thought there was like three different types of clouds. There are not. I stand corrected.
So, if a developer had told me they were going to create a paid app that was only focused on providing different types of clouds I would have told them they were bat-shit crazy and that it would, in all likelihood, be a huge failure. Again, I stand corrected.
Not only do I like Coton, but I’m sort of in love with it for a few reasons. First of all, the developers have managed to create an app about a mundane subject and actually make it seem cool.
Think of it like this. You like seeing things like lions attacking zebras on the Discovery Channel, but you wouldn’t exactly be enthralled enough by the subject to, say, go pick up a book about it at the library. Coton basically does the same thing with clouds — delivering the content in such an interesting way that you don’t even realize that you’re learning. Scary.
Coton is beautiful. Each type of cloud is shown as a high resolution image that gives you a complete look of what to look for in each cloud. Coton features about twenty or so different clouds and you can swipe between them to get more detailed information.
Each cloud comes with a few different photos of examples and a few paragraphs of relevant details. Again, everything in Coton feels smooth, sexy and quite entertaining. According to the developers, Coton has around 120 photos and over 30 pages of content.
After all, who knew that there were clouds with names like “Fallstreak Hole,” “Mammatus,” and “Pielus.” The developers have invested a considerable amount of time to creating a real database of information related to clouds — basing the information on International Cloud Atlas, which is published by the World Meteological Organziation.
Again, who the hell knew these things and organizations even existed? If it has to be said, we’re dealing with some uber-weather nerds here, which might be a good thing for you.
Coton also has a pretty good introductory section that walks people through exactly how clouds work… you know in case you didn’t pay attention in your Earth Science class. Coton is an app that feels good for all ages; it won’t bore you if you’re an adult and, at the same time, it’s fantastic for children.
Coton is a great combination a beautiful, well-designed app with great information and subject matter. Again, clouds are incredibly boring, but Coton is not. Moreover, it’s wonderful to see such high quality apps finally making their way to Android.
Coton is a fantastic weather and educational app for Android. It’s beautiful design and presentation manage to transform a ho-hum subject into something that can captivate and intrigue most folks.
Coton is a paid only app and can be scooped up right now for only a buck — which is a steal. I’m not sure that I’d pay more than dollar for an app like this, so if you’re even half way interested in it I’d buy it right now.
On a side note, if you’re into quirky weather apps then be sure to check out Weddar – another pretty great weather app that has an off beat approach just like Coton.
Paid: Coton ($0.99)
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