GAITHERSBURG, Md. -- WeatherBug(R), provider of live neighborhood weather used across the U.S. by broadcasters, federal and state government agencies, the National Weather Service, schools, consumers and businesses, today launched WeatherBug 6.0. The free product is available at http://www.weatherbug.com/ .

WeatherBug 6.0 is a new, significantly enhanced version of the leading online weather service, which has as its stalwart backbone 7,000 of its own weather sensors and 1,000 cameras, across the USA. It includes a host of new features that zero in on putting highly precise and rich local real-time weather information right on consumer and business users' desktops. WeatherBug 6.0 includes:

  -- New Weather Window which displays live, interactive radar and cameras based on the user's location or anywhere in the U.S.
  -- Temperature readings that are now displayed in tenths (e.g., 72.4
     degrees)
  -- Larger forecast maps with greater detail and larger graphics
  -- A powerful Weather Alerts Manager allowing users to easily configure settings for severe weather alerts by time or type
  -- New Location Manager allowing users to change their location in an instant with an interactive map
  -- A new wind vane that dynamically displays wind speed, direction and gusts
  -- New community section for weather fun information, pictures and astronomy information.

In addition, WeatherBug 6.0 now features a completely new, larger interface that includes:

  -- Live local weather camera images that are 33% larger than before
  -- An enhanced map/radar section with graphics that are 52% larger than before
  -- A robust help section and free technical support.

"There's an insatiable demand for households and businesses to obtain the most accurate weather, and WeatherBug 6.0 delivers. Moreover, it's far more efficient and agile, in terms of one's computer and bandwidth resources, to get the weather via our desktop Internet application than via a website," said Bob Marshall, President, CEO and co-founder, WeatherBug.

"Desktop Internet applications are becoming more powerful for consumer and business users who seek live streaming information," said Andy Jedynak, Senior Vice President and General Manager, WeatherBug. "Today, business and consumer users alike are looking for information to be seamlessly pushed to their desktops as opposed to having to go hunt for it on a website. WeatherBug is responding to this need with an always-on, always-connected weather dashboard for live local weather conditions, forecasts and life-saving alerts at work and home, and the positive feedback we have received from our millions of monthly users is overwhelming."

For current customers the upgrade to WeatherBug 6.0 is free and replaces the current version. In addition, WeatherBug Plus 6.0 is also launched today. WeatherBug Plus is the newly named version of what was WeatherBug Pro. It includes all the new features of WeatherBug 6.0 and additional premium features for just $19.95 a year. These include:

  -- MyLocations:  allows subscribers to keep an eye on multiple locations
     at once, such as their home, kid's school, favorite vacation spot, or
     parents' house.  In WeatherBug Plus 6.0, MyLocations allows subscribers
     to monitor up to six locations at once and associate a personal icon to
     each location
  -- PlusCams:  allows subscribers to view live cameras (up to 30 miles away
     from their location) in one interface
  -- MyAlerts:  allows subscribers to set thirteen additional custom alerts
     that are not found in the free version
  -- MySkins:  replaces the ads in WeatherBug Plus with fun new backgrounds,
     or "skins" that come to life.  Subscribers can change these backgrounds
     whenever they want to suit their mood.

With 17.7 unique monthly users, WeatherBug is a top source for news and information online*, providing live, accurate conditions that stream directly from local weather stations. WeatherBug is backed by a comprehensive network of over 7,000 real-time weather monitoring stations of its own, based primarily at schools nationwide, as well as other community locations.

About WeatherBug(R)

WeatherBug (http://www.weatherbug.com/ ) ensures that individuals, schools, businesses and communities always get the most precise live weather conditions, the most relevant reports, and the earliest weather warnings to safeguard their property and their lives. WeatherBug owns the world's largest weather network, which has more than 7,000 live sensors and over 1,000 cameras that generate neighborhood level reports every second, not just every hour. This network powers various products and services, including: WeatherBug, the number one weather Internet application, with over 34 million downloads, streams live neighborhood conditions to its home and work users; WeatherBug Media Services, which delivers live weather information to over 80 million U.S. households through partnerships with more than 100 local television stations; WeatherBug Education, which provides engaging weather information and educational tools to schools and colleges, including an online learning program for K-12 schools called WeatherBug Achieve; and WeatherBug Professional Services, which uses the company's unique weather network and software to provide high-value solutions for vertical industries such as energy, transportation, and first response. WeatherBug is a brand of AWS Convergence Technologies, Inc. (http://www.aws.com/ ).

http://www.weatherbug.com