Get the weather wherever

Netatmo wireless weather station
$179 at netatmo.com

I don’t see a lot of cool tech products from France. This gorgeous and well designed gadget for weather buffs makes me wonder why.

Netatmo includes a pair of cylindrical climate sensors. One goes inside your home, while the other sits outdoors. Each of them connect to your home’s Wi-Fi Internet link. The sensors detect temperature, humidity and barometric pressure; the indoor sensor also measures the level of carbon dioxide in the room, as well as the sound level, a feature designed to protect users from “noise pollution.” I’m not sure I see the point, but it works.

At least, my iPhone tells me so. Install the Netatmo app--there’s one for Android phones too--and you can get a readout of the weather conditions around your home, indoors or out, from pretty much anywhere. The app also displays three days of weather forecasts and downloaded data on air quality conditions.

Netatmo users also get access to an online community that caters to weather junkies. Your weather data can be stored there, letting users buld up a history of their local climate. Netatmo hopes that if they get enough users, their collected weather readings will prove an essential resource for climate researchers.

Personally, the weather reports on the late news are good enough for me. But I still love Netatmo. Not only does it work as advertised; it’s also one of the most attractive devices I’ve reviewed. When I’m hunting for first-class digital hardware, I don’t generally look to France. Maybe I’d better start.