The Weather Channel has launched its first application for distribution both inside and outside of the United States for the Palm webOS platform.

The new free application is ad capable, but currently only serves house ads. Additionally, the application is optimized for the Palm Pre and the new Palm Pixi GPS? touchscreen capabilities.

?The Weather Channel strives to provide the best weather information to consumers across many platforms,? said Traci Schoenberg, director of mobile products at The Weather Channel Interactive, Atlanta. ?This application on the webOS platform broadens our mobile reach while continuing to provide Palm customers the best experience possible.?

The Weather Channel Interactive is a provider of broadband and wireless weather products.

Ms. Schoenberg said that advertisements in the application are currently for other Weather Channel products as a way to showcase opportunities to future advertising partners.

Weather Channel sells its own ad space through its direct sales force.

Advertisements within the application are designed so consumers can click on interactive and expandable banner ads that link to a WAP site or enable click-to-call, click-to-video or open a landing page without closing the application.

?The Weather Channel will work with potential advertisers to meet their creative needs while preserving the integrity of the user experience,? Ms. Schoenberg said.

Weather Channel?s Palm application is available in English, German and Spanish.

The application features detailed weather data for current conditions, hourly, 36-hour and 10-day forecasts.

Consumers can use Palm?s GPS capabilities to plot their exact location for accurate conditions and alerts.

A severe weather alert indicator turns red when there is severe weather forecasted for the user?s location.

Maps on the Palm application can be animated and are customizable to display weather layers such as radars and clouds.

The Weather Channel is not new to the mobile space.

In September, The Weather Channel launched a new version of its original weather content application for the Android family of devices with special features, including ad support.

The Weather Channel for Android incorporates features such as animated radar maps and traffic cameras for select cities, yet maintains all the features from the original version of the application (see story).

This is not The Weather Channel?s first Palm application, either.

Ms. Schoenberg said that the first application launched for the Palm OS in 2006 with a subscription-based application targeting business travelers.

However, this new application is the first free-to-consumer application for Palm users from The Weather Channel.

?Our target demographic for this application is any Pre user,? Ms. Schoenberg said. ?We provide detailed weather conditions, forecasts and maps that are relevant to a variety of customer segments, including business travelers, active families, outdoor enthusiasts and consumers who keep up with their daily weather.

?The opportunity for The Weather Channel to create an application for Palm allows us to take advantage of the Palm webOS capabilities of the Pre ? and soon Pixi ? devices,? she said. ?The adaptation for the platform further showcases our technical expertise and continued innovation, and our customers really seem to like what we?ve done.

?The Weather Channel has maintained a 4.5 star rating since launch.?