Personal weather stations have been around for years, but this is the first one we've seen that uses a dedicated server (in Wisconsin) to assimilate and deliver personalized weather over the Internet. La Crosse gets weather info from NOAA and other sources, then creates a forecast that it sends directly to your unit over the Internet. You can even get alerts for a number of different locations, letting you determine if it's going to be a good weekend for that trip to the cabin.

La Crosse will make several different models offering a variety of additional functions including forecasts for up to 600 cities, a wireless outdoor temperature sensor, and spoken alerts. The unit connects to any high-speed Internet connection via its own wireless gateway.

Prices range from $60 to $150 depending on the model, with deliveries expected to begin in March.