relaxation
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HBO Max is making a TV series based on relaxation app Calm
HBO Max is adapting Calm's Sleep Stories into 30-minute episodes with narration from celebrities like Idris Alba and Oscar Isaac.
Color Space is a VR coloring book to help you relax
Let's face it: with the COVID-19 pandemic creating chaos, you're probably looking for something, anything to shut out the outside world and help you relax. Thankfully, you might have an option if you happen to have an Oculus VR headset. Lighthaus has released a Color Space coloring book app for the Quest and Rift that has you bringing a dull gray scene to life while you're inside. The more you color, the more it comes to life with animation and sound. It's very simple (you only need one button to control everything), but that's precisely the point -- Lighthaus designed the app as a distraction for patients going through stressful procedures.
Neuvana's stress-reducing earbuds are available to pre-order for $399
Neuvana's calming earbuds are nearly here after a long, long development process, although you may be in for a few surprises. The company has started taking pre-orders for its nerve-stimulating Xen buds at a $399 price ahead of their winter release. That's significantly higher than the $299 mentioned when we first saw Neuvana's tech in 2016 (and doesn't include the $4 per month premium for more waveforms and signals) but it's also considerably sleeker with a simple puck replacing the box we first saw. The intended effect remains the same, of course -- it's all about reducing stress and invoking inner peace.
Apple (gently) taps ASMR fans with its latest iPhone ads
Apple wants to show that it's hip to what the kids are watching, and that apparently includes latching on to one of YouTube's biggest trends: ASMR videos. The company has posted a series of iPhone-captured "Apple ASMR" clips from director Anson Fogel that aim to deliver relaxing tingles. There are only four so far, but Apple was clearly taking notes when it looked at YouTube's suggestions -- it even uses familiar video titles. You can fall asleep to rain during a camping trip, scratch that mental itch with hiking trail crunches, set your mind alight with whispers or listen to satisfying wood carving sounds. About the only complaint is that they're relatively short next to the half-hour-plus videos you often see elsewhere.
Samsung Health adds Calm's sleep and relaxation tools
Samsung had a surprise in store at Unpacked last month, when it revealed its Galaxy S10 camera app will include an Instagram mode. The company is adding another, more laidback third-party integration as Samsung Health users can access content from mindfulness service Calm as of today.
Luxury resort bans gadgets at swimming pool to create guest 'haven'
Look, as great as it is to have all these fancy laptops and smartphones around us, sometimes we can become too attached to them. And when you're on vacation, you just have to find a way to break free from technology. That's why a luxury resort in Bali, Indonesia is banning electronic devices from one of its swimming pools. With its "In the Moment" campaign, the five-star Ayana Resort & Spa wants to encourage its guests to unplug and fully enjoy their me-time, which it feels can be more easily accomplished if they're not worrying about calls, checking email or what's happening on social media.
Video games and ASMR: The science of pop-culture tingles
She speaks in a low, patient whisper punctuated by a wide smile, her face inches away from the camera. Her voice is soothing and her eyes are warm. "Let me give you this shield potion," she says, reaching out of frame. "I only have one of them, all right, so you can have it." She pulls out a squat mason jar filled with baby-blue liquid, a blue ribbon tied around the top. She taps the sides of the glass with her fingernails and continues whispering, talking about all the items she found after gliding onto the battlefield a few minutes ago. She doesn't have any guns, but she picked up a lot of healing items. She hands the mason jar to the viewer behind the camera and the scene changes -- she looks excited, eyes wide, but she's still whispering.
Bob Ross can mellow you out through a mobile app
Be honest: if you've watched Bob Ross' The Joy of Painting, it was probably more for his ultra-relaxing voice than his artistic advice. More than a few people have admitted to nodding off to his episodes. If so, you'll be glad to hear that his dulcet tones are available on-demand through your phone. Calm has released an officially approved Bob Ross Sleep Story recording for its mobile app (simply titled Painting With Bob Ross) that, as you might guess, uses snippets from the artist's PBS show to help your slumber. You no longer have to leave a YouTube video open or find a way to grab the raw audio.
Sway is a slick meditation app that makes sure you relax
Sway is a smartphone-based meditation (kind of) game, that comes from Ustwo, the company behind acclaimed mobile hit Monument Valley. No, this isn't a dreamily designed puzzler, but the same gentle aesthetics and attention to detail are definitely found in this app's DNA. I got to test Sway a few times earlier this week, and it's a cleverly distracting way to get into mindfulness — something I've been wrestling with over the last few months.
Finding inner peace (with help from your smartphone)
Technology is draining. Social media networks are programmed to make you come back for more, constantly swiping to refresh, like and post. You are constantly at your PC, your smartphone, your TV. You fall asleep to Netflix or reading Twitter as it spits up funny gifs or more bad news. It can wear you down. You're no longer in college with all the energy in the world and next to no commitments or obligations. You need to know when to unwind, avoid burning out and control (at least some) of your unhealthy (perhaps excessive) tech habits.
Kello trains your sleeping habits without using sensors
While there are already a handful of devices that claim to improve our sleep quality, one little startup from Hong Kong's Brinc IoT accelerator thinks that it can do a better job. Kello is a sleep trainer that comes in the form of an internet radio alarm slash Bluetooth speaker slash home automation hub, and unlike some of the competition, it doesn't use any bed sensor, clip-on device nor wearable to track the user's sleep activity. Instead, it's all about leveraging "simple, effective and scientifically proven techniques" from specialists to help us sleep faster, wake up better and ultimately change our lifestyle.
These Japanese smartglasses are trying to teach me zen
I'm on the subway, my head tilted downward to face my phone. I blink five times, I put my hand on my tummy to "feel" my breathing. To casual onlookers, I look suspicious as hell (or about to cry), but I'm meditating -- so please leave me alone. Yes, there's no lack of meditation apps on both iTunes and Google Play, but a wearable that monitors your body's reactions and offers feedback is rarer. JINS Meme is a pair of Japanese-made smartglasses that look pretty much like normal glasses. I've trained with them and run with them, and now the latest app for the specs is trying helping me to chill the eff out.
JINS smartglasses swap fitness advice for meditation guidance
In a bid to get you focusing at work, Japan-based JINS has announced a trio of companion apps for its Meme smartglasses. The focus isn't on posture or workouts this time, but literally focus -- by monitoring your eyes. These are the same glasses we've been using at the gym, but this time the apps tap into the high-tech sensors found on the nose bridge. Specifically, three-point electrooculography (EOG) sensors that can pick up minute electromagnetic changes from your eyes, detecting when you blink without any cameras involved. The company cites scientific research that shows that frequency and intensity of our blinks represent whether we're concentrating or not, and JINS has built three different apps that track that. Oh, and your posture, too. No slouching.
10 ways to manage the post-Thanksgiving madness
Ahhh, the holidays. What a lovely time of year to catch up with the extended family and do a quick bit of shopping at enormous discounts. The truth of the situation, however, is often less relaxing than it sounds. Family get-togethers can be taxing, especially when you factor in the state of politics today and the obligatory "drunk uncle." Black Friday (which apparently starts on Thursday now) has become a frantic shopping battle, with everyday folks emboldened by insanely low-priced waffle makers. That's OK, technology is here to help you regain your inner zen. Breathe deeply, try to find a quiet corner and join us in the gallery below for some helpful gadgets to bring you serenity when you need it most: Now!
RiLAXapp let's you relax from the stresses of the day
RiLAXapp is a US$0.99 app with one mission: to provide an audio and visual experience to help you unwind. The app features three different scenes -- one with water, another with a crackling flame, and a third with the aurora borealis over some mountains. There are animated visuals and ambient outdoors sounds, along with some faint music. Unlike many apps with relaxing sounds, this app lets you interact with the scene. Tapping on the screen might give you, for example, a bell sound, and drawing on the screen displays animated effects that follow your finger. I found the audio most effective on headphones, especially headphones that cut you off from outside sounds. The environmental sounds are realistic, and there is just a faint hint of music. On-screen controls let you hear just the music or the ambient sounds without the music. I would like to see sliders in RiLAXapp to let me create my own blend. I'm not sure how relaxing it is to watch the animations and play with the screens. My idea of relaxation is to close my eyes and turn off all visual stimulation, but everybody is different and the interactive images may be great for some users. People who like these kinds of apps should also check out Thunderspace and Naturespace. RiLAXapp requires iOS 6 or later and it is optimized for the latest iPhone models.
Zen out with Oceen's relaxing sounds and guided meditations
Oceen, free with in-app purchases, has all of the tranquil sounds that you expect with a relaxation app, plus guided relaxations to set your mind at ease. Only one guided meditation is available with the free version, which is disappointing. The App Store is saturated with relaxation apps and the meditation feature is what makes this worth the download. It would be nice to see at least two more guided relaxations available for free. The free "short break" relaxation walks you through the basics of meditation. I should note that the developers make a point of saying the relaxations are not the same as meditations, but as a 15 year practitioner of yoga, I can't tell the difference. There are 13 meditations available for purchase with prices that range anywhere from US$5.99 to $9.99. The length of each varies; some are a few minutes, while others are roughly 20 minutes. For $49.99, you can buy a yearly subscription that unlocks all of the app's relaxations and features. Each meditation comes with a free demo allowing you to try it out before you buy it. This almost makes up for the lack of free full mediations. Some of the demos are around three minutes in length, so you can get some of the benefit without purchasing the full relaxation. Oceen comes with only four relaxing sound. You can layer these sounds with the guided relaxations or listen to them on their own. I like this feature. It adds an extra dimension to the relaxation process and helps to cancel out any noisy distractions. In addition, you get four videos for free that also layer with the sounds and relaxations. There is a video of the sea, the beach, a fire and also one of sitting ducks – which I guess is relaxing to some people. I always find the videos associated with these apps to be a bit pointless. While I may want to listen to music or white noise in my downtime, I've never found staring at an image of water on my iPhone to be particularly tranquil. I'd rather the developer ditch the videos in the free version and add on more meditations and sounds. You do not need to purchase the full version of the app to unlock all of the sounds and videos. You can access all of them when you purchase an individual guided relaxation. For the most part, the app's effectiveness depends on whether or not you enjoy the voice of the meditation coach, Gwen Hoffman. That comes down to personal preference. I wasn't that impressed, but maybe you will be. As a free app, there's not much to Oceen. To get the full effect, you'll need to spring for some, if not all, of the in-app purchases.
Free Sleep Sounds - get some shut-eye or relax with this free app
Free Sleep Sounds (free!) joins a pretty crowded field of apps designed to help you sleep, relax or meditate. The app contains 25 well-recorded environments in stereo in categories like Ocean, Rivers and Streams, Wind, Fire, Birds and more. A unique feature is the ability to created blended mixes of any of up to six tracks, so you could hear wind along with the crickets. The app can run in the background. Free Sleep Sounds also shows you some nice images taken around the world to accompany the sounds. There is a sleep timer, and the tracks nicely fade out so they are not jarring. I tried Free Sleep Sounds with headphones as well as on a Bluetooth Stereo speaker, and found the audio quality quite good. Using this ad-supported app is easy enough, but it has the most intrusive and obnoxious ad placement I have seen in years. The screen bounces with notifications, and many of the ads are animated and distracting. It is the LAST thing I would want to see in an app designed to help me relax. If you look at the screen at all, anxiety replaces any soothing effects the soundscapes are designed to create. At times I wanted to throw my iPhone out the nearest window. The same developer offers a paid app that is actually a pretty good deal. While it is on sale for US$0.99, Sleep Sounds HQ offers more than 600 relaxing sounds. Some of the categories are a bit weird, like Industrial and Trains; not the kinds of soundscapes I would think of first if I needed to get some rest. Still, there is so much to choose from and the lack of ads makes Sleep Sounds HQ seem the better deal. I would suggest trying the free app and see if you like the sounds and features; if you do, migrate to the paid version. I am sure that was the developer's intention in the first place... My favorite sleep/relaxation app is still Naturespace. It's a free app with a lot of in-app purchases, but the audio is first rate, and the free version has some great soundscapes. Naturespace is designed for headphone listening and has special settings for earbud listeners, but it sounds fine over external speakers. Sleep Sounds and Naturespace both provide natural sounds, which I prefer to synthesized soundscapes. Free Sleep Sounds requires iOS 6 or later. It's not universal, and it is optimized for the iPhone 5.
The Daily Grind: How do you relax in-game?
It's no secret that I'm kind of big on roleplaying. So you might think that when I log in to Final Fantasy XIV or World of Warcraft or whatever I'm playing on a given day that roleplaying is how I chill out... but you'd be wrong. Roleplaying is just as high-intensity for me as challenging content. How do I relax? Dailies. Repeatable quests. Just slowly working up to better gear or more money or otherwise zoning out and enjoying myself. Yes, it's all automatic and a little boring, but it's the equivalent of sitting in front of the television and spacing out. I'm not forced to think about it too much, and next thing I know it's time for something else and I've got a pile of money and stuff. Everyone has their own ways of relaxing. For some people, roleplaying is that way. Some people find high-level dungeon relaxing. Some people craft or just chat with others. So how do you relax in-game? What's your low-stress way of just derping around? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Naturespace, a "sonic landscape" app, has a special Halloween surprise
Naturespace is simply one of my favorite apps, and that includes every piece of software I've used since 1978. If you've ever had problems with ringing in the ears or going to sleep, Naturespace could also be one of the greatest things ever. In short, it is a sonic landscape app, with access to dozens of expertly recorded and crafted audio "scenes" that play out in a seamless loop for as long as you wish, all in glorious "holographic" (aka 3D) audio. The quality is breathtaking, the choices are vast and the app is a pleasure to use. Here's a video with some info on how and why they do this. But since it's Halloween, Naturespace is offering its Thunder God collection for free! That's $10 of content available to our readers for nothing. Plus, on October 31st they'll post a "Trick or Treat" track on their Facebook page. You can read a review of Naturespace here and or watch our live demo here, but since you can try a few tracks for free there's no reason to not download it and try it. Put on some headphones and lose yourself in the auditory delights of a variety of sonic landscapes and I think you'll agree that this app is a gem on the App Store. If you're looking to buy a few tracks to really experience the magic of the app, here are some thoughts from one of the guys who produces the audio you'll hear: "The Ascendancy of The Redwoods" is an epic track. It took us almost a week of recording to create the piece. It's a perfect track for people that have never visited the Redwoods or for people that want to revisit this ancient forest. We also have three recordings that have trains in them. These recording stand out from the pure nature aspects of the catalog and use our 3D techniques to deliver a truly unique experience. The first called "The Cloud Engine" was created by us by chartering an authentic steam train in the Rocky Mountains. This piece a serious trip back to the 1800's and places the listener on what was considered "advanced tech" back then. The second train piece is called "Serpentine" which includes a fantastic distant train winding through canyons. It is a great piece for anyone whose past holds the sound of trains in the distance. The third piece "The Ghost" is a more ambient steam train experience that puts the listener aboard a train alone. This piece is a ride down into a canyon without the strong "chugging" of "The Cloud Engine". It is meant as a companion piece to "The Cloud Engine".
Free for All: My top four MMOs for relaxation
Say you come home from a long day's work, dreaming about the vacation that you've yet to take and how nice it would be to turn off your brain for a while, to kick back and watch the wide world walk by. Unfortunately, vacations cost a pile of money. You have to pay someone to watch the dogs and water your plants and work is a real pain about letting you out of the shackles even for a week. The good news is that much of the benefit of vacation comes from the mental release. Sure, nothing beats the real, true feeling of pressing your toes into warm water and sand, but it can be fun and relaxing to visit virtual worlds, to take in virtual sights and sounds. MMOs are perfect for blowing off some steam, for taking a moment to realize just how nice it is to have access to such landscapes from the comfort of your desk. Here are some of my favorite virtual worlds that bring on that feeling of relaxation.
