Relax and focus with Windy, an app that'll soothe you with immersive audio and blow your mind with its 3D parallax scenery.
We're always keen to check out the best iPhone apps, and last year we were rather taken with Thunderspace, a great little app that enables you to chill out with the sounds of thunderstorm in your ears and the occasional flash of lightning from your phone.
Now the people behind Thunderspace, Taptanium, are back with Windy on iPhone and iPad, which takes Thunderspace's approach of providing lovely environmental audio to help you sleep, relax, study or meditate, and takes it to a whole new level.
As you'll have doubtless worked out, Windy is focused on wind noises instead of thunderstorms. Recorded in stereoscopic 3D by Emmy-award winning nature sound recordist Gordon Hempton, Windy's six soundscapes are a binaural treat that evoke the delicious sensation of the elements blowing all around you.
That's just for starters, though. To complement the sound, Windy also features six beautiful parallax scenes for you to look at. Created by environmental illustrator Marie Beschomer, these 3D tableaux are multi-layered and motion controlled, and just the thing for you to gaze at while the virtual wind blows. And to tie everything together there's also a story by Vira Haglund, as well as music composed in Hollywood by award-winning composer David Bawiec.
It all adds up to a gorgeous audiovisual experience that works on a number of levels. Whether you simply want an alternative to white or pink noise to help keep you calm and focused, or if you want to take in the whole story or just contemplate the multi-layered imagery, you're bound to find something in Windy that'll delight you.
Jim McCauley is a writer, performer and cat-wrangler who started writing professionally way back in 1995 on PC Format magazine, and has been covering technology-related subjects ever since, whether it's hardware, software or videogames. A chance call in 2005 led to Jim taking charge of Computer Arts' website and developing an interest in the world of graphic design, and eventually led to a move over to the freshly-launched Creative Bloq in 2012. Jim now works as a freelance writer for sites including Creative Bloq, T3 and PetsRadar, specialising in design, technology, wellness and cats, while doing the occasional pantomime and street performance in Bath and designing posters for a local drama group on the side.
