Calm is a web app that provides a relaxing meditation right in your browser. You can use this to relieve pent up stress during the day and increase productivity while working. Calm will provide you with soothing images, sound and instructions for two, ten, or twenty minute long sessions. Calm will transport you to fields in Spring, mountainside lakes, beaches and more. Using this app is a great means of letting the troubles of the world melt away.

Features

When you enter Calm you will need to select the amount of time you wish to meditate and which background you wish to view. The scenery you pick will be accompanied by matching atmospheric audio; the volume can be adjusted at any time. After making these selections Calm will recommend that you attach a pair of headphones and clear out any distractions around you.

Throughout your session a voice over will provide meditation tips to help you relax. These instructions can be paused or stopped entirely at any time. The instructions are the same in all session lengths, but will be delivered sooner in two minute sessions. This soothing narrator will also let you know when your session time is over. When you finish a session a share menu will appear where you can e-mail friends about your experience with Calm.

Usability

Calm’s interface is very simple with large icons that are easy to understand. The audio relaxation is best experienced with a good pair of headphones and isn’t as nearly as powerful when used with computer speakers. The voiceover instructions also assume you are sitting in a chair at a desk and are mildly distracting when sitting or lying in other positions. Such annoyances can be counterproductive to the app.

Quality

While Calm functions in all browsers it is best experienced in Firefox. There are slight overlay and graphical problems in Internet Explorer. Due to Chrome’s large amount of memory Calm has a tendency to skip and have delayed visuals. In Firefox the animated backgrounds are smooth and sharp and the audio is crisp. In all browsers there are slight visual blemishes with the rainfall backgrounds, but every other choice is of superb quality.

Conclusion

Calm is an excellent way to take a break from work and put your mind at peace. Just make sure to have headphones, a comfy chair and Firefox.