A Virtual Experience to Calm Your Reality

TRU LUV launches #SelfCare, the app to harmonize your hectic lifestyle.

Today the innovative developers of therapeutic technologies at TRU LUV released their latest digital companion #SelfCare, a game-like app that allows you to reset, recharge and reemerge anew. In this world ruled by digital overload, TRU LUV takes your phone past being a tool for personal betterment and onto providing a truly restorative immersive experience — one that replaces mindless scrolling with mindful intention.

“#SelfCare is an antidote to a stressful world and a phone full of bad news, FOMO, and more stress,” say co-creators Brie Code and Eve Thomas. “For 3-5 minutes you can escape to a calm and soothing room, do some relaxing, meditative tasks, and return to your life refreshed and ready to face your stresses.”

The setting for #SelfCare is as simple as the process: Let’s stay in bed all day. In your virtual bedroom, surrounded by your favorite gentle things, you select calming tasks that generate simple satisfaction and uncomplicated harmony. Awaken your slumbering cat and give it some deserved affection, sort your laundry by color, indulge in a tarot card reading, or nurture your favorite plant. It’s your safe, comfortable space where you give yourself permission to feel better.

Unlike traditional games that get increasingly more stressful as you progress, the #SelfCare interactions begin disorderly and awkward and become more orderly and satisfying. There are no levels of difficulty, no winning, and no losing. The goal is simple: To feel better.

To build #SelfCare upon a solid, evidence-based foundation, the team collaborated with research advisor Dr. Isabela Granic — creator of the renowned anxiety-reducing children’s game MindLight, Professor and Chair of Developmental Psychopathology at Radboud University in the Netherlands, and Director of the Games for Emotional and Mental Health Lab. “It’s the marriage of science and design that is the game changer,” says Dr. Granic. “Ultimately, it’s that science-design integration that will motivate people to take control of their own emotional resilience, building self-care practices that prevent the development of anxiety and depression while also promoting general well-being.” 

As your #SelfCare experience progresses you can personalize your virtual sanctuary with unique additions contributed by guest artists working in themes of self-care, updating your space to reflect the evolution of your goals and outlook. The more time you spend on yourself, the more self-care techniques are unlocked for a deeper and more impactful practice.

Download #SelfCare in the iPhone App Store.

For more information visit TruLuv.ai. 

For all media inquiries contact VOCAL.  

Future of Fashion Incubator

The Future of Fashion is Currently Enrolled at London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London

Empowering Tomorrow’s Talent To Transform The Industry With Cutting-Edge Tech

Through a unique partnership with London College of Fashion, UAL featuring custom co-curriculum, Microsoft is empowering the next generation of talent to transform the fashion industry. LCF’s Future of Fashion Incubator uses cutting-edge Microsoft technology and influential mentorships to create truly collaborative educational environments. The program seeks to spark creativity and meaningful innovation, allowing this select group of students to bring their vision of the future of fashion to life.

Microsoft co-created a custom curriculum for a semester-long incubator with LCF’s Fashion Innovation Agency and Digital Learning Lab. Students across multiple majors in both the bachelor’s and master’s programs applied to participate in this advanced course that challenged them to use cutting-edge technology like mixed reality, the Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence to disrupt the fashion industry.

“Collaborating with Microsoft to empower our students with emerging technologies across courses through this project is incredibly exciting.” says Matthew Drinkwater, Head of Fashion Innovation Agency at London College of Fashion. “Fusing business ideas with mixed reality, artificial intelligence and machine learning, ultimately, will allow a pathway to creating the digital designer business of the future.”

The Incubator is a short-term intensive program, where top students from LCF's Fashion Business School, School of Design & Technology, and School of Media & Communication, collaborate in six multi-disciplinary groups. Over the course of the semester, students attend workshops and explore various Microsoft technologies and their impact on the fashion industry – including Mixed Reality/3D, the Internet of Things, and Artificial Intelligence – before selecting one concentration of study.

"It has been amazing to partner with London College of Fashion and their Fashion Innovation Agency, to push the boundaries of how technology can really drive impact and foster alternative creative thinking in fashion. The future of the industry is enrolled here, and we want to empower them to make a purposeful difference — not just now, but also when they enter the industry." - Maruschka Loubser, Senior Global Marketing Manager, Microsoft.

Once their concepts have been established, the teams consult with Incubator Ambassadors Charli Cohen, Hayley Elsaesser, Sofia Barattieri, Natasha Franck and Bia Bezamat, from a range of fashion perspectives to develop ideas into prototypes that will drive digital transformation and forge new frontiers within the industry. The program culminates with an unveiling event alongside the LCF BA18 exhibition in June.

For more information, please contact VOCAL or visit www.microsoft.com/inculture/london-college-fashion.

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Introducing: Moodelizer

Dynamic Playback, the music format of the future.

Moodelizer has cracked the code for quality soundtracking regardless if your adding instant music to your social videos, soundtracking your Youtube-content or producing video professionally.

We eliminate technical and judicial boundaries and on top of that, our technology is filled with high-quality music that you control with your fingertip. With the Moodelizer pad you comfortably control the intensity and variation of your soundtrack.

Moodelizer makes you the conductor of the orchestra so you can soundtrack anything.

Moodelizer.com

Microsoft Installation at Moogfest

The Microsoft Powered Installation Realiti - Inside the Music of Grimes Opens to Festival Goers at Moogfest 2016

Opening May 19, Realiti - Inside the Music of Grimes is an interactive installation, powered by Microsoft Kinect technology, that allows participants a chance to go inside the music of Canadian electronic musician and producer Claire Boucher (a.k.a. Grimes). The installation will run from May 19-22 at Moogfest, an annual music, art and technology festival inspired by the late inventor of the Moog synthesizer, Robert Moog.

Grimes is one of the artists headlining Moogfest, a destination for artists, musicians, inventors, designers, and entrepreneurs.

The immersive installation will feature the track Realiti from Grimes’ fourth album Art Angels. Microsoft’s Kinect technology will allow festivalgoers and fans to manipulate the music as they physically interact with the environment. The innovative hardware recognizes and tracks each interaction with the installation, translating data into unique sounds and visuals. The result is a dynamic and immersive environment that blurs the line between creator and audience.

Amy Sorokas, Director of Brand Partnerships at Microsoft Brand Studios stated "Moogfest is a destination for innovative creators to share new ideas, so it felt natural to bring Realiti - Inside the Music of Grimes to the festival. With this installation we're exploring the unexpected ways that technology can enhance the music experience and are hoping to inspire the community with their future endeavors." 

The first project to use the installation’s system was DELQA, an installation at the New Museum in New York City that invited the audience to participate in a collaborative experience by going inside the music of critically acclaimed artist and producer Matthew Dear.

Realiti - Inside the Music of Grimes will be the latest artist collaboration featured as part of the Music x Tech program. Curated by Microsoft, Music x Technology is an initiative that celebrates forward-thinking artists who are using Microsoft technology to transform the way we create and experience music. With monthly artist collaborations, the program seeks to empower artists with unique opportunities to create one-of-a-kind experiences for their fans.

For all media inquires, please contact VOCAL.

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ABOUT MICROSOFT

Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) is the leading platform and productivity company for the mobile-first, cloud-first world, and its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

ABOUT MOOGFEST

Moogfest is the synthesis of music, art, and technology. Since 2004, Moogfest has brought together artists, futurist thinkers, inventors, entrepreneurs, designers, engineers, scientists, and musicians. By day, Moogfest is a platform for conversation and experimentation. By night, Moogfest presents cutting-edge music in venues throughout the city. This mind-expanding conference attracts creative and technology enthusiasts for three days of participatory programming in Durham, North Carolina. Performing artists include early pioneers in electronic music, alongside pop and avant-garde experimentalists of today.

ABOUT GRIMES

Grimes’ ‘Art Angels’ had prime placement on basically every 2015 End of Year list, with #1 spots from NME, Stereogum, Gorilla Vs. Bear and others. Jon Pareles of the NY Times called the album “a solo tour de force," Stereogum said, "In 2015, nothing sounded better,” and Rolling Stone called it a “triumph.” Time Magazine named “Flesh Without Blood” the #1 song of the year while iTunes named ‘Art Angels’ the #1 Indie Album of 2015 and it finished out the year at #1 most added on CMJ Radio. Within the past year, Grimes graced the covers of The FADER, Nylon, Teen Vogue, AnOther Magazine, Dazed and Confused, NME, London’s ES Magazine, Flare and more. 

ABOUT LISTEN

Listen helps brands + artists grow through creative and culturally relevant applications of music + sound.

Introducing: WannaGo

KNOW WHERE TO GO, WHEREVER YOU ARE

WannaGo Puts The World’s Local Insight Right In Your Hands.

 

Today is the global release of WannaGo, an app available on both iPhone and Android that becomes your personal lifestyle concierge through categorized shortlists from a curatorial community. Within this, each curator’s personal insight can give you the information and access needed to get the most out of any experience, be it the password to enter that underground speakeasy in Chinatown that gives hands-on mixology classes, or that hidden spot in Big Sur you don’t want to miss.

Advancing beyond the assortment of impersonal rating and review platforms that simply sway decision, WannaGo allows members to follow evolving themed GoLists from curators that they revere and discover another version of the world in which they live. Members can then create their own collections of noteworthy locations, whether to save places they would like to experience, share recommendations with friends and family, or inspire others to step off the beaten path.

“Today we live in a very on-demand world, whether that be where we want to eat, shop or travel. The result is a nearly limitless set of options and a dauntingly cluttered mess when trying to save your favorite places or finding places from people you trust. WannaGo provides both a location on your phone to organize places you want to remember with personalized notes and photos, as well as a way to discover those hidden gems – be it a new local restaurant or a private beach for your next trip to France.”

To establish a quality content foundation upon which to launch their innovative platform, WannaGo has initially partnered with a host of exclusive curators from across the social spectrum to provide tastemaker insight from all walks of life. Within the app members can easily keep a finger on the pulse through the home-screen ticker, which highlights recently posted places from curators and members they follow within the community. Digging deeper, members can click into the Discover section to find exciting new locations, whether within their area or from around the world curated by a host of exclusive tastemakers.

WannaGo makes it simple to keep track of your favorite places, evolving your personal tastes and experiences through a community you choose to create. It also allows you to share your insight with others, not only within the app, but also via email, SMS and across the social media landscape.

Now available for download on both iPhone and Android.

For more information visit WannaGo.com. For all media inquiries contact VOCAL.  

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ListaPost Unites Getty Images & Instagram

A Strategic Partnership with Getty Images Positions ListaPost as the Medium Between the World’s Two Largest Image Libraries

Continuing their innovations to supercharge social media, ListaPost today announced a partnership with Getty Images, the company behind the world’s largest digital library of professional imagery. Under this new partnership, all Getty Images wholly owned content will be made available through the ListaPost app for both iPhone and Android devices.

“At Getty Images we continually pay attention to start-ups that are innovating around content distribution,” stated Peter Orlowsky, Getty Images VP of Business Development. “As the leader in providing the world’s best photography we are excited to see how the market responds to ListaPost’s unique offering to Instagram users.”

As a prime content partner for Instagram, ListaPost allows users to search, save and organize the world of photo content into customized lists for easy reference and slideshow publishing back into the social media landscape. Already the most powerful productivity tool for individuals speaking to an audience, ListaPost now brings together the two greatest global libraries of imagery as the ultimate engine to nurture inspiration and further drive follower interest.

This most recent app enhancement also allows users to include images from the photo library on your mobile device. Already an incredibly powerful tool in itself, the ListaPost integration of Getty Images’ 30+ million editorial images creates a new level of potential for social media productivity that can as yet only be speculated upon.

“Combining the two worlds of today’s most popular social media network with the best professional photography across sports, news and entertainment is a huge opportunity for our growing user base,” informs ListaPost co-founder Matthew Murray. “The ability to bridge today’s top professional photography from Getty Images with the world’s largest user-generated content allows for endless options of storytelling for the daily Instagram user as well as for agencies, brands and social media influencers.”

Through the ListaPost app users can freely access the immense collection of Instagram content, either independently or through multiple seamlessly integrated Instagram accounts. Having searched, saved and organized this content into reference lists that are sharable within Instagram as their own powerful mini feed, users also have the option to share these slideshows externally via text, email, embeddable HTML pages and through a range of popular social media platforms. With the recent incorporation of Getty Images content, users can now tell their stories to even greater depth by utilizing the Getty Images extensive and ever-updated photo coverage of sports, news and entertainment events from around the world.

Save easily and share creatively with ListaPost. Download now on iPhone or Android.

For more information visit Lista-Post.com. For all media inquiries contact VOCAL.  

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Mau5trap Artist ATTLAS Launches Single “Aspen” at Microsoft x Deadmua5 Listening Party

Last night, Mau5trap artist ATTLAS launched his new single “Aspen” for a private audience at the Microsoft x deadmau5 listening party hosted at the Microsoft Lounge in Venice, CA. ATTLAS wrote the single during the mau5trap bu5 tour using Microsoft Surface software.

The night started with DJ Jacob Plant spinning tunes while guests were treated to an open bar and delicious appetizers, including mini shrimp tacos! Thavius Beck then moderated a Q+A session with ATTLAS, where ATTLAS revealed how his love for music began (he started as a pianist!) to the moment he first met deadmau5–mid-performance on stage, deadmau5 kicks the back of ATTLAS’ knee waving a piece of equipment they both have saying, “I never leave home without mine either!” One of the few artists signed to deadmau5′ mau5trap record label, ATTLAS talked about the challenges he faced in writing music while on the mau5trap bu5 tour with limited resources and how he is ultimately just happy to be able to do what he loves for a living.

Well-spoken and humble, ATTLAS left a positive impression, and I left an ATTLAS fan and a newfound respect for his work and that of his industry. Moment of truth–I never quite knew if EDM artists knew music composition or if their musical ear was only coupled with sound engineering skills (which I recognize is still no small feat), but ATTLAS was throwing around music-theory jargon like we were all composers. I know many musicians who don’t know music theory, which is totally fine, but it’s cool to know that ATTLAS approaches his music with a composer’s ear/eye as well as a sound engineer’s.

Full story on SotoSpeak8

Buzz Talks, Powered by ListaPost

An Event Series on Enhancing Social Appeal and Elevating Brand Equity

Launched in 2015, ListaPost is a productivity app for both iPhone and Android that allows users to search, save and share the world of Instagram photos to empower an individual voice through social media. Furthering this mission, Buzz Talks powered by ListaPost is an ongoing program of panel discussions that establishes an authoritative platform for creative and technology leaders to have an open dialogue on the challenges and solutions for successfully developing, activating and engaging in mass social exchange. Kicking off Wednesday, January 13, the first series will be focusing on the topic The State of Social Currency.

Taking ListaPost as an example for innovative campaign execution, Buzz Talks uncovers progressive solutions for creative marketing and technology professionals. The first instalment within this initial series is entitled Storytell It Like It Is, elucidating the importance of brand communication through storytelling that stimulates genuine and lasting interest from target audiences. Drawing from successes and lessons learned from the panel of some of today’s most influential industry leaders, Buzz Talks powered by ListaPost offers unique insight into the world of social-currency management while generating creative solutions to the challenges of genuine social connection.

The State Of Social Currency: Storytell It Like It Is

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

5:00pm–7:00pm

SOHO House, 29-35 9th Ave, New York, NY 10014

Moderator:    Steven Rojas, Corporate Digital Director at Morgans Hotel Group

Panellists:  Emily Oberg, Executive Producer at Complex Media

                        Helane Crowell, Founder at Crowell Lane Creative

                        Nicola Fumo, Style and Shopping Editor at RACKED

                        Hallie Harris, Director of Social Strategy at Epic Signal

For all media inquiries contact VOCAL.  

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 ABOUT LISTAPOST

Taking the power of social media to a new level of productivity, ListaPost is a mobile application for both iPhone and Android that allows users to search, save and share the world of Instagram photos as never before. From customized lists, users can share content with friends, customers and colleagues as mini-feed slideshows to communicate an inspiration or tell a more detailed and compelling story – socially through Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, online as HTML, or personally via an HTML email.