GPS has been used for a lot of really cool things over the years, but this idea has to be, by far, one of my favorites. Imagine this: you’re walking along through the park, when you see a beautiful memorial statue sitting under some shady trees. In your pocket, your phone buzzes and you pull it out to discover a poem written about that very statue by one of the many local poets in the area.
While you read the poem, you are surrounded by the exact same scenery and imagery that inspired the rhyme on your device. It’s almost like the poet is standing right next to you. Now imagine that you can do the same with messages, music, photography—-the sky is the limit. You can connect almost anything to a GPS coordinate to create your own puzzles, messages and secrets right in the open. It’s genius, and you can do it right now.
This is the idea behind Infused, a GPS-based application that allows users to embed art, stories, music, information, billboards and notes to specific GPS coordinates. Users can share their infused message with specific friends and family or make it public so anyone with the app will receive a notification and be able to view what you’ve left behind.
Originally created through Kickstarter as Chicago Poets, this app has a worldwide appeal although it still seems to be something of a well-kept secret. The app is free to download on both Google Play and iTunes App Store. There is a tiny catch though: In order to receive notifications when you stumble across a public note, you have to have GPS activated on your phone, which will definitely reduce the battery. Still, I can’t help but be rather enchanted by the general idea of this app.
Of course, this isn’t exactly the first time an app has used GPS in this fashion–we’ve written about a couple of apps that do something very similar. What makes this stand out for me is the sheer creativity and customization available. You can Infuse anything you like anywhere you like.
Read more about the app on the Infused website or check out the video below for an example of how the app works:
