Broadcastr turns your smartphone into a tour guide
A smartphone can be quite a handy device when exploring a new city. It can give you directions, recommend a restaurant, or even act as a flashlight in case you fall into a sewer and can't see anything.
And now with an app called Broadcastr, your smartphone also acts as a walking tour guide. Here's a brief rundown of how the service works.
Something important, interesting or funny happens to you. (Note: this may involve close interaction with an overzealous flock of geese, but it is not a requirement.)
You decide to capture the memory, record a quick narrative with your smartphone and then upload the audio to Broadcastr.
Broadcastr stores the voice recording and links it to your GPS location.
When other Broadcastr users pass through the same area, they hear your recorded story on their phone.
So as you can see, Broadcastr is trying to build a global archive of audio clips that will provide a museum-like atmosphere as you travel. While the recordings available right now on the app are not all super captivating (check out this vivid tale about a burger joint near me in Boston), I like the idea behind Broadcastr and hope it can continue to grow.
Broadcastr makes a lot of sense for walkable cities, but I could also see it being useful for other modes of transportation. Imagine having rental cars equipped with Broadcastr technology that automatically tell you stories and facts as you drive past different sites. It could certainly add another level to your vacation experience, but it probably won't get your children to shut up in the backseat.