Many of us remember when GMail was first released. I know I remember pleading with random strangers on the internet for an invite. I joined chat rooms, I posted on my blog, and I begged and begged. That excitement of getting into GMail finally is still there today, this time with a free augmented virtual reality game. With Ingress in a closed beta, people are once again finding creative ways to get that golden ticket.

Niantic Labs, which recently released Field Trip, is behind this closed beta release. Ingress is based within augmented reality and is a game centered around collecting portals within a locality. There are two factions that seek control of these portals, the Enlightened and the Resistance. As a member of each faction comes across one of these portals, they are given the ability to hack it, obtain items from these portals, and link them to others.

As users travel around town, they pick up Exotic Matter (XM). This provides the energy to hack these portals. It's found everywhere and resembles small dots on the map. Once you get close enough to them, the phone magically absorbs them. I was able to just load the application, drive around town and quickly fill up on XM.

The trick is make a plan. I was also able to locate portals thanks to a website published by Ingress. It resembles a Google Maps layer and I would love to see this added to the Maps app itself on the desktop as well as on Android devices. From the site, I've been able to plot my course before heading out. Mindlessly driving around or walking around downtown is less effective, but it's probably a little more fun to be spontaneous and explore.

Like Field Trlp, this does involve users to get out and explore their neighborhood and find items of interest in their search. I personally was able to find and hack three portals all tied to historical markers. I've also heard portals are located close to cultural centers such as concert halls. In the Field Trip app, I get a card that alerts me that I'm close to this marker and relays its significance to me. With Ingress, the app hones in on this target, opens that information, and allows you to hack that portal. After each of these portals are hacked, users place resonators to keep their portals charged. I've also been able to pick up documents and other items.

As far as the application itself, it works great. It is naturally going to be a bit of a battery drain. I've noticed people going out to hack portals and get to their chargers immediately. I was no exception. After an hour of portal hacking around town, a good chunk of my battery was gone. I did notice some clunkyness in the speed of the application, but I think that's more the fault of my old Nexus S than the app. It does require a lot of resources, but what immersive game that uses a map and GPS does not? This is a great case example of having a phone with removable batteries if there ever was one.

The experience has been a fun one and I surely hope invites continue to go out quickly. In Richmond, there are several portals waiting to be hacked. I'm positive the popularity of this game will continue to grow and people will become very serious about defending their portals. I just hope this continues to be in good fun and people don't start trading punches.

Are you part of the Enlightened, or the Resistance? Are you part of the frustrated masses that have yet to receive their invite? Share your Ingress thoughts in the comments.