The world was so much work before the arrival of smartphones. Remember when you had to carry a camera and a cell phone when you went on nature walks? And even then you couldnât check your email on the trail. Or what about the dark time before that when there werenât even cell phones and the only way to make a phone call on the go was to cram a bunch of coins into a filthy black box? My my my, how far weâve come in the past couple of decades.Weâve entered a new era of convenience, and technologists are stretching the limits of what our phones can do to make our lives easier. A growing number of apps are tackling this very simple problem while creating a new economy for hyper-temporary labor. Donât feel like doing your laundry? Tell your phone to find someone to do it for you. Donât want to risk going out to an empty bar? Tell your phone to send a scout. Donât like your coffee table? Tell your phone to bring you a new one. Itâs a brilliant tradeoff.Not only do you get to be lazier, but you can also send a little bit of work to the less fortunate. Try it!TaskRabbit â This is sort of like the WalMart of lazy apps. With the biggest user base and the most established track record, TaskRabbit has everything you want in an instant labor service. Itâs pretty simple to use. If you want something done, say the assembly of an Ikea bookcase, you just list the job on TaskRabbit along with the maximum amount youâd be willing to spend, though this part isnât visible to the public. So-called runners then bid on the task by listing the minimum amount of money theyâd be willing to accept to do it, and you pick a runner who does your bidding. The best part: you never have to leave your couch.Instacart â Grocery shopping is the worst. Itâs always so crowded, and you always end up with the broken buggy. Instacart makes everything better with a Pinterest-like app. Instead of trudging through the aisles, you just scroll through a grid of items like beer and bread. Fill up your cart, check out and your groceries will appear on your doorstep in an hour ($9.99) or three ($3.99). Unlike web-centric solutions like Fresh Direct, Instacart, which is currently only available in the Bay Area, actually sends people to your local grocery store to buy the items. Of course, thereâs a convenience charge, but money canât buy peace of mind. Oh wait, yes it can.Cherry â Now weâre getting specific. Cherry is all about car washes. If your ride is dirty, you can dispatch one of Cherryâs car washers who will come to you in minutes, no matter where you are (in San Francisco, only, unfortunately). The app uses your phoneâs GPS to find you on a map and asks for the make and model of the car so that the washer can find it. It costs $29, and you leave a tip by simply rating the person who washed your car on the app. If only they could drive you places, too.Uber â Turns out thereâs an app that finds people to drive you places, too. Itâs called Uber, and itâs a big hit. Need a ride? Open up Uber, confirm your location, tap the big green button. A limousine will be waiting for you within a few minutes. Like the environment? You can now request a hybrid to drive you around like a Silicon Valley princeling.Postmates â When all else fails and you just want somebody to walk to your local coffee shop and get you a macchiato, Postmates is the way to go. Originally, set up as an on-demand courier service for startups in and around San Francisco, this year-old service broadened their scope earlier this year and now basically gives you access to a full service delivery system. Using Postmatesâ âGet It Nowâ app, you can request anything from a vegetarian burrito to a Philips head screwdriver brought to your door in about 30 minutes. Seriously, anything! Except maybe hard drugs. Thereâs a different app for that.
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