At the downtown San Francisco Apple store, at 1 Stockton St., a line of eager iPhone enthusiasts is beginning to take shape.

But the person who wanted the iPhone 5 more than anyone else didn’t even get in line. Instead, he paid another man to camp out for him.

[worldnow id=7750036 width=480 height=360 type=video]

Charlie Hufnagel, 24, from San Francisco’s Mission District has been camping out since Monday morning on behalf of a man who paid him to do so.

“It’s surreal,” said Hufnagel of his experience camping out in front of the Apple store in his one-man green tent.

KCBS’ Anna Duckworth Reports: [audio_link url="http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/nyc.podcast.play.it/media/d0/d0/d1/d1/dB/dA/dX/11BAX_3.MP3" name="Apple Fans Camp For iPhone 5" artist="Anna Duckworth"]

Hufnagel, standing in front of his picket sign that reads, “Ask me how long I’ve been here?” is being paid $1,500 by the man, whose name remained confidential, to camp out, he said.

Related Coverage:
Apple Replacement For Google Maps Is A Rare Flub
CNET Review: Finally The iPhone We’ve Always Wanted
Samsung Targets Apple Online And In Court
SF Startup Offers To Hold Your Place In Line For iPhone 5
Photo Gallery: Apple Unveils iPhone 5

Hufnagel said the man hired him through the website www.taskrabbit.com, a site where people pay others to do errands.

After being laid off from a video gaming company a couple months ago, Hufnagel, donning a lime-green “taskrabbit” T-shirt, said he has been doing contract jobs for the site to make ends meet.

“I’m making more money doing this than I was with my last job,” Hufnagel said.

Once he set up his tent, Hufnagel said Apple personnel set up stanchion posts to rope off a line, beginning with him. He said the employees have been accommodating, offering water and the bathroom as he waits for the phone’s release.

After being by himself for two days, Hufnagel got some company Wednesday when a trio of men from the San Francisco-based company Compupod set up a large tent.

Compupod’s founder, Hugo Gonzalez, 27, of San Francisco, was one of the three men camping out. But he said he already pre-ordered his phone through Apple’s website.

“I’m here more to promote my company,” he said, which repairs and customizes iPhones.

Gonzalez, taking a break from his chess match, said his company is still open, with employees manning the ship in his absence, and his wife and two kids are home awaiting his return.

“They think I’m crazy,” Gonzalez said. “But they know it’s for the company so they are OK with it.”

The only issue with camping out, according to Gonzalez and Hufnagel, is the construction work being done at the corner of Stockton and Market streets.

“Ear buds are definitely a necessity,” Hufnagel said.

Apple likely wasn’t considering construction when it created its new EarPods, but the buds, which will be one of the many new features of the phone, are made to fit the ear comfortably, and stay there.

The iPhone 5, which promises to be a significant upgrade from the most recent iPhone 4S, features a taller, thinner and lighter frame with a larger display screen than its predecessor. But the phones are the same width.

In addition, the phone, which will retail between $199 and $399, will have faster internet and a longer battery life.

There might be something to the new iPhone release.

Hufnagel camped out to make money, but is now considering getting an iPhone 5 of his own.

“I didn’t want an iPhone when I got here,” he said. “But I’ve been hearing people say so many good things about it the last couple of days, I don’t know what to do now.”

John Soria, 33, of San Francisco took two days off from his job at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art to be in line for the phone.

Soria, unlike Hufnagel and Gonzalez, is determined to get the phone.

“I’m doing it for bragging rights over my friends and family,” Soria said. “I sold my iPhone 4S to pay for the iPhone 5.”

After selling his iPhone 4S, Soria got a BlackBerry phone as a stopgap between iPhones.

“I have a BlackBerry now, which I regret getting. It sucks,” he said.

Soria joined the line at 8:30 a.m. Thursday and is around the 14th person in line.

“I think it’s worth the wait,” he said.

The iPhone 5 has been available for pre-order since Sept. 17, but officially goes on sale Friday morning across the U.S.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

(CNN) — Want to get an iPhone 5 on Friday? You’ll probably need to wait in line. Or pay someone to do it for you.

Hipster-looking shoppers already have plopped down in folding chairs outside Apple’s flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York.

And in San Francisco, a man working through a micro-tasking company (more on what that means in a second) has been diligently waiting in line, for a price, since Monday.

“You’re going to wait here until Friday? God watch over you,” a stranger told that person, who was using a service called TaskRabbit, according to his Twitter feed.

TaskRabbit nabbed the first-in-line spot to try to promote its online service that allows people to pay someone else to do a menial task for them. In this case, according to CNET, you can find people online who for about $40 to $150 will stand in line to purchase the iPhone 5 on your behalf.

That sort of idea isn’t all that new, and line-standers also are offering their services on craigslist. “If you are looking to buy the iPhone 5 when it is released, but not looking to stand in the line. I’ll do it for you!” wrote one person in Los Angeles. “I’ll get in line at 6 a.m. for 40 bucks. Camp overnight for 70,” wrote another stander, this one from the San Francisco Bay Area.

Other people are posting craigslist ads asking others to stand in line for them. One such ad, in Los Angeles, says the patron will offer the stander “a reasonable amount” … “and on top of that, I’ll even buy you breakfast.”

For those who don’t want to spend even more than the hefty price tag for the iPhone, but do want to pick up a phone on Friday, perhaps the line is the way to go.

Unless you hopped online within the first hour or so last Friday, pre-ordered iPhones aren’t expected to arrive for weeks.

But plan to get up early on Friday morning.

While opening-day iPhone lines vary by location — what passes as early enough at a Radio Shack in Boise may not work for the Apple store in Brooklyn — analysts generally say advance consumer demand for the iPhone 5 is outpacing previous models. Early reviews of the phone have been positive.

Apple recently announced it had received 2 million pre-orders for the new phone, which is taller, faster, lighter and slimmer than the previous model, the iPhone 4S. That’s about double what the company experienced for the previous iPhone, Apple said.

That could foreshadow long lines. Or it could mean more consumers are skipping the line-waiting game and, instead, have chosen to order the phone online.

The line waits are part exercise in extreme consumerism, part homage to Apple.

Last year some of the line-standers made pilgrimages to Apple stores in part out of a sense of tribute to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who died a week before the phone went on sale. Fans set up mini-memorials in his honor at some Apple stores.

To get a sense of what the most dedicated Apple fans are willing to go through, check out this chart from The Atlantic, which shows the longest Apple gadget waits.

If you’re just in the market for purchasing the new iPhone, not the in-line circus, there are several other stores that plan to carry the iPhone 5 on Friday.

They include AT&T, Sprint and Verizon stores, as well as select Best Buy, RadioShack, Target and Walmart locations. Check with stores in your area for details.

Still want to brave the Apple store? Doors open at 8 a.m. local time Friday in the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and the UK. The iPhone 5 will roll out to 22 more countries on September 28.

CLICK HERE for additional iPhone coverage via FOX6Now.com.

TaskRabbit, a SoMa-based company that connects busy people with neighbors willing to help with simple chores – for a fee, is offering to wait on the sidewalk in your place for up to four hours. After that point, you will switch places with the TaskRabbit and complete your purchase.

The $55 service is available at three San Francisco locations, the Palo Alto Apple Store and three New York City shops.  After purchasing, individuals are required to schedule the exact waiting widow with Task Rabbit.

The company’s regular business model is to have customers create tasks and name the price they would be willing to pay. The iPhone flat fee service is an experiment, according to the company.

Online preorders for the iPhone 5 topped 2 million in their first 24 hours last Friday, more than double the amount of its predecessor over the same period.

The company also says that while most orders will be delivered this Friday, demand for the iPhone 5 exceeds the initial supply, so some of the devices are scheduled for delivery in October and heavy demand is expected in stores.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Photo courtesy of Taskrabbit

*written on very little sleep. Please excuse any grammatical errors. My eyes are blurry

Since I officially became a Taskrabbit a few weeks ago, I’ve been meaning to post a review about it, since many of you like to take on side jobs for extra income.

I first found out about TR through Tackling Our Debt. I immediately applied to be a rabbit in the LA/OC area.

It’s a fairly lengthy process to become official. You even have to do a video interview where a question is asked, and you have to record yourself answering the question via a webcam, which I thought was kind of cool and awkward at the same time.

There was a bit of a lag in the process between the submission of my video interview and getting approved, but one mention to them on twitter and they got the ball rolling.

The tasks are plentiful, and come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. I narrowed down my tasks to driving people to LAX, since I live right next door, virtual assisting, cleaning, helping people move, video stuff, and pet sitting.

You either bid on a task where the task poster either accepts or counter offers, or some post a “take it or leave it” price and you can just accept it. I prefer those actually.

So far I’ve done four tasks, and have made $103. Two rides to the airport and two virtual tasks (promoting some apps on social media).

Once you are done with a task, you mark it complete. The beauty of taskrabbit is even if the task poster doesn’t close the task, you automatically get paid three days after you close the task, which takes away the risk of someone flaking out on you and not paying.

Once you have $25 in your account, you can withdraw via a check, or paypal.

The pros are you can pick and choose tasks based on how convenient they are for you to do them. Always a plus for a side job. The staff at TR seem to be on top of things as well as far as being available for questions, and they have a thorough and excellent training manual.

The cons are that you have to mostly bid on jobs, so there is always a chance you can get outbid on a task you really want to do. It’s also time consuming to sign up and complete the process. In fact you even have to take a quiz before you get accepted so they know you read the manual, but in a way that’s very smart of them, as we represent their business. They are also still growing, so they may not be available in your area.

Overall I highly recommend giving it a try! Nothing to lose!

Lyft founder John Zimmer pegs some of the company’s early success (it’s only 11 weeks old, after all) on fostering word-of-mouth about the new social ride-sharing service. Part of that crucial equation is, interestingly enough, the iconic pink mustaches that appear on every Lyft vehicle. They’re a notably quirky addition to an otherwise normal car that was conceived as part of a driving experience that people couldn’t help but talk about.

Brit + Co’s Brit Morin’s approach to gaining traction was similarly social, but as an online content company its approach was powered in part by Facebook and its open graph actions — getting people to like and share content was a big component of Brit + Co’s early growth. The company has recently begun to shift its attention to weddings, too, with its Weduary service, and the intrinsically social nature of those events has also driven plenty of invitations to Brit’s media.

Meanwhile, Leah Busque took a highly local approach when it came to growing TaskRabbit: The company focused on particular customer segments first (groups of mothers, mostly) in certain areas before expanding geographically.

Airbnb’s story was a bit more opportunistic — Blecharczyk and his team struck while the iron was hot during the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, when there was a considerable shortage of housing available for people looking to get a glimpse at the political process.

“We rode someone else’s wave,” he admitted. “There was a lot of press coverage of that event, and we fit into the story.” The company was eventually featured on CNN, and the rest (as they say) is history.

In case you’re itching for more from this panel, the full video is available below:

[tc_5min code="517474752" placeholder="664646"]

Norrington was President of eBay Marketplaces, where she led global business strategy and operations for 39 countries and was also previously CEO of Shopping.com. She currently sits on the board of DIRECTV, Autodesk, and Lucasfilm as well. Templeton, meanwhile, has experience as a founder himself, having grown OpenTable from one city to 25,000 restaurants across 50 states and 18 countries. He’s also now involved with Impact Engine, an accelerator focused on environmentally and socially-minded startups who are looking to build sustainable, for-profit businesses.

It’s important for TaskRabbit to add advisors like this as it attempts to expand its business from its current markets, which now includes San Francisco, New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin, San Antonio, Seattle, Portland, and Orange County. As TechCrunch contributor Semil Shah noted on his personal blog just a few days ago, services like TaskRabit and others including Zaarly, Postmates, Instacart and Exec are all trying to tap into the consumer demand for services that allow regular folks to hire people on demand to complete some sort of task. But all these are facing the same challenge: that’s scaling geography in a meaningful way, says Shah. It’s a challenge that will take on quite a bit of risk in terms of VC investment, and not all will make it.

That’s why having the right people on board to advise will matter, so these are some key hires for TaskRabbit to make note of. According to TaskRabbit founder and CEO Leah Busque, the new additions are meant to help TaskRabbit scale “globally,” she said in a statement, which is an ambitious goal for a startup that hasn’t yet mastered the U.S. market. But the company, backed by $38 million in venture funding, is certainly one to watch in this space – it has a vision of attacking the larger outsourced labor market, while others, like Postmates, for example, go after specific verticals – in its case, couriers. The bigger idea here is the introduction of new concepts around what work itself can look like, and how fluctuating supply and demand can be taken advantage of within a marketplace setting.

HOW CAN THESE START-UPS SAVE YOU MONEY, MAKE YOUR LIFE BETTER, OR BOTH?

Start up #4 – Shook

Founder: Niv Taiber and Idan Lahav

Date created: April 2011

About: Shook is a virtual auction. It’s one of the newest tools that allows you to share your auctioned items on your social networks. Your friends can see the things you sell and bid for them. It’s basically a marriage of Pinterest and Ebay, sharing the traits of both. It has the layout of Pinterest but you bid like your on Ebay.

The company’s mission is to make online buying and selling a better experience for people. It’s easy to post your item and it’s freeeeeeeee. Almost anything can be posted and sold on Shook. It’s only a three-step process.

Those steps are:

1. List a pre-loved item on the site for sale.

2. Share it, Pin it, Tweet it, pass it on.

3. Get paid via your papal account

What do start up companies have to do with stock trades? These infant companies on this start up list will be the stocks you trade in the future. Facebook would have been on this list 4 months ago and then it became the biggest Initial Public Offering (IPO) in the history of the world. So watch this list for the next big success.

Twitter may be next. There’s talk of an 2013 Twitter IPO.

For up-to-date information and news on the stock market, follow @FoxonStocks on Twitter.

HOW CAN THESE START-UPS SAVE YOU MONEY, MAKE YOUR LIFE BETTER, OR BOTH?

Start up #3 – TaskRabbit

Founder: Leah Busque

Date created: February 2008

About: TaskRabbit is a convenient place online where people can ask favors of those in their area in return for pay. It not only connects you with people, but you can also finally check off everything on your to-do list.

TaskRabbit creates a community with people in your city and with everyone’s hard work, everything can get done.

This website is really cool because it hones in on everyday chores that you are good at (plus you can get paid for them). On the site, if you want to post a task, it gives you the average price others are posting for that same task.

What do start up companies have to do with stock trades? These infant companies on this start up list will be the stocks you trade in the future. Facebook would have been on this list 4 months ago and then it became the biggest Initial Public Offering (IPO) in the history of the world. So watch this list for the next big success.

Twitter may be next. There’s talk of an 2013 Twitter IPO.

For up-to-date information and news on the stock market, follow @FoxonStocks on Twitter.

Just thinking about the endless amount of research and energy that goes into a successful move gives me a migrane. Almost all of us have experienced our own variety of “moving” days. When you move with your family, all you need is patience for the drive or flight (something I’ve always struggled with). When you move to and from the dorms, there are RAs assigned to walk you through the process. In fact, their step by step guide almosts masks the true difficulty and responsibility you’ll have to cough up at one point in the future. Fortunately, we are blessed with the internet and online services. Since I’ve spent hours doing my own research for something you’ll probably need to do in the near future, it’s worth using my references and skipping over the countless hours your moving search will take you. Here are my steps to ensure a successful move, and I hope you use them well!

6-8 Weeks Before the Big Day

Preparation is Key: Maintain a small notebook dedicated to moving information only.

It’s nice to have it all in the same place, and it’s also extremely helpful. Always go into a big move being organized and you’ll have less stress to deal with later.

Here are a few things to jot down:

• Research. Make note of any companies you will be using throughout your move, include their names and numbers, dates and times you’ve agreed upon, et cetera.
• Make sure you can finance the move of your dreams because if you can’t, it will be one big nightmare. Set up a reasonable budget.
• Take the time to read about your destination. What kind of stores are walking distance from you? Is the area dangerous or safe? What are some community resources you could utilize? WalkScore is a great site for finding these things.
• Check your current apartment’s lease. How much notice do you have to give? This is important to know.
• Call your new apartment leaser and ask about any special moving day services or parking arrangements that can be made. It makes a huge difference when the actual moving comes around.
• This is such an essential, but overlooked step in the moving process. Believe me when I say that you need to find new doctors and health care providers. Even leaving Davis and coming to SF, I had difficulties finding the right resources for medical advice. I used OneMedicalfor my go-to health provider while staying in SF. It’s actually a really cool organization and you should give it a try.
  • Oh, and don’t forget to transfer your school or past medical records! Just look for the release forms on your current health provider’s website and fax the completed form to your new health option.
• Make a list of people to notify about your move and when/how. Also, arrange a way to give notice to your current apartment and roommates as well.
• Start looking out for packing tools and boxes! The more the merrier!

The Big Question: Will you be moving yourself or will you be hiring movers/moving services?

If you decide to hire movers, research and hire a moving company ASAP.

• Using Yelp as a local reference is probably your best bet if you need help packaging your things, and need some heavy lifting. When you search for movers, you should refine your results to “Offers Coupons” and see if you can snag any deals while browsing.

Local serives aren’t for everyone though. If you plan on moving out of state or over a long distance, you should definitely look into arranging auto shipping (in case you can’t close your car’s trunk at the end of the day).

This might sound a bit bizarre but don’t forget that plain ol’ postal mail works too. You can send things through the mail, as long as you have the packaging and postage down use the USPS app on your iPhone to schedule a pick up date and your mailman will take care of it. This would be a great option for valuable pieces of artwork, delicate clothing, etc.

Another shipping option would be to use a company I have in the past, Luggage Forward. I stumbled upon the company’s website after googling about luggage transportation. All of my winter clothes had been sitting, untouched, in a few large and battered luggage carriers. I was too lazy to take them out and I figured there has to be some sort of company that offers this service – just a few words in Google and voila! Luggage Forward was discovered (by me, but maybe you already know about it).

I highly recommend using this service if you are moving out of your college housing and moving into an apartment in the city but you need to get your things to your future, permanate location. I was a bit uneasy using Luggage Forward without referencing any reviews, but they are honestly 5 stars worthy of a review. The process is simple and handled very professionally. 

One last thing, if you are a college student and your apartment’s lease is up before your new living situation’s lease begins and you don’t know where to put your things.. don’t jump to public storage systems just yet (you’d have to rent the storage place and hire movers as well). Try using UPS‘s U-Box option. You can choose a U-Box as little as a dorm size room and fit all the essentials (bed, mattress, desk) in the pod and much more! You can reserve a U-Box drop off date online, and then you will have [X] amount of days to load it. UPS will then pick it up on your desired date, store it in safe facilities for you, and drop it back off at your destination’s address in the amount of time you specify. They also offer moving help add ons so you don’t have to find movers on your own and the prices are relatively cheap.

4-5 Weeks Before the Big Move

Research and Plans Made, Let the Packing Begin!

The To-Do List:

• Begin the packing process, but only pack items you use less frequently than others
  • Tip: Don’t be a hoarder, always throw away or donate anything you find yourself debating about keeping. Starting fresh and clean is always the best way to make your move effective.
• Donate and throw awaythese items & the things you don’t need
  • I always find myself with piles of junk so big I lose all my motivation. Try using a Junk Removal service like 1-800-JUNK. Online booking too, it’s great.
• Use up your groceries and other items that are perishable
• Always remember to cancel and change your magazine subscriptions. Another overlooked step!
• Fill out the change of address form on the USPS site. If you use your apartment as your billing address, make sure to let your bank know about the address change.
• Make sure and then double check that you call your utility providers (for cable, gas and electric, internet) and have services in your name ended on the day you move out. If you have roommates, do not make the same mistake I did and try to transfer the service account to one of your roomies. You need to cancel it, otherwise you get left with the unpaid fees.

Two Weeks Before the Big Day

The List Keeps On Getting Shorter: Details & Check Up Time

• Return any library books before you get fees more expensive than parking tickets.
• Confirm all your large or unique furiture with the moving company you scheduled. They will tell you what they can and cannot do for you.
• Read your lease agreement again. What are the cleaning requirements are expected of you? Although I had a junk removal company take most of my trash, a deep clean was still necessary. I hired a cleaning service from TaskRabbit, one of the cheapest ways to get services from locals. I would suggest doing the same or similar, you want as much of your deposit back as possible.

One Week Before the Big Day

Icing on the Cake: Making Sure the Move Runs Smoothly

• Make and confirm cable and internet plansat your new place.
  • I would skip the cable and get a Netflix or Hulu Plus account instead, it’s not worth the trouble for me, and maybe it won’t be for you either.
• Order new checks for your new address (one of my favorite parts)
• Withdrawl the cash you will need to pay the movers
• Keep your essentials together and pack them up in one place. Plan to carry them or have them on hand on the moving day
• Create or conduct your apartment checkout walkthrough. This will give you the ability to discuss any deposit issues or deductions that may occur in the future.

Moving Day

The Last Goodbye: How To Leave Your Apartment Without Looking Back

• Have directions either printed or loaded on your phone/GPS system
• Confirm payment with movers, and also set out some water or cold drinks as a token of appreciation.
• Trade contact information with the movers in case of any emergencies that may happen on the road
• Leave your apartment keys in a labeled and obvious area, and let your former leaser know what your new address is/will be. This will make sure you receive the security deposit in the future.

Resources & Suggestions:

I know that was a lot of information in one post, but it’s the essential checklist that all movers deserve to know! If you want some other lists and planning advice, here are some links to check out:

Real Simple

OneSimpleMove Software (Free)

Moving Timeline

Successful Packing Tips

The Essential Packing Supplies

Companies and Services Worthy of a Click:

BoxBrothers

A list of moving services and companies

Boxes & Supplies from Uline

FastCheapBoxes

Find A Mover

Get Expert Advice

MyMove

Reference A Customizable List

I am in the process of moving myself.. ironic, huh? I need to get a few more items checked before making my own move possible. I will make sure to post another, more detailed moving post about resources ASAP. Any feedback? Thanks for refering to this post!

At the TEDGlobal2012 conference in June, Rachel Botsman (the figurehead of the collaborative consumption movement), chose the subjects of trust and reputation for her speech ‘Trusting in strangers’. As the sharing economy grows – Airbnb, TaskRabbit and ZipCar just three sharing models going globally mainstream – an individual’s ‘reputation capital’ (as Rachel calls it) could become their most important asset. We are, after all, lending strangers our personal, precious things (from vintage clothes to gadgets), letting them stay in our homes (via homeswaps and hosting) and meeting them to impart skills and knowledge (with the old adage “never talk to strangers” growing fainter in our ears). Could there be a time in the future when we look back and laugh at the monetary-based credit rating system as a way of gauging someone’s suitability for acquiring a product or service?

The current challenge in measuring this ‘reputation capital’ is finding a credible, universal system that people can use to make judgements on who to collaborate with and, as individuals, be able to leverage our own good behaviour in the sharing economy.

SharePALS has integrated TrustCloud into its system. TrustCloud helps you collect your good online reputation into one place. Through a three-layer method, TrustCloud measures trustworthiness by: verification (multiple email, postal and SMS confirmations); behaviour (your responsiveness, consistency and longevity across social networks including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn); and transactions (your ratings from various sharing sites and peer-to-peer marketplaces). It’s a strong way to capture someone’s online reputation and help you lend and borrow with confidence.

Rachel Botsman thinks the increased importance of trust is taking us back to a time that reconnects us with our neighbours – “Instead of consuming to keep up with the Joneses,” she says, “people are consuming to get to know the Joneses.”

It seems ironic that technology and the internet – something so anonymous and often used individually – is bringing us closer together again in the real world. And realising the value of how we behave, to build a good reputation capital, whilst tapping away anonymously on our keyboards, can only be a good thing…

I don’t know if it’s because I live in San Francisco amongst the plethora of tech startups (and work at one, no less) or if it’s because life has gotten so crazy-busy these past few years but I have definitely been utilizing a number of services that essentially make many parts of my life “on demand.”  (Let’s be honest, it’s probably both.) 

Some of these services I use regularly, some I’ve tried because the novelty was irresistible and some I feel fairly guilty about even considering using because I’m not sure if I always can tell where the line is between convenience and laziness.

UBER: Available on iPhone and Android.

Uber is an on-demand car services that allows you to have a private driver experience with a tap (or click) of a button. (Think: cabs on steroids.) You open up the app, set your location and a driver will be there to pick you up in a black town car within minutes. This is especially helpful when cabs are scarce and public transit totally inconvenient or delayed. 

In addition, the service is fantastic. The drivers are courteous, open doors for you and offer you bottled water and occasionally, candies. Even better: you don’t have to worry about paying the driver in cash or plead to use your credit card but find out their machine is “broken” once you get to your destination. You’re automatically charged at the end of your trip so you can just step out and be on your way. It’s an incredibly seamless experience.

Now, although the luxury is nice and always feels like a treat, I try not to indulge in Uber rides too often because it can add up. (I credit my frugal upbringing for my hesitation.) Although it’s cheaper than a private car service, it does run slightly more than regular taxi fares. My husband and I usually reserve Uber rides for late-night airport rides (the fare to SFO is comparable to taxis, actually), really late nights at the office, and/or rides home from the bar with friends when MUNI isn’t convenient and cabs cannot be found. 

But, the upside is that they recently released UberX: the same reliable car service but at a cheaper price-point. Instead of town cars, they use hybrid vehicles. This offering is definitely up my alley as I don’t need to ride around in a fancy car but really like the service.

REWINERY: Available online or on iPhone, currently only in San Francisco.

Tell me this doesn’t sound like a genius idea: wine delivery within an hour. Even cooler, the messengers deliver the wine by bike. Just order today’s special offer of boutique wines online or via their app and it’ll be at your door within 60 minutes.

I tried this once during a Friday movie night with girlfriends and the wine was good! I also took advantage of a special “happy hour” special that Rewinery ran one afternoon: $5 for a bottle.

Aside from that, I’m not sure I’ll be using the service much. It’s a novel idea but with so many wine shops and bodegas around the city, it’s never hard to grab a bottle. 

MUNCHERY: Available online and on iPhone. 

I’ve not used this service yet but I am intrigued and may give it a whirl sometime. Munchery’s mission is to bring the personal chef experience to everyone. Professional chefs make a certain number of meals that are sold daily through the site/app. The meals are delivered to your door and all you need to do is heat them up.

Unfortunately, our lifestyle has taken a hit this past year with a whirlwind 12 months jam-packed with wedding planning, growing a business and re-branding, so with little free time, home-cooked meals have become hard to come by.

Now that things have started to slow down a bit, my husband and I have taken baby steps to reclaim our schedule but we definitely eat out and/or order take-away far more often than I’d like. (Seriously, Grub Hub has become a staple service.) In addition to the expense, it definitely adds up in calories. I don’t foresee myself using this service regularly (or possibly even more than once), but I think that while we’re still trying to get our lives back in order, having a healthy meal at the ready sounds like a great idea.

GET IT NOW: Available on iPhone. 

Released by Postmates, Get It Now is an on-demand delivery service throughout San Francisco. Essentially anything you’d like to have delivered – lunch from the restaurant across town, a flowers for your significant other, whatever – you can order via the app and it will be delivered to you within the hour. 

With deliveries starting at $6.99 + a percentage of your final delivery total, the expense feels a bit frivolous to me but every so often it can be handy if you have no other alternative. 

Taskrabbit recently released a competitor, Deliver Now, and I’m curious to give that a whirl should the need arise.

There are so many apps popping up these days in this space that it’s hard to keep track of the latest-and-greatest service that vows to make our lives simpler. But, it’s fun trying them out to see which actually deliver on that mission. 

Love, Nik

Plaza Independencia, Solís theatre, World Trade Center Montevideo, Aeropuerto de Carrasco. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

Brief History: Montevideo, the capital and largest city of Uruguay, was founded in 1726 as a strategic military post by the Spanish governor of Buenos Aires, Bruno Mauricio de Zabala. After many years of disputes, the city finally gained independence in 1828 and grew into a hub of commerce with a rich cultural heritage. There is much to enjoy in this wonderful city! 

Task Rabbit can help you with your travel plans! Photo courtesy of mashable.com.

Know Before You Go: It never hurts to be extra prepared for a trip. Whether that preparation includes shipping your luggage to your pad prior to your arrival or packing an umbrella, it’s all pretty damn important. We’ve got your back – listed below are a few tips that you should know before you go.

• Don’t let yourself get stressed out before heading out to the beautiful city of Montevideo – let Task Rabbit plan your entire vacation! They’ll do all the research, from searching for airline tickets to planning your itinerary.
• While you’ll find many people who can speak English in Montevideo, it would be greatly beneficial to learn some Spanish phrases before heading over. Click here for a list of basic Spanish words and phrases that can make your visit much more enjoyable and a little less stressful.
• Avoid the dreaded painful additional fees during your travels – from checking luggage to accessing Wi-Fi. Feecation.com was created so you no longer have to worry about those costly and incremental fees, letting you have a more enjoyable travel experience.

La Plaza Independencia. Photo courtesy of viajeauruguay.com.

Things To Do: Montevideo has a plethora of activities for travelers venturing off to the beautiful city. From historic statues and amazing markets to picturesque bike rides and relaxing beaches, Montevideo has something for everyone to enjoy. Below is a list of a few of the many things you can experience in the wonderful city.

• Make your way over to Plaza Independencia (Independence Square) and visit the mausoleum of Uruguay’s greatest national hero, José Gervasio Artigas. Come at noon to see the changing of the gaurd! And later you can gamble your way into debt at Plaza Victoria Casino.
• Go for a Sunday stroll through La Feria de Tristán Narvaja, a traditional flea market on Tristán Narvaja Street. This is a great place to buy some goodies for your friends and family back home! 
  
• Get active and take a bike ride down The Rambla, a waterside roadway littered with people enjoying various activities. Come back another day and go fishing with the locals!
• Soak up the Uruguayan sun at Ramirez beach, perfectly located in front of Parque Rodó - the main amusement park of Uruguay!

Photo courtesy of exploringuruguay.com.

Uruguayan Etiquette: Biggest tourist mistake? Not reading up on the culture and customs of the country you are planning to visit! Rather than make a fool of yourself like some of these tourists, make sure you gather some information on the do’s and don’ts of your destination. Don’t stick out like a sore thumb. Try your best to blend in with the locals. Here are a few customs to keep in mind before heading to Montevideo (or anywhere in Uruguay):

• While you think it might be polite, it’s not common to greet strangers while passing on the street. Even a smile may be misunderstood and should therefore be avoided.
• When greeting a friend or close acquaintance, it is common to kiss once on the right cheek when meeting.
• Uruguayans usually dine at 9PM or 10PM.
• Punctuality is not generally observed, at least in informal settings.
• Hats and sunglasses should not be worn indoors.
• Uruguayans keep a close distance when speaking.
• DO NOT confuse anything Uruguayan with Paraguay or Argentina. Seriously.
• Make sure to tip your waiters 10%!

Philomène Café! Photo courtesy of www.philomenecafe.com.

Where To Dine: If you love buttery fat deliciousness, then you will thoroughly enjoy the foods in Uruguay. From cafes and dessert shops to markets full of meat, you’ll be sure to find something scrumptious at any given time.

• Breakfast/Coffee - Philomène Café is the perfect place to enjoy a cup of hot tea or coffee along with a plate of delicious waffles soaked in syrup!
• Lunch - Head over to Mercado del Puerto (The Market in the Port) where you will find an array of shops including authentic eateries. The market is definitely a meat lover’s paradise! Take a seat at any restaurant for lunch and enjoy some parrilla, a delicious Uruguayan dish of barbecued meats. Save some room for delectable empanadas and other tasty treats that can be found throughout the market.
• Dinner – Grab some dinner at La Pasiva and gobble down a hearty chivito – a sandwich stuffed with steak, ham, cheese, tomato, lettuce and mayonnaise. It’s a traditional mouth-watering dish that may or may not give you a heart attack.
• Dessert – Bring your sweet tooth to Cake’s where you can enjoy a plethora of savory desserts! Feast on the Ramón Novarro, a chocolate cake served with dulce de leche.

Tango! Photo courtesy of cb-pr.com

After-Hours: Looking to grab a drink and party-hard with the locals? Head on over to a few bars and clubs! Whether you’re looking to chill out with your buddies at the local bar or dance your heart out at a hot club, you’ll be sure to find something in Montevideo. Below are just a few of our favorite after-hours spots.

• Shake your booty at W Lounge in Parque Rodó, one of Montevideo’s most exclusive nightclubs. This three-story building offers club-goers a bumpin’ night of techno. Don’t leave Montevideo until you’ve spent an entire night dancing at this hot spot.
• Get your tango on at La Casa de Becho at Nuevo York 1415, a popular tango nightclub in Montevideo.
• Spend a night at Espacio Guambia, where you can enjoy live local bands as you relax with a drink in hand.
• Café Misterio at Costa Rica 1700, is a popular hangout for locals after a long day at the office. Definitely the perfect place to be if you want to mingle with the locals! P.S. It’s a sushi restaurant!

Questions? Email the author of this post, Dee Tiwari, at deepanjali@roomorama.com. 

For more funding news as it happens, subscribe to our Deals Channel feed. You can also follow VentureBeat on Twitter, @venturebeat, to view funding news as it’s published.

Mashery raises $10M to expand operations in ‘post-website’ era

API-management startup Mashery announced $10 million in new funding today to expand its part in what it calls the “post-website era.” This marks the company’s fifth round of fundraising, led by OpenView Venture Partners with participation from existing investors Cisco, Formative Ventures, and First Round Capital. Mashery has seen explosive growth over the past year, and the company sought additional funding to help scale.

Mashery provides enterprises with tools to help manage APIs, or Application Programming Interfaces, and get the most out of them. The firm’s platform is now used by Fortune 100 companies such as ABC News, ESPN, and Cisco. It has raised $34.8 million to date. Read more on VentureBeat.

Asana raises $28M to make the world a more productive place

Asana, an enterprise communication startup, has raised $28 million to boost productivity among people collaborating on projects at work, the company announced today. Asana, which was founded by Facebook employees Dustin Moskovitz and Justin Rosenstein, offers a free service that helps companies manage communication and tasks more efficiently.

The new funding puts the company’s valuation at $280 million, according to the New York Times. The round was led by PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, with participation from Benchmark, Andreessen-Horowitz, Mitch Kapor and existing investors. As part of the deal, Thiel will also be joining Asana’s board. The startup said it will use the new capital to grow its team of employees, including positions for designers, engineers, and other contributors. It has raised a total of $38.2 million in funding to date. Read more on VentureBeat.

TaskRabbit brings in another $13M to breed more task rabbits 

Task outsourcing marketplace TaskRabbit has raised another $13 million. TaskRabbit allows users to outsource tasks and errands to local pre-approved TaskRabbits, who get paid for their work. The service is offered in nine cities, including New York, Boston, and, unsurprisingly, the San Francisco Bay Area.

The latest funding round was led by Founders Fund, and previous supporters like Shasta Ventures and Lightspeed Venture Partners participated. TaskRabbit says the cash will allow it to hire more engineers and product team members as well as new executives. The latest infusion of cash joins the $24.7 million TaskRabbit previously raised, bringing the total to $37.7 million. Read more on VentureBeat.

Break out the Cachaça: Brazil’s largest early-stage investment fund opens

This morning, Redpoint e.ventures announced that it is the largest early-stage venture capital fund in Brazil. The firm raised $130 million and is the first Silicon-Valley affiliated fund dedicated to the region. This news comes just one week after BV Capital rebranded as e.ventures and formally unified its five international funds under one umbrella. The Sao Paulo fund is the most recent addition to e.ventures’ roster of nine. Read more on VentureBeat.

Hello La Mode raises $500K to knock off knockoffs

Fashion startup Hello La Mode has raised a seed round of $500K from three private angel investors. This announcement comes one week after the company’s public launch, adding it to the ever-growing queue of fashion companies strutting down the catwalk of the NYC tech scene.

Hello La Mode is a certified marketplace for luxury fashion resale. Users buy and sell high-end fashion online in a protected environment that ensures quality. The company charges a commission fee on top of the offered price, so sellers receive their asking amount. Transactions are carried out person-to-person, with Hello La Mode providing an escrow service so buyers are only charged once the item is verified. Predictably, it has a social element as well where members can browse each other’s collections and share favorite items on their social network.

The money will contribute to scaling the product, creating mobile and tablet applications, and developing the team of fashion experts. It is based in New York and was founded by a group of French entrepreneurs who realized New York style mavens are obsessed with secondhand designer goods but tend not to make these purchases online because it can be difficult to trust authenticity. The only thing tackier than buying knockoffs may be sporting knockoffs but thinking they are real. Oh the shame.

VoltServer gets $250K spark for putting energy in neat little packets (that are smart to boot)

The Slater Technology Fund has invested $250,000 in energy management startup VoltServer. VoltServer’s technology bundles electricity and transmits it in packets, containing both energy and real-time data about the transmission. This technique, called Packet Energy Transfer (PET), is safer than traditional modes of electrical transmission because it can determine what is interacting with the power conductor and respond accordingly. For example, if a person comes into contact with a current, PET knows to automatically discontinue the transmission.

VoltServer was founded by Steve Eaves, a Rhode Island entrepreneur who also founded Modular Energy Devices, a company that manufactured large lithium-ion batteries. Slater Technology Fund is a state-backed economic development fund that supports enterprises that are building local business.

Task outsourcing marketplace TaskRabbit has raised another $13 million.

TaskRabbit allows users to outsource tasks and errands to local pre-approved TaskRabbits, who get paid for their work. The service is offered in nine cities, including New York, Boston, and, unsurprisingly, the San Francisco Bay Area.

The latest funding round was led by Founders Fund, and was joined by previous supporters like Shasta Ventures and Lightspeed Venture Partners.

“TaskRabbit helps its users become more productive while simultaneously creating thousands of jobs — it’s a revolution for a labor market in desperate need of innovation,” Founders Fund partner Bruce Gibney said in a statement.

TaskRabbit says the cash will allow it to hire more engineers and product team members as well as new executives.

And the company didn’t waste any time doing just that: Joining TaskRabbit’s board of directors are former eBay Motors vice president Rob Chesney and Founder’s Fund’s Gibney. (Chesney’s appointing is perhaps more interesting, as TaskRabbit is often called “the eBay for real world labor”.)

The latest infusion of cash joins the $24.7 million TaskRabbit previously raised, bringing the total to $37.7 million. The funding comes six months after TaskRabbit acquired New York-based competitor SkillSlate for an undisclosed sum.

TaskRabbit was founded in Massachusetts in 2008 by former IBM engineer Leah Busque, who moved the company to San Francisco in 2010.

PeoplePerHour, a UK-based company expanding to the US, is debuting “Hourlies” to help these moonlighters get paid for their skills and, hopefully, move away from their soul-sucking, mindless day jobs.

Started in 2008, PeoplePerHour operated as a three-person team in a basement for the first two years of its existence. Founder and CEO Xenios Thrasyvoulou says that Hourlies is PeoplePerHour’s attempt to help moonlighters make money on their own terms and start running their own businesses.

In order to help moonlighters make that change, Hourlies allows sellers to advertise what they can do in a set amount of time and their going rate. The average price per hour is $35, substantially higher than PeoplePerHour’s main competitor, Elance.

“Elance is an $8 per hour marketplace because they offshore the work,” he says. “Our average rate is $35 per hour. It’s the semi-local economy; it’s finding people in mid-America or England to do something for you.”

Semi-local is the right term; 80 percent of transactions that occur are between two people in the same timezone. Thrasyvoulou compares PeoplePerHour to Airbnb, saying that “much like the best bedrooms are two blocks away from you, [a person with the skills you need is] just around the corner, but there’s no access to [them] without this site.”

Much like Flipgigs, a job board catered to students, PeoplePerHour doesn’t see TaskRabbit or Zaarly as a competitor. “TaskRabbit and Zaarly are very much about local services, like getting laundry picked up or standing in line for someone,” Thrasyvoulou says. “We’re all about remote work; a lot of it is centered around the digital experience.”

As someone that worked one of those tedious, 40-hour week jobs (and who hasn’t?) the idea of using something like PeoplePerHour to get a freelancing career off the ground is appealing. Thrasyvoulou says that 20 percent of workers freelance in addition to working their day job; it’s his goal to get that number to something like 60 percent.

“We believe strongly that this is the beginning of a new economy, much like the [way the] Airbnb economy helped monetize the spare bedroom, the Etsy economy helped craftsman, [and like] what eBay did with collectors,” Thrasyvoulou says. “Where we see this going is this whole second economy that will eclipse the 9 to 5 economy.”

We wrote about TaskRabbit in Heard on the Street and in reference to a Wall Street Journal article.

(company logo from homepage)

TaskRabbit, is available in a number of cities ( check the cities that currently are part of their network on their website ) You can select a task  that you need done – delivery, assembly ( like IKEA furniture ) , cleaning, event help so forth.  You can post a task , see a list of people who can do the task ( TaskRabbits ) what they do, the taskrabbits ratings, average pricing of a comparable task .

If you live in the area TaskRabbit covers,  this may be a helpful service for quick jobs -and for those curious about what TaskRabbit is all about, we’ve added some information on TaskRabbit including their career site and page on how to become a taskrabbit.

Homepage

:http://www.taskrabbit.com

Careers at :

http://www.jobscore.com/jobs/taskrabbit/list

If you don’t find a job listing you can still apply here:

 http://www.jobscore.com/job_seeker/talent_network/new?account_id=chhsXMSUOr3RkKeJe4aGWH

Become a TaskRabbit :

 http://www.taskrabbit.com/who-are-the-taskrabbits

Wire Magazine : TaskRabbit Turns Grunt Work into a Game -

http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/07/mf_taskrabbit/

Yelp review :

http://www.yelp.com/biz/taskrabbit-san-francisco

New York Times: To Ensure Users, TaskRabbit Meets its Users -                                                                                                    http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/03/to-ensure-security-online-taskrabbit-meets-users-in-real-life/

© 2012 zoomple

Front page of the first issue of The Wall Street Journal (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Yesterday afternoon, we were discussing a number of  topics as we were winding down after a day of  Zoomdojo workshops  on career planning.

One of the conversation topics began with a remark by one in the group because he had just used Uber while in NYC and had a good  car service experience. We agreed – having used Uber before in NYC and San Francisco. No more waiting, no more wondering what kind of car may appear. These are some of the concern for those of us who have had more than a few surreal experiences riding  taxis in different parts of the world; the less than desirable condition of the car, driver , the ride to nowhere etc firmly imprinted in our memory banks. That is not to say all hired car experiences are bad, just that we remember the ones which become conversational material , swapped and compared over dinner   ( ” oh so you think your ride was bad, let me tell you my near death experience when I was in  …”) or as in this case considered over cold drinks on a hot  afternoon.

Anyway,  back to Uber , it takes the X factor out of cab rides. No more unknowns. You get a clean car, on a timely basis, arriving at your pick up location  that takes you to where you want to go . Use your credit card, to pay, no cash, tip included, very simple, no worries. You pay a slight premium  than the average cab rates but sometimes there’s reason to pay a litle more. The chat moved on to other useful apps we knew and used before like – TaskRabbit ( oh so grateful for when the capable competent person with the tool kit  arrived to assemble the IKEA furniture ) and we even  learned about a new app for us, called zaarly .

So today, we had one of those moments you are  SURE ,  one of us either got a sneak peak at what’s going to press, or, we are all incredible clairvoyants. There’s an article in today’s Wall Street Journal, called When Apps Make You Lazy    . The article talks about Uber, TaskRabbit, and yes, also Zaarly, ( as well as couple other apps, Cherry and  Get it Now). The article  gives good examples of how to use these services and also  some pros and cons (  you may be able to guess the cons from the main title).  It took us by surprise to see the thread of yesterday’s conversation in today’s paper ( right down to the IKEA example ) .  But if we had been asked by the WSJ reporter  ,Ms Vascellaro our opinion re: the apps,  the consensus  around the coffee table would have been “we like them!”

We’ll add posts about the apps next. Please check soon!

© 2012 zoomple

Collaborative Consumption: A social and economic system driven by network technologies that enable the sharing and exchange of all kinds of assets from spaces to skills to cars in ways and on a scale never possible before.

Collaborative Consumption Movement: What’s Mine is Yours

Browsing through months of  bookmarking and I have a gem to share: Rachel Botsman’s Collaborative Consumption Movement;  she has managed to explain the changing socio-economic landscape due to the Web 2.0 and the evolving dynamics of social networking.

My thoughts, real quick:

• We have , or at least are fast working towards, removing the middleman in all our transactions.  Case-in-point: AirBnB, Taskrabbit,eBay…
• Bartering is suddenly in vogue! Ironic and comforting in a  ’coming-full-circle’ way, as that is how the initial service/product exchanges originated.
• Hand-made items are now valued and a viable business idea ( as Etsy’s success demonstrates).
• This trend towards innovation and community-based business practices is what will bring stability to a world ravaged by the imbalances of capitalism. (Think: Occupy Wall Street Movement)

Plan to grab Ms.Botsman’s book a.s.a.p.!

More thoughts after Friday prayers.

There’s a better way to make a buck. Startups like TaskRabbit and Zaarly are here to help you make some money while helping … Read more

Leah Busque is founder of taskrabbit.com, a business focused on providing any and all services at a moment’s notice. From IKEA furniture assembly to walking your dog, the “rabbits” do it all. Leah conceived of the idea after running into a sticky situation when she and her husband were rushing to leave and had no food for their yellow lab Kobe. “What if someone could pick up the food for us and feed him while we’re heading out for the evening?”

Thus, TaskRabbit was born. TaskRabbit’s slogan, “Keep Calm and Task On,” is not only catchy, but indicative of the style in which Leah operates – a relaxed attitude and straightforward approach to what can be a complicated technology world.  Leah is a true woman of technology, being a former coder for IBM and now capitalizing on her female know-how to tap into the most lucrative and highest consuming target market – women. Not only is her company about convenience, it’s also about caring, with their partnership with the Ellie Fund in Boston where services for breast cancer patients, including rides to doctor appointments and picking up groceries,  are provided by Rabbits free of charge.

When discussing what she learned as a start-up, Leah listed the following things:

1. Talk to everyone about your idea
2. Network like you mean it
   1. If you can get a meeting face to face it’s invaluable
3. Iterate on customer feedback
4. The right investors will have the same passion and obsession with the business that you have
5. Don’t over-think things

Take her advice to heart, after all, she was a CEO at the age of 12. “Pollution Solutions started in 1991. It was a non-profit focused on saving the planet.  I wrote letters to the President giving him a piece of my mind and made myself CEO after asking my dad what the highest position in a company was.”

Leah’s final words of advice: “See how far you can take your idea.  Go step by step by step.  Don’t be afraid to take the leap.”

As reported by Bethany Hartley, WBDC Marketing Assistant, pictured above with Leah Busque (left) at TechWeek Chicago.