Uber
Yesterday I set a personal record by using Uber twice in one day. First – to get a ride to SFO from San Francisco and second to get to a party across town in Denver. For those of you who have never tried Uber – try it, it’s an awesome service. Yes it is usually more expensive than a Taxi but you get superior service. I like knowing for sure that a car is coming, where it is, and how long it will take to arrive. I also really like not having to worry about paying once the ride is complete – it’s all done automagically.
One famous VC describes services like Uber as being part of your “smartphone remote control for real life”. The internet / smartphone used to only really apply to non-physical interactions like checking email, texting, or phone calls but more and more the smart phone is becoming a remote control for our real lives – need a car? Done. Make a reservation? Click. Buy movie tickets?… you get the idea. I think it’s a really elegant way to think about the convergence of smartphones and literally everything else that goes on in our lives.