Phandroid
Uber Cornerstore lets Washington DC beta testers order products for instant delivery (with $0 delivery fee)
Uber has made its name on the back of affordable rides to and from whichever destination you desired, and in cars much cooler than your typical eye-stinging taxi yellow. So what’s next for the company? The next evolution is pretty darn cool: Uber Cornerstore allows you to order goods and have them delivered right to your doorstep from the reputable drivers already certified by the company. Right now the service is only available in Washington DC and only to those who sign up for the limited beta, so if you want to try it out, you should act quickly!
The app will allow you to see an inventory of everything you’re able to buy, and quickly add them to your shopping cart. And get this: there’s no delivery fee. You’re only charged for the actual items you buy. You won’t even need to fork over any cash as your balance is automatically applied to your Uber account. The “Cornerstore” is open Monday through Friday from 9am to 9pm.
Uber Cornerstore has the potential to blossom into a rather big deal. The advent of same-day delivery from companies like Amazon and Google has been exciting, but the rollouts for those particular services have been slow-going. Much of this stems from the fact that they need to build out a distribution network efficient enough to live up to that same-day promise. That’s a tough thing to do even if you have billion of dollars. It’s especially difficult for Amazon since their products have to come from local distribution centers.
Uber has a distinct advantage in at least one of those areas: their distribution network is practically built out already if they’re using the very same drivers who are readily available to take you where you want to go. Uber also has a neat advantage of being able to deliver your order no matter where you are (within their specified delivery area, of course) so you won’t have to make sure you’re at home to receive your items.
It’s unclear how Uber will look to maintain inventory at this point in time. Our first guess is that they’ll be working with local retail partners to grab the items they need whenever orders come in.
We find it hard to believe they could maintain their own warehouse for storing inventory, let alone enough inventory to service an unknown of customers. One possibility is that drivers keep inventory in the trunks of their cards, We’ve reached out to Uber to see if we can learn more and will update this article with anything we hear back.
They still have a long way to go — for starters, Uber’s selection of goods is quite slim at the moment (you can suggest inventory additions here) and you would probably have trouble ordering exactly what you need even if you happened to live in a supported area — but there’s a ton of potential here. Here’s to hoping they’re as successful as hot startups like Instacart, and that they’ll eventually be able to provide service to everyone in their current rider network in the very near future.
Phan Favs: The best podcast app for Android [RESULTS]
Phan Favs is a recurring feature that turns the tables and asks you, the readers, about the best apps and games. It’s your turn to drop some knowledge on us! Read more.
Don’t call it a comeback, but podcasts are popular again. Everyone from Joe Rogan to Rachel Maddow has their own podcast, and many popular media outlets do as well (including our very own Mobile Roar Podcast). There are plenty of places where audio-only entertainment comes in handy. You can listen while going for a run, taking a shower, or doing the dishes. We love podcasts, and we know you do too, so what app is the best for listening to them?
Last week we asked you to tell us what app you use for listening to podcasts. We got over 300 votes, but one app was the clear winner. Here are the top 5 podcast apps according to you. Enjoy!
1. Pocketcasts
With over half of the total votes, Pocketcasts was the clear winner. This beautifully designed app simply has it all. You can have certain podcasts auto-download for offline listening, sync subscription and playback progress across devices, send audio to Chromecast to hear it through the TV, set a sleep timer, control playback speed, and so much more. Pocketcasts costs $3.99, but many of you have already gladly paid for it. It’s worth every penny.
2. BeyondPod
BeyondPod has been around on Android for a long time, but it’s still alive and well. You can do most everything you would expect. Play content via streaming or offline, adjust playback speed, Chromecast support, and it integrates with Feedly so you can even read your RSS feeds. The design is pretty standard #HOLOYOLO, but it gets the job done without getting in the way. BeyondPod is available for phones and tablets.
3. DoggCatcher
Like most of the apps on this list, DoggCatcher can do a bevy of things you would expect. You can set certain podcasts to automatically download for offline listening, plus it automatically deletes old episodes to keep your device clean. DoggCatcher is highly configurable so it can behave exactly how you want. The built-in search feature allows you to find feeds from any podcast you can imagine. There is also support for Chromecast for when you want some louder speakers. Doggcatcher is free and $2.99.
4. Podcast Addict
Addicted to listening to podcasts? This is the app for you. The aptly named Podcast Addict app is for hardcore listeners of podcasts. Not only can you manage audio episodes, but also video podcasts, and even YouTube channels, and news feeds. Podcast Addict has a clean Jelly Bean-style design, Chromecast support, and you can even import subscriptions from iTunes. The best part is it’s free
5. Stitcher
Last, but not least, on our list is Stitcher Radio. This podcast service is different from the other ones on this list. Artists have to apply to get their shows on the Stitcher network. Almost any popular podcast that you can think of is available on Stitcher (including ours), but not all. You might ask “why should I even use this app then?” Stitcher has a great design, sync across the web and devices, custom stations, breaking news, and more. Plus it’s free.
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Those are your picks! Thanks for sharing your favorite apps with us. Do you agree with your fellow readers? If you think your favorite app should have been on the list make your case for it in the comments. Check out the chart below to see how the voting was spread out among all the apps. We’ll be back again soon with another edition of Phan Favs!
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