Want to Get Paid For Using Your iPhone? Gigwalk is the App for You!

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Screen shot 2011-05-04 at 10.27.58 AM

 

Wouldn’t it be great to get paid to play with your beloved iPhone? Thanks to a new startup Gigwalk, that dream is now a reality. The Silicon Valley startup launched their program today and are accepting applications for new Gigwalkers in cities across America.

Using Gigwalk’s iPhone app, Gigwalkers sign up to complete a list of task in their local area using their iPhone in exchange for a small cash sum (gigs pay between $3 – $50). Once a task is completed, Gigwalkers are paid via a PayPal account that is linked to their Gigwalk account, making everything incredibly simple and efficient. While these small gigs won’t replace your full-time job, you can earn a tidy sum on the side. Gigwalk reported that their highest paid Gigwalker earned $2,173 completing 277 gigs over the 6-month private-beta period.

The idea behind the new service is that every smartphone is a node in a vast network. By tapping into that huge network companies can accomplish huge data tasks that require small amounts of information from a large number of locations in a highly efficient manner.

via Mashable: “During the private beta period, GPS maker TomTom sent Gigwalkers to specific street corners to verify map factors like street names. It wouldn’t have had the funds to check the accuracy of their maps by driving every road themselves. Similarly, Motorola employed the Gigwalk workforce to scope out the positioning of its phones in Verizon stores after the carrier started selling iPhones. Local directories, consumer research firms and real estate companies have also signed on.”

I tried the app out this morning and found it a lot easier to use than many of the crowd-sourcing sites that are out on the web today. You can sign-up via your Facebook account, which will import your personal information for the application process. Once signed up the main screen is a simple Google Map that shows the available gigs in your area. Select a gig and if you think it sounds like something you can do you can choose to “Start Working” or you can share the gig with your friends via Facebook, Twitter, Email or Text Message. The current number of cities open to Gigwalk is a bit limited so you may have to wait until they launch in your area, but the concept feels like a fun and simple way to earn a couple bucks on the fly.

 

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