Can apps offer a solution to our urban woes?

These really are the best of times for urban residents, who can tap an app on their smartphones to get almost anything they want, and at bargain prices.

The latest addition to my app collection is one called edaixi, an on-demand laundry service that my wife found a couple of months ago.

We hit the app to summon a deliveryman to our door, stuff our dirty clothes into a large edaixi bag until it almost bursts at the seams, all for 99 yuan.