We reached out to HTC for more information on how the phone was designed, and were told that the battery actually rests below the board and behind the display, taking up nearly the entire horizontal space of the VX.

ENGADGET: HTC One VX review: AT&T's latest mid-range smartphone is worth a closer look

But horizontal beds take up more space since one passenger can't angle under another, and airlines end up with fewer premium seats to sell.

WSJ: The Many Ways to Catch Shut-Eye in the Sky

For Delta, which eliminated international first class years ago, the new herringbone layout yields 48 business-class seats on the Boeing 747, 17 fewer in the same amount of space as the older design, which didn't have horizontal flat beds and direct aisle access for every passenger.

WSJ: The Many Ways to Catch Shut-Eye in the Sky

In the small tasks for hire space, there are FetchMob, Gigwalk ( story) and TaskRabbit, but Zaarly is going after a wider horizontal play, Fishback says.

FORBES: Zaarly Raises $14 Million; Meg Whitman Joins Board