Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the weekly TechCrunch series that recaps the latest in mobile OS news, mobile applications and the overall app economy. Global app spending reached $65 billion in the first half of 2022, up only slightly from the $64.4 billion during the same period in 2021, as hypergrowth fueled by the pandemic has slowed down. But overall, the app economy is continuing to grow, having produced a record number of downloads and consumer spending across both the iOS and… Source link

20 Years of Top Trending Google Searches For decades, Google search has been a go-to source for many when looking up directions, keeping up with the news, or seeking information on new and unfamiliar topics. Today, Google processes about 3.5 billion searches per day. Because of its dominant market share, Google holds a vast archive of keyword searches that, when analyzed, provide an interesting glimpse into the key themes that have captured… Source link

A key component propping up consumer prices is cooling, but it’s not yet reflected in the government’s inflation measure, according to experts. The shelter component of the Consumer Price Index — which includes rent and owners’ equivalent of rent — makes up 30% of overall inflation and 40% of core CPI, which excludes food and energy prices. Real-time data is showing softening rents, but the survey used to determine shelter prices lags current pricing. That disconnect could pose a problem… Source link

‘The numbers just don’t work’: While rising mortgage rates have some homebuyers giving up, others think they’ve found a workaround America’s most popular home loan got more expensive again this week, striking yet another blow to haggard home shoppers staring at the steepest borrowing costs in 20 years. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate — now flirting with the 7% mark — is more than double what it was at the beginning of the year. Even as the surge in home prices continues to… Source link

Good news for anyone who’s sick of Zoom calls but also hates talking to people in real life: Google’s Project Starline is becoming more widely available. Google introduced Starline in 2021 with the goal of making video calls less weird and awkward. It’s essentially a very complicated video conferencing booth that uses cameras, depth sensors, and three-dimensional imagery to approximate face-to-face conversations between two remote participants. A suite of cameras even track both… Source link

Novavax (NVAX) is awaiting the FDA’s decision on its COVID-19 vaccine booster, and whether or not the agency will accept the original formula rather than a new variant-specific formula. However, the company is expecting the FDA to green-light the booster as an option even for those who received other vaccines for their primary or previous booster doses. That’s according to chief commercial officer John Trizzino. While Novamax already received booster approval in other countries, the U.S…. Source link

Powers to fight disinformation spread by Russian propaganda search engines are to be included in the Online Safety Bill, i can reveal. The Government is set to amend the Bill following revelations about the website Yandex, known as Russia’s Google, which pumps out pro-Kremlin search results on issues ranging from the war in Ukraine to news items criticising the West. The listings are available to online users in the UK. On Friday,i revealed that Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg and Trade… Source link

Here we go! It’s the first Saturday of the NHL season. Saturday is usually a robust day for hockey, and the first one this season is no different. There are 12 games featured on the evening slate, which starts at 7 p.m. EDT. Let’s make the first weekend of the NHL season a good one. Here are some players to target, and to avoid, for your DFS lineup. GOALIE Jeremy Swayman, BOS vs. ARI ($32): Linus Ullmark was in the crease first this season for the Bruins, but he and Swayman are likely going to… Source link

Weather permitting, there will be four MLB playoff games Saturday. It’s a full day of baseball beginning at 2:07 p.m. EDT and continuing until some point in the evening out there in San Diego. This could be the last time we have this many options for our DFS lineups. Here are my recommendations. Pitching Lance McCullers, HOU at SEA ($41): McCullers only made eight starts during the regular season, but he absolutely tore through them. He only allowed more than two runs once, and that was… Source link

Rupert Murdoch is reportedly considering a recombination of Fox (FOXA) and News Corp (NWSA). According to Murdoch-owned The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the 91-year-old businessman is currently in early discussions to rejoin the two entities of his media empire, which formerly split in 2013. Disney acquired the bulk of Fox’s entertainment assets in a $71 billion deal back in 2019. The WSJ report added that special board committees have been established by both companies to study a possible deal… Source link