Support our non-partisan non-profit newsroom 💜 Donate now

Can the EU break Google and Apple's app store dominance?

Dec 20, 2022
The European Union's Digital Markets Act could have implications beyond Europe's borders — even in the U.S., where similar bills didn't make it through Congress.
Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images

What happened to those COVID exposure apps?

Feb 8, 2022
Consumers have been slow to adopt apps made by state governments based on tech from Google and Apple.
A COVIDWISE logo is displayed on a mobile phone screen on Aug. 6, 2020, in Arlington, Virginia.
OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images

Facebook suspends efforts on an Instagram for kids

Sep 27, 2021
Experts say any plan for "Instagram Kids" will be really, really hard to get right.
Facebook halted the development of a version of the Instagram app aimed at children 13 and under — but only temporarily.
Lionel Bonaventure/AFP via Getty Images

Is China’s multibillion-dollar tutoring industry coming to an end?

Aug 16, 2021
Top Chinese education stocks dipped by 70% within hours last month. But what does it feel like on the ground in China?
The hit Chinese TV series "A Love for Dilemma" focuses on the senseless education rat race in China, driven in part by tutoring schools.
"A Love for Dilemma"

Social trading apps are seeing an influx of young investors during the pandemic

May 19, 2021
Commonstock CEO David McDonough says many young people saw last year's stock-market meltdown as a wealth-creation opportunity.
The Commonstock app enables investors to share information about their holdings and market news.
Photo courtesy Megan Stinson

Business is booming for therapy apps, but what really works?

Apr 15, 2020
The apps promise to match clients to online therapists for as little as $40 a week.
In the era of shelter in place, online therapy has become the norm.
Pixabay

What's behind millennials' obsession with astrology?

Feb 25, 2020
Sixty percent of them believe in New Age spirituality.
Co-Star has gained popularity on social media, as users post memes of their horoscopes.
Courtesy of Co-Star

For public good, not for profit.

Shopping in the gig economy after retirement

Dec 13, 2019
One retiree earns a little extra with a shopping app.
Shipt bags on display.
Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images

How femtech uses data to help women and advertisers

Mar 20, 2019
In our economy, the devices we use are constantly asking us to share — or sometimes just taking — our data. And when it comes to that data, not much of it is more personal and private than our health. Yet personal health devices and apps are a growing industry, a subset of which is targeted […]
The FDA is working with companies like Fitbit to streamline the approval process for health and medical software.
DAVID MCNEW/AFP/Getty Images

How one linguist is teaching "Game of Thrones" fans how to speak High Valyrian

Mar 13, 2019
Duolingo will help you brush up on your Spanish, French and, uh, High Valyrian and Klingon.
Daenerys Targaryen from "Game of Thrones." 
HBO