Google OS, Apartments Vacant

MYFOXNY.COM - Financial headlines: Google is out with a new operating system; and more apartments are vacant than had been in 22 years.

Watch the video (left) for the full report from NY Money Authority Lisa Murphy.

NEW GOOGLE OS: Google is out with a new operating system-- Chrome OS. Microsoft’s Windows runs most of the world's personal computers. Google now has expanded upon its mini-operating system for mobile phones to an OS for those wildly popular mini-laptops known as net books. For its part, Microsoft says its upcoming Windows 7 operating system will also work well on net books.

REAL ESTATE: More apartments were vacant in the second quarter than any time in the past 22 years. Real estate research firm Reis Incorporated says the national vacancy rate was 7.5%. That's up 1.4 points over last year and the highest since 1987. The record was 7.8% in 1986. The low was just 3three years ago -- 5.5% in 2006. Here in New York, the vacancy rate is just under three percent. This comes at a time when apartment buildings lead all commercial real estate in loan defaults. Reis says it's troubling because apartments usually turn over in the spring and summer... and that hasn't happened this year. Airline prices are getting another round of price cuts, but only for today. Southwest, Airtran and Frontier airlines all rolled out lower fares yesterday. Southwest is offering one-way fares of just $30 on routes up to 400 miles and just $90 on routes over 750 miles. That's good for travel in September and November, but you only have until midnight tonight to book. Airtran's sale ends tomorrow and Frontier's sale runs out next week. Experts say fares haven't been this low since the 1990s.