Barbara Ortutay

There are now 1 billion people using Android devices, Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) said as the company kicked off its two-day developer conference Wednesday in San Francisco. As the Internet giant’s Android operating system stretches into cars, homes and smartwatches, this year’s annual confab will expand on its usual focus on smartphones and tablets. Google gave more details about Android Wear, a version of the operating system customized for wearable gadgets such as smartwatches and introduced Android Auto, which has been tailored to work with cars. About 6,000 developers, bloggers and journalists flocked to the event. Following Google’s recent revelation...

An Android update, wearable gadgets and so-called smart home devices are just some of the innovations Google is likely to show off at its two-day developer conference, which begins Wednesday in San Francisco. In recent years, the conference has focused on smartphones and tablets, but this year Google’s Android operating system is expected to stretch —into cars, homes and smartwatches. Pacific Crest analyst Evan Wilson believes Google will unveil a new version of its Android operating system — possibly called Lollipop — with a “heavy focus” on extensions for smartwatches and smart home devices. “We think Google will directly...

NEW YORK – Twitter’s chief operating officer, Ali Rowghani, has resigned from his post and won’t be replaced as CEO Dick Costolo seeks more direct involvement with the company’s engineering and product teams. Rowghani joined Twitter in 2010 as chief financial officer and became COO two years later. Before that, he served as CFO at Pixar Animation Studios for nine years. Twitter Inc. said in regulatory filing Thursday that Rowghani’s responsibilities will be shifted to other executives. It did not give a reason for his departure. With the shift, Twitter joins other tech companies such as Google, Yahoo, Apple and...

This year’s World Cup will play out on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and messaging apps like WhatsApp just as it progresses in stadiums from Sao Paulo to Rio De Janeiro. Nearly 40 percent of Facebook’s 1.28 billion users are fans of soccer, better known as football outside of the U.S. and Australia. On Tuesday, the world’s biggest online social network is adding new features to help fans follow the World Cup — the world’s most widely viewed sporting event — which takes place in Brazil from June 12 to July 13. Facebook users will be able to keep track of...

Facebook users in the U.S. will soon be able to see which of their friends are in close proximity using a new feature the company is launching on Thursday. Called “Nearby Friends,” the optional tool will only be available to people who choose to turn it on. The feature uses your smartphone’s GPS system to tell your Facebook friends you are nearby — provided they have the feature turned on. Rather than share your exact location, it will only show that you are nearby, say, within half a mile. If you like, you can manually share a more precise...

IBM’s first-quarter earnings fell and revenue came in below Wall Street’s expectations amid an ongoing decline in its hardware business, one that was exacerbated by weaker demand in China and emerging markets. Revenue has now declined for eight consecutive quarters and hit a five-year low. The world’s largest technology services company has been working to expand into new areas as its hardware business falters, but the latest results show that these efforts have yet to fully pay off. Earnings Analysis at WRALTechWire: IBM’s evolution likely means more grim earnings and revenue news ahead this year, says Technology Business Research....

Google has bought Titan Aerospace, a maker of solar-powered drones, saying it could help bring Internet access to remote parts of the world as well as solve other problems. Financial terms were not disclosed. Google Inc. said Monday that atmospheric satellites could also be used in disaster relief and assessing environmental damage. Titan’s atmospheric satellites, which are still in development and not yet commercially available, can stay in the air for as long as five years, according to reports. Before it was updated Monday to reflect the acquisition, Titan’s website cited a wide range of uses for the drones,...

Shaped like a lopsided headband, Google Glass is an unassuming piece of technology when you’re holding it in your hands. You feel as if you can almost break it, testing its flexibility. Putting it on, though, is another story. Once you do, this Internet-connected eyewear takes on a life of its own. You become “The Person Wearing Google Glass” and all the assumptions that brings with it -about your wealth, boorishness or curiosity. Such is the fate of early adopters of new technologies, whether it’s the Sony Walkman, the first iPod with its conspicuous white earbuds, or the Segway...

Snapchat, the disappearing-message service popular with young people, has been quiet following a security breach that allowed hackers to collect the usernames and phone numbers of millions of its users. Company spokeswoman Mary Ritti said Thursday morning that the company is assessing the situation, but did not have further comment. As Americans rang in the New Year, hackers reportedly published 4.6 million Snapchat usernames and phone numbers on a website called snapchatdb.info, which has since been suspended. The breach came less than a week after security experts alerted Snapchat of a vulnerability in its system and warned that an...