Google unveils new Android upgrades...

Google Inc unveiled payment services, security upgrades and access to HBO movies and shows for its popular Android software, seeking to push back against growing competition from rivals such as Apple Inc.

The new version of the mobile software, called Android M, will include Android Pay, which lets users pay for merchandise at more than 700,000 stores in the US, Dave Burke, vice-president of engineering for Android, said at the internet company's annual developers' conference in San Francisco on Thursday.

Google is investing to extend Android's reach by keeping users engaged on its services and attracting them to new platforms using the software, such as televisions, autos and wearable devices. The web-search company's mobile operating system grabbed 79 per cent of the global smartphone market in the first quarter, down from 81 per cent a year earlier, as Apple's iPhone gained ground, according to Gartner Inc.

The conference, called I/O, comes less than two weeks before the start of Apple's own developer event at the same location. The companies are vying to attract software makers with more media platforms, better tools and new opportunities to make money from applications. New and innovative mobile apps, such as messaging features, puzzle games and news services, can help keep users on the companies' platforms.

"Android Pay is focused on simplicity, security and choice," Burke said in a keynote presentation.

Android users will get greater control over the information accessed by their devices, faster battery charging and more fingerprint-related features.

HBO Now, the standalone web-streaming service for movies and TV shows, will now be available across all of Google's devices, including televisions and mobile gadgets, Google said.

...launches Brillo platform for powering Internet of Things

Google Inc unveiled Project Brillo, a set of technologies to connect more household items to the web, part of a shift to the so-called Internet of Things.

The platform aims to make it simpler for developers to build applications for everyday devices, said Sundar Pichai, Google's senior vice-president of products, at the company's I/O conference on Thursday. The company also announced a system called Weave to help with communication between devices.