Google’s new Android update is named Marshmallow. James Martin/CNET Google’s update for Android, its mobile software for smartphones and tablets, officially has a name: Marshmallow. The software, previously only referred to as Android M, was announced in May during Google I/O, the search giant’s annual developer conference. The moniker follows Google’s whimsical naming convention for …

Google’s Project Ara test launch will be postposed until next year Lynn La/CNET If you’re eager to build your own smartphone, you’ll have to wait awhile longer. Google on Monday announced Project Ara, its effort to develop “modular” phones that you can put together piece by piece, would be postposed until some time in 2016. The reason: The company said …

Google says it won’t test its Ara smartphones in Puerto Rico, as previously planned. Lynn La/CNET Google’s got a change of plans for its build-it-yourself smartphone initiative. Project Ara, an effort to develop “modular” phones that you can put together piece by piece, will no longer launch in Puerto Rico, as previously planned, a Google spokeswoman confirmed. The company said …

The Niantic spinoff comes days after a massive Google restructuring. Niantic Labs Google’s remaking of its business has only just begun. The search giant is spinning out game-maker Niantic Labs from its company, according to a statement from the company on Wednesday. The company said it plans to expand who it builds the game for as an independent company, without …

As part of Google’s restructuring, CFO Ruth Porat will be CFO of Alphabet, as well as Google. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images When Ruth Porat, Google’s chief financial officer, addressed analysts on a conference call for the first time in July, she preached one thing: balance. “A key focus is on the levers within our control to manage the pace of expenses …

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is trying to make the company’s apps relevant to young people. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images When Marissa Mayer became CEO of Yahoo three years ago, the former Google executive staked her reputation on one thing: bringing Yahoo, an ailing pioneer of the early Internet, into the smartphone age. To that end, Mayer made one of her biggest …

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer introduced digital magazines like Yahoo Style last year. Ethan Miller, Getty Images Yahoo is looking to get more fashionable. The Internet giant announced on Friday that it’s buying the social-shopping site Polyvore for an undisclosed price, as Yahoo tries to build out its digital content and advertising business. The site lets people put together sets of …

Yelp, run by CEO Jeremy Stoppelman, saw its stock tank this week. Getty Tell someone about the week Yelp has had, and they might want to cry. The local business and reviews service has suffered a string of blows over the past few days, starting with drama over the murder of a lion, and then bad news it gave to …

Google is reportedly pitching a new version of Glass aimed at the workplace. Sarah Tew/CNET Google Glass has officially been on hiatus since January, as the company tries to find new ways to get consumers hooked on the search giant’s smart eyewear. In the meantime, the company is courting a market more likely to respond better to the product: the …

Google’s Project Loon aims to bring Internet connectivity to rural populations. Google Google is taking steps to bring its Wi-Fi-beaming balloons to Sri Lanka. The search giant has signed a preliminary agreement, known as a memorandum of understanding, with the government of Sri Lanka, Google has confirmed. That means both sides will explore the possibility of testing Google’s high-flying balloons …