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for the talks.
• China and Taiwan have been separately ruled since the Chinese civil war of the 1940s. China sees the island as part of its territory that eventually must be reunified -- by force if necessary -- despite a Taiwanese public largely wary of the notion of Chinese rule.
• In 2008, Beijing set aside its military threats to sign agreements binding its economy to that of the investment-hungry island.
• Dialogue opened that year as Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou agreed to put off political issues to build trust and improve the island's economy through tie-ups with China's much larger one. The two sides have signed 21 deals, last year lifting two-way trade to $124.4 billion and bringing in about 3 million mainland tourists, who were once all but banned.
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• SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- 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 counter Apple's recent announcements of health products (Apple HealthKit) and home automation (Apple HomeKit)," Wilson wrote in a note to investors.
• Google's I/O event comes at a time of transition for the company, which makes most of its money from advertising thanks to its status as the world's leader in online search. The company is trying to adjust to an ongoing shift to smartphones and tablet computers from desktop and laptop PCs. Though mobile advertising is growing rapidly, advertising aimed at PC users still generates more money.
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