Technology Top Stories from Associated Press (AP)

BASEL, Switzerland (AP) , In an age when most people carry smartphones that can tell the time , on top of hundreds of other applications , watch makers are increasingly focused on selling their goods as luxury items. The world's biggest trade fair for watches, Baselworld, opens this week, offering a spectacle of bling and highly-crafted gadgetry.

WASHINGTON (AP) , A top Senate Democrat says the advertising industry is ignoring consumers' requests not to be tracked online and that it's probably time for federal regulation. Sen. Jay Rockefeller...

WASHINGTON (AP) , The Obama administration was warned as early as 2010 that electric car maker Fisker Automotive Inc. was not meeting milestones set up for a half-billion dollar government loan, nearly a year before U.S. officials froze the financing after questions were raised about the company's statements, newly released documents show.

BERLIN (AP) , A German privacy watchdog has failed in its bid to stop Facebook from forcing users to register with their real names. Schleswig-Holstein state's data protection office had argued that the ban on fake names breaches German privacy laws and European rules designed to protect free speech online.

DETROIT (AP) , General Motors said Wednesday that the battery-powered version of its Chevrolet Spark mini-car can travel up to 82 miles on a single charge, putting it among the leaders in mass-market electric vehicles sold in the U.S.

NEW YORK (AP) , Sprint and T-Mobile are delaying shipments of Samsung's latest flagship phone, citing inventory issues. The delays in the Galaxy S4 appear to be the result of supply disruptions from Samsung, rather than heavier-than-expected demand seen by the U.S. carriers.

NEW YORK (AP) , MetroPCS Communications Inc., the country's fifth-largest cellphone carrier, said its shareholders have overwhelmingly approved the company's takeover by No. 4 T-Mobile USA. Wednesday's approval was expected after T-Mobile sweetened its bid and major shareholders withdrew their objections.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) , LG Electronics Inc. said Wednesday its first quarter earnings shrank to one tenth of the year-earlier quarter as its TV business languished, masking a recovery in mobile phone sales. The company's January-March net profit fell to 22.1 billion won ($19.7 million) from 247.5 billion won a year earlier.

SYDNEY (AP) , Australian police have arrested a man they say is affiliated with international hacking collective Lulz Security on a charge of attacking and defacing a government website, officials said Wednesday. The 24-year-old senior IT worker, whose name was not released, was arrested on Tuesday night at his Sydney office, the Australian Federal Police said.

BEIJING (AP) , An American business group appealed to China on Wednesday to improve online security and ease restrictions on Web use by companies, warning that deteriorating access speeds might discourage foreign investment.

DALLAS (AP) , AT and T lost phone subscribers from its contract-based plans for the first time in the latest quarter, in a sign that growth in the industry is stalling now that most Americans have smartphones.

NEW YORK (AP) , Hackers compromised Twitter accounts of The Associated Press on Tuesday, sending out a false tweet about an attack at the White House. The false tweet said there had been two explosions at the White House and that President Barack Obama was injured.

WASHINGTON (AP) , Federal regulators let Boeing help write the safety conditions for the problematic battery system in its beleaguered 787 "Dreamliner," prescribe how to test it and carry out those tests itself, according to testimony and documents released at a hearing Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (AP) , Tax-free shopping on the Internet could be in jeopardy under a bill making its way through the Senate. The bill would empower states to require online retailers to collect state and local sales taxes for purchases made over the Internet. The sales taxes would be sent to the states where a shopper lives.

MUMBAI, India (AP) , Low cost efficiency put India's outsourcing companies at the heart of global business and created a multibillion dollar industry that for years has skated over criticism it was eliminating white collar jobs in rich nations. Now, the industry's long-held fears of a backlash are being realized in its crucial U.S. market.