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Google Inc submitted plans on Friday for a vastly expanded headquarters at the Silicon Valley city where the tech giant is based, presenting a bucolic vision of movable structures to be built under curving and translucent canopies. The submission of the plan to the City Council in Mountain View, California, which the company chose for its headquarters 15 years ago, marks the first step in what city officials describe as a long review process. The new headquarters would give the Internet company the room for an additional 10,000 employees, compared to the 20,000 Google staffers that currently work in the city, a Google spokeswoman said. Google's blueprint for new headquarters in the city's North Bayshore district has gathered widespread attention because the design is seen as architecturally innovative.

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By Joseph Menn SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – The U.S. National Security Agency has figured out how to hide spying software deep within hard drives made by Western Digital, Seagate, Toshiba and other top manufacturers, giving the agency the means to eavesdrop on the majority of the world's computers, according to cyber researchers and former operatives. Kaspersky said it found personal computers in 30 countries infected with one or more of the spying programs, with the most infections seen in Iran, followed by Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Mali, Syria, Yemen and Algeria. The targets included government and military institutions, telecommunication companies, banks, energy companies, nuclear researchers, media, and Islamic activists, Kaspersky said.

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By Edward Taylor and Eric Auchard FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Technology giant Apple is learning how to make a self-driving electric car and is talking to experts at carmakers and automotive suppliers, an automotive source familiar with the talks said on Saturday.     The Cupertino, California-based maker of phones, computers and watches is exploring how to make an entire vehicle, not just designing automotive software or individual components, the source said. Apple is gathering advice on parts and production methods, the source said, adding that Apple appeared not to be interested in combustion engine technology or conventional manufacturing methods. Rival software maker Google has developed a prototype self-driving vehicle, while startup rival Tesla Motors has produced a successful electric sports car. In addition to building a car, there is money to be made from the software operating system for a self-driving vehicle, as well as the services associated with autonomous driving, such as high-definition mapping, car-sharing and electric car recharging services, the auto industry source said.

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By Joseph Menn and Roberta Rampton SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama is set to sign an executive order on Friday aimed at encouraging companies to share more information about cybersecurity threats with the government and each other, a response to attacks like that on Sony Entertainment. The order sets the stage for new private-sector led “information sharing and analysis organizations” (ISAOs) – hubs where companies share cyber threat data with each other and with the Department of Homeland Security. It is one step in a long effort to make companies as well as privacy and consumer advocates more comfortable with proposed legislation that would offer participating companies liability protection, the White House said. “We believe that by clearly defining what makes for a good ISAO, that will make tying liability protection to sectoral organizations easier and more accessible to the public and to privacy and civil liberties advocates,” said Michael Daniel, Obama's cyber coordinator, in a conference call with reporters.

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By Noel Randewich and Matthew Miller SAN FRANCISCO/BEIJING (Reuters) – Qualcomm Inc has agreed to pay China a fine of $975 million, the largest in the country's corporate history, ending a 14-month government investigation into anti-competitive practices. The deal also requires Qualcomm to lower its royalty rates on patents used in China, likely helping Chinese smartphone makers like Xiaomi Technology Co Ltd [XTC.UL] and Huawei Technologies Co Ltd [HWT.UL]. It removes a major source of concern among Qualcomm investors, sending shares of the U.S. chipmaker up 1.6 percent to $68.18 in after-hours trading. China's expanding high-speed 4G network is driving demand for smartphones with leading-edge technology, but Qualcomm's opportunities have been clouded by the antitrust investigation, which has also contributed to troubles collecting royalty payments from device makers.

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A lawyer for RadioShack on Friday said the bankrupt electronics chain would accept all kinds of bids for its assets, including from liquidators, although any transaction would require court approval. RadioShack, which filed for Chapter 11 protection on Thursday, has a tentative deal to sell as many as 2,400 of its 4,100 stores to an affiliate of hedge fund Standard General, its lender and largest shareholder. RadioShack, which posted 11 straight quarterly losses after failing to transform itself into a destination for mobile phone buyers, hopes to avoid the fate that plagues many bankrupt retailers: liquidation. A court hearing on procedures for bidding on RadioShack's assets is set for Feb. 20, with a final sale hearing tentatively scheduled for March 12.

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By Devika Krishna Kumar (Reuters) – Audio equipment maker Monster LLC has sued Beats Electronics LLC, owned by Apple Inc , over alleged “fraud and deceit” in the way that Beats acquired control of the rights to the popular “Beats by Dr. Dre” headphones. Under a partnership formed in 2008, Monster and Beats developed “Beats by Dr. Dre”, a line of colorful, high-end headphones that vie with the likes of Skullcandy Inc and Bose Corp. According to the suit filed in San Mateo (Calif. …

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By Noel Randewich SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Intel Corp Chief Executive Brian Krzanich showed off a computer built into a jacket button and a wristband that transforms into a selfie-snapping flying camera, as the chipmaker extends its push into smart wearable gadgets. Speaking at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Krzanich also announced a five-year, $300 million investment in math-related education and other programs to help employ more women and minorities in the technology and the video game industries. …

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By Alexei Oreskovic SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Facebook Inc acquired a company that makes voice recognition technology for wearable devices and Internet- connected appliances, the latest sign of its ambition to extend its reach beyond computers and smartphones. Facebook said it acquired wit.ai on Monday, without providing a price for the deal. The 18-month old company, based in Palo Alto, California, makes software that can understand spoken words as well as written text phrased in “natural language. …