<p>The Google signage is seen at the company's headquarters in New York January 8, 2013. Google and a New York redevelopment organisation are providing a Manhattan neighbourhood with free public WiFi Internet access, making it the largest area of coverage in New York City.</p><p>Technology titans Google and IBM delivered surprisingly strong earnings results Tuesday, in a positive sign for the tech sector following several quarters of lackluster performance across the industry. Google showed progress addressing one of its key challenges: the steady migration of users to mobile search, which generates less ad revenue for the company than desktop search.</p><p>Google reported strong revenue growth, in a sign that the overall online advertising market keeps growing, as marketers continue their seemingly inexorable shift away from traditional ad platforms including print and toward Internet advertising. Google shares soared 5% after the results were announced.</p><p>IBM reported record profits, driven by the company's ongoing, decade-long transition toward software and services, as net income increased by 6%. IBM's results were propelled by what CEO Ginni Rometty called "higher-value businesses," including cloud computing and data analytics. Because of IBM's vast reach across the technology world, as well as its global footprint, the company is a closely watched bellwether for the overall health of the tech sector, and its results augur well for other companies, including Apple, which reports its results Wednesday. IBM shares jumped 4.3% after the results were announced.</p><p><a href="http://business.time.com/2013/01/23/google-ibm-post-strong-results-in-a-positive-sign-for-the-tech-sector/">Keep reading...</a></p>