Articles by Peter Suciu

This story was originally published on Oct. 16, 2012, and is brought to you today as part of our Best of ECT News series NASA and IHMC (Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition) have jointly developed a new robotic exoskeleton, dubbed the "XI," that could help astronauts in space stay in better physical shape, while also helping humans on ...

Google announced Thursday that it was selling its Motorola Mobility set-top box division, Motorola Home, to Arris Group for US$2.35 billion. The deal, which has been approved by the boards of both companies, is expected to close by the second half of next year Under the terms of the agreement, Google will receive $2.05 billion in cash, along with $...

While BlackBerry 10 devices won't become generally available until sometime in the New Year, more than 120 enterprise customers will reportedly begin testing the new platform as part of the BlackBerry 10 Technical Preview Program that is being rolled out this week Research in Motion did not disclose the names of the organizations that will get the...

Samsung said Tuesday that it will drop its pursuit of injunctions against the sale of some Apple products in Europe. Samsung wants to compete "fairly in the marketplace, rather than in the court," according to its official statement, but the move is an odd twist in the ongoing legal saga between the two consumer electronics giants With a series of...

A two-year FTC probe into Google could be coming to an end. The Federal Trade Commission may close its investigation into the search giant as early as this week, and it appears that Google will avoid a consent decree, according to reports. This would mean Google would not have to agree to any formal FTC settlement or specific terms. However, it do...

For those who spend enough time playing World of Warcraft, the line between what is "real" and what isn't probably blurs from time to time. However, a far deeper and more philosophical question has been raised: whether life, the universe and everything is actually just a computer simulation ...

FreedomPop is looking to disrupt the cable and DSL business model by offering free wireless Internet service to home users. The startup on Wednesday began taking orders for an US$89 modem that will provide online access to as many as 10 WiFi-enabled devices in the home, at speeds faster than digital subscriber lines The device will begin shipping i...

'Tis the season of giving and on Tuesday Facebook made it easier to give, as it added collections of wines to its Facebook Gifts catalog and made the program available for everyone in the United States For some Facebook members, the season of giving started early, with the social network giant's September launch of Facebook Gifts, a service that a...

Google has received multiple offers for the cable box division of Motorola, according to reports that surfaced Monday It may now be considering bids for the set-top business from two companies, Pace and Arris Group, both of which are manufacturers of cable equipment. What makes a potential deal all the more interesting is that it is likely that Goo...

Judge Lucy Koh on Thursday heard another round of quibbling between Apple and Samsung lawyers. Calling for some sort of "global peace," she reportedly asked both sides if there was any endpoint coming in their slugfest over patent issues Koh presided earlier this year over the high-profile, often bitter trial between the giants that ended with the ...

Social game developer Zynga has taken a step toward another type of gaming, having filed preparatory paperwork in Nevada to offer real-money gambling games in the United States, according to reports. The Nevada Gaming Control Board confirmed that Zynga filed an application Tuesday for a preliminary finding of suitability to hold a gaming license i...

The United States and Canada faced a setback on Wednesday as a joint proposal from the two nations, which was also backed by some European countries, failed to win approval at an international meeting. The proposal aimed to protect the Internet from international regulation, and its rejection could mean tough negotiations will follow in the rewriting of the telecoms treaty.

American and British intelligence agencies on Tuesday were warned by the Nachrichtendienst des Bundes, Switzerland's federal intelligence service, that some shared information related to counterterrorism had been stolen Last summer, an NDB IT technician who felt his ideas about how data systems should be handled were not being taken seriously repor...

Researchers at MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms have created milli-motein -- a manifestation of raw digital data that could create transformable robots. However, instead of pop-culture robots that can transform into giant cars or airplanes, these could result in material changes that might one day transform the world ...

The European Union announced on Friday that it would oppose attempts to increase regulation of the Internet at a United Nations conference that will take place next week in Dubai. This move comes as some countries have called for tighter rules on Web service providers and phone operators The International Telecommunication Union, an agency within t...

The Basis wearable fitness monitor -- announced back in January at the 2012 International CES -- has finally shipped, the company said Thursday. Already sold out for the holidays, according to the website, the Basis can be reserved for US$199. ...

A team of researchers, including engineers from the Los Alamos National Laboratory, this week reported their successful demonstration of a new concept that could provide reliable nuclear power for space exploration. The technology is still years away from the warp drive of Star Trek, but it could provide a means of propulsion for space travel beyond the moon...

Today, few people are using an IBM desktop computer -- and if they are, the machine could be close to 20 years old. However, back in 1995 when IBM bought Lotus Notes, it was the world's largest software company and still made personal computers. Fast-forward, and today IBM isn't really known either for software or desktop computers Yet a little ove...

Those who want to post reviews on Google Play will be required to use a Google+ account, the parent company of both announced on Tuesday. The new rules will be implemented with the latest version of Google Play, which the company is now introducing for Android devices. They have already been implemented in the online store Google will only allow us...

Samsung Electronics will implement new measures to keep its Chinese suppliers compliant with labor laws after it completed a round of audits that found notable problems relating to labor policies, the company announced Monday. These included problems with overtime, but Samsung is also looking to ensure that its suppliers adopt hiring procedures to screen out underage workers...