AT&T, Verizon Win Big in FCC Wireless Spectrum Auction (PCMagazine)

About $29 billion of the $44.9 billion raised during the spectrum auction was purchased by Verizon and AT&T.

Of the $44.9 billion spent on spectrum in the FCC's most recent auction, about $29 billion was purchased by Verizon and AT&T.

Verizon Communications said it bought 181 licenses for $10.4 billion, which are in markets covering about 61 percent of the U.S.

AT&T shelled out $18.2 billion for "a near nationwide contiguous 10x10 MHz block of high-quality AWS-3 spectrum."

T-Mobile, meanwhile, spent about $1.8 billion, but Dish was the third highest bidder at just under $13 billion (it will only pay about $10 billion thanks to a small business deal with the FCC), according to Fierce Wireless. US Cellular also spent about $338 million.

AT&T will use its new spectrum as "a supplemental downlink to deliver additional mobile Internet capacity and better performance for its customers." AT&T expects to deploy this spectrum in the 2017-2018 period.

"Growth in our customers' mobile data usage continues to explode, driven by mobile video traffic. This spectrum investment will be critical to AT&T staying ahead of customer demand and facilitate the next generation of mobile video entertainment," John Stankey, chief strategy officer at AT&T, said in a statement.

The terms of this particular auction, which covers 65 megahertz in the AWS-3 band, require winners to share some of the spectrum with federal government users in particular geographic areas.

AT&T said today that it "will work with the FCC, NTIA, DOD, and other federal agencies to also support uplink capacity as soon as possible."

In total, 31 bidders won 1,611 licenses, the FCC said. Consumer group Public Knowledge was quick to point out that the biggest carriers once again dominated the auction.

"Many are celebrating today's auction as a 'game changer' for the wireless industry and a fantastic success. But once we get over the dollar signs we find that not much has changed," said Harold Feld, Senior Vice President of Public Knowledge.

"While encouraging that T-Mobile and other smaller wireless carriers continue to fight to stay in the wireless game, they did not win nearly enough spectrum to challenge the dominant position of AT&T and Verizon," he continued. "Meanwhile, the two biggest carriers proved once again that they can and will pay whatever it takes to keep their dominant spectrum position in the market."

There has been talk about restricting the amount of spectrum a company can purchase in the upcoming incentive auction, currently scheduled for 2016. Not surprisingly, that has troubled Verizon and AT&T, the latter of which hasthreatened to pull out of the auction altogether if it can't bid on what it wants.

The auction bidders are unable to comment further at this point because of the FCC's anti-collusion quiet period, which ends on Feb. 13 at 6 p.m. ET.

The full list of winning bids is available on the FCC website.

VIDEO: Here's What You Can You Do With a $38 Tablet (PCMagazine)

For just $38, this no-frills tablet can be a clock, guitar tuner, weather center, magic wall mirror, and more.

It was bound to happen sooner or later. Some off-brand manufacturer would cut every corner available and create a tablet for foreign markets. And that's where we meet the Ubislate 7Ci. It's no iPad. But that's okay, because for just $38 this no-frills tablet can be a clock, guitar tuner, weather center, magic wall mirror, or anything else we think up.

The Ubislate 7Ci is available in the U.S., though it's main market is in India, where government subsidies make it available for only $20. Make no mistake: the performance is lugubrious; the front-facing VGA camera is a grainy mess; and when you look at the screen at any other angle than straight-on, it seems to appear monochrome.But it is a flat touch-screen device that can connect to the Internet and download apps, and sometimes that's enough.

We are now entering a stage in the tablet's lifecycle when heavily pared-down versions are coming to market for super cheap. (And they're not all bad. The decent Amazon Fire HD 6, for example, is available for only $99.) This means that we can make all the surfaces and objects of our lives interactive. Forget the 7Ci's limitations. The only real limit is our imagination. Check it out in action in the video above.

What's New Now is PCMag's daily news digest that outlines the hottest tech news story of the day and what it means to you. Check back every day to get your dose of news and expert analysis of the technology topics that matter most.

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Money for trainining construction workers (Beacon Council)

Mayor Gimenez's Employ Miami-Dade initiative to receive $30,000 donation  (Miami, FL - Jan. 29, 2015) - Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez's construction industry training and hiring program Employ Miami-Dade will receive a $30,000 training donation during the program's working group roundtable discussion on January 30 at The Beacon Council. The Associated Builders and Contractors Florida East Coast Chapter secured the donation which is earmarked to train participants enrolled in the Employ Miami-Dade initiative. The check will be presented to Deputy Mayor Russell Benford, who oversees Employ Miami-Dade. "The first phase of Employ Miami-Dade has been training our residents for jobs in the construction industry. The goal is to provide them with the necessary skills to be employable, and have employers hire our residents," Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez said. "This donation shows ABC understands there's a need for skilled and trained construction workers," The Beacon Council President & CEO Larry K. Williams said.  Mayor Gimenez kicked off the program in December to build a local construction workforce by placing interested people in training programs and helping them secure employment in the construction industry. The program targets participants in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods and includes GED preparation and assistance at the CareerSource center. For more information visit ,  http://www.miamidade.gov/mayor/employ-miami-dade.asp As the official economic development agency for Miami-Dade, The Beacon Council organized the working group meeting in order to help facilitate the program and offer assistance. About The Beacon Council The Beacon Council, Miami-Dade County's official economic development partnership, is a not-for-profit, public-private organization that focuses on job creation and economic growth by coordinating community-wide programs; promoting minority business and urban economic revitalization; providing assistance to local businesses in their expansion efforts; and marketing Greater Miami throughout the world.

FTC Wants More Secure 'Internet of Things' (PCMagazine)

The FTC offered a series of recommendations for how businesses can keep Internet-connected devices secure.

How secure is the Internet of Things, and how do we make sure our Web-connected fridges aren't the next Lizard Squad target?

In a detailed report, the FTC today offered a series of recommendations for businesses to keep Internet-connected devices safe.

And as more fitness trackers are slapped onto wrists and smart household appliances set up on countertops, the IoT provides improved health-monitoring, safer highways, and more efficient home energy use. But, as the Commission pointed out, it also raises privacy and security concerns among the public.

"The only way for the Internet of Things to reach its full potential for innovation is with the trust of American consumers," FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez said in a statement.

The agency suggested companies take a more proactive role in security, from implementing extra measures to keep unauthorized users away from personal data, to limiting the collection of consumer information.

Data minimization, the FTC said, makes organizations less enticing to hackers, and provides people with peace of mind.

"We believe that by adopting the best practices we've laid out, businesses will be better able to provide consumers with protections they want and allow the benefits of the Internet of Things to be fully realized."

According to the Commission, more than 25 billion connected devices are currently in use worldwide. And that number is on the rise, as consumer goods companies, auto manufacturers, healthcare providers, and other businesses invest in connected devices.

Today's Commission report is based partly on input from the agency's Internet of Things workshop held in November 2013, as well as public comments.

For more, see PCMag's Internet of Things slideshow 

The Eat Coast: A No-Fly Zone (BusinessWeek)

Report: NSA Hacked North Korea Before Sony Breach (PCMagazine)

According to reports, the U.S. knew that North Korea hacked Sony Pictures because the U.S. had hacked North Korea.

When the FBI said definitively last month that North Korea was "responsible" for the hack of Sony Pictures, there were those who doubted the veracity of the report.

How could North Korea, a country not exactly known for being a high-tech hub, pull off such a complex hack? And how did the U.S. conclude so quickly that the secretive nation was behind the attack?

As it turns out, the U.S. had some inside information. According to reports fromDer Spiegel and The New York Times, the U.S. knew that North Korea hacked Sony because the U.S. had hacked North Korea.

The National Security Agency (NSA), in fact, has had access to North Korean networks and computers since 2010, the Times said. Officials wanted to keep tabs on the country's nuclear program, its high-ranking officials, and any plans to attack South Korea, according to a document published by Der Spiegel.

North Korea did attack South Korea in 2013, crippling several of the nation's leading financial and media organizations. At one point, however, the hackers revealed their IP addresses - the same I.P. addresses that popped up again in the Sony hack.

Of course, it's relatively easy for a skilled hacker to spoof IP addresses. Some reports suggested that a disgruntled (and tech-savvy) former Sony employee was behind the breach, and was simply leading officials on a wild goose chase.

But U.S. officials seemed sure; the FBI put out a press release and even President Obama said he was confident that North Korea was behind the attack, leading him to later approve sanctions against the country.

As the Times pointed out, the move "was highly unusual: The United States had never explicitly charged another government with mounting a cyber attack on American targets."

If the U.S. had insider information, why did it not warn Sony? According to theTimes, the spear-phishing attacks that North Korea used to infiltrate Sony Pictures were nothing new and did not immediately ring any alarms until it was too late. "Only in retrospect did investigators determine that the North had stolen the 'credentials' of a Sony systems administrator, which allowed the hackers to roam freely inside Sony's systems," the paper said.

CES 2015: Three trends to watch from the Google and Android ecosystems (TechRepublic)

CES is the proving ground for many new innovations in technology. Here are the Google and Android trends you need to know from CES 2015. 

The journey to Las Vegas every year for CES is something of a pilgrimage for technophiles. It is among the show tunes and slot machines that you will see the latest and greatest in tech, and identify the trends for the year ahead.

Google, however, typically isn't much of a center stage player at CES. The search company tends to release new products and information through its own, proprietary events, such as the I/O developer conference, where it doesn't have to share the spotlight with other companies.

While Google didn't divulge any earth-shattering news, or unveil its next big product at CES 2015, the company had a presence there and several of its partners shared new developments. Here are the top three trends to watch in the Google and Android ecosystems from CES 2015.

1. It starts in the home

Google hasn't been shy about its interest in the Internet of Things space. Early last year, the company acquired smart thermostat maker Nest Labs for $3.2 billion, catalyzing its headlong dive into the connected home. Much of what we saw at CES this year pointed to an even bigger play at this market.

Nest, which is still operated as a separate company, kicked off the CES festivities by announcing a host of new partnerships for home automation. The initiative is called "Works with Nest," and companies such as smart lock maker August, LG, Philips Hue, and UniKey joined Dropcam, Whirlpool, and Mercedes Benz as part of the collaboration effort.

Google's efforts in the home won't stop at automation, though.

When it comes to consumer electronics at CES, there were plenty of conversations around televisions, especially regarding 4K. Sony was one of the top exhibitors of 4K TVs, displaying its KDL-W850C series which has Android TV integration.

Google also recently released its Nexus Player and an updated version of the Chromecast, showing its eagerness to capitalize on the streaming video market. Another announcement it made at CES was the impending launch of Google Cast for audio. Soon, users will be able to stream audio from approved apps directly to compatible speakers. Additionally, there were third party products like the Razer Forge TV that use the Android OS to stream other media.

2. All about the automobile

Some of the biggest hype around Android at CES had to do with its Android Auto initiative, which is the Android OS powering specific vehicle infotainment displays. The initiative was announced earlier this year at the company's I/O conference for developers.

Audio company Pioneer was one of the first companies to roll out Apple's Carplay technology, and they showcased their aftermarket Android Auto integration at CES this year. Android Auto will be available on the second-generation NEX receivers by Pioneer in March 2015.

One of the fullest integrations came from Korean car manufacturer Hyundai. Called Blue Link, the Android Auto service built out by Hyundai is integrated with other tools such as car alarms and car starters. Hyundai took it one step further by building out an accompanying Android Wear app that allows users to remotely start or stop the engine, lock or unlock the doors, flash the lights, honk the horn, or geo locate the car.

3. Mobile reigns

Android, at its core, is still a mobile OS, and that was apparent at CES. Android news at the show centered around smartphones, specifically the LG Flex 2.

The Flex 2's keystone feature is its curved display. The phone's screen is 5.5 inches, setting it on the edge of the phablet category. The phones is powered by a Snapdragon 810 quad-core processor and will ship with Android 5.0.

Android Wear, Google's wearable initiative, has been a big undertaking for the company in 2014 and will continue to be a big part of its strategy in 2015. One of the most unique Android Wear smartwatches on display was the GoldKey Secure Communicator. The phone has its own secure storage and payments tools, setting it apart as a potential enterprise contender.