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If executive orders don't work, how about a little friendly competition between states to see who's the best at social distancing? Unacast, a technology company, analyzed GPS location data from millions of smartphones across the country to track average distances before and after the coronavirus pandemic hit the United States and subsequently doled out grades to each state and county based on how big the decline has been, The Star Tribune reports. The good news is that while some states are doing better than others, the majority appear to be doing their part. Several states received an A grade after showing greater than 40 percent declines in average distance traveled by and very few achieved lower than a B. The states that have stood out, in addition to Washington, D.C., which leads the pack with a 60 percent decrease, are Alaska, Nevada, New Jersey, and Rhode Island. New York, the state dealing with the worst of the crisis right now, also received an A. Not every state earned

Elisabeth Claire Avery, 21, learned this month that her mother's body had been found in one of Georgia's largest lakes. The next unsettling news was that there would be no traditional funeral, at least not for a while. "She had friends in every city in Georgia, I swear," Ms. Avery said. "She loved art and music, and that's how you can celebrate her in isolation." Ms. Avery has had the difficult task of responding to the many people who have been reaching out, asking what they can do. "Listen to rock 'n' roll, which she would've liked," she tells them. Funeral directors are stressed, too. A board member of the National Funeral Directors Association, Chris Robinson, a fourth-generation funeral director and managing owner of Robinson Funeral Home in Easley, S.C., said members of his trade association were getting swamped with questions and requests, and scrambling to find answers. Video companies are installing cameras. Mortuaries are

Rear camera megapixels get all the spotlight. After Samsung launched the Galaxy S20 Ultra with a huge 108-megapixel camera on the back, expect to see more Android phones take up this feature in the coming year. But what about the front camera? Selfies should pack more pixels too -- or at least, that's what Chinese company Oppo says with the Reno3 Pro.  The midrange phone offers a quad camera setup on the back, but that's not so unusual for phones in 2020. It separates itself with dual selfie shooters: one 2-megapixel depth sensor paired with a 44-megapixel main camera.  The Oppo Reno3 Pro launched in India earlier this month, where its price (29,990 rupees) converts to $390, AU$670 and £340. Oppo says it'll launch in more countries in April, thou

Opinion post byAdamya Sharma When OnePlus launched its first phone in 2014 — the OnePlus One — it was a hugely impressive product for its time. The original "flagship killer" not only managed to draw attention in one of the best ever years for Android smartphones, but it also branded the company's "Never Settle" philosophy in the minds of its users. It reminded people that they shouldn't have to settle for lesser quality for the sake of price. The OnePlus 2 and OnePlus X further cemented the Shenzhen company as the go-to brand for excellent phones, kitted out with cutting-edge tech that you didn't have to pay through your nose for. OnePlus also had the swag factor going for it. The red charging cables, the textured back covers, the design of the plugs, the exclusive invite system, it all played into a larger brand strategy designed to appeal to buyers who were fed up with paying top dollar for a flagship phone and wanted something different. Here's w

HMD Global just got done with its biggest launch earlier this week. Following its tradition, it ousted a flurry of Nokia-branded phones, including the Nokia 5310 that is a modern throwback at the Nokia 5310 XpressMusic from the noughties. HMD Global also introduced its first 5G phone, the Nokia 8.3 5G that comes with support for NSA and SA dual modes. The Finnish company also unveiled its budget and mid-range smartphones that will be available globally soon. But, there was a non-mobile product that is aimed to facilitate the international roaming. Here's a rundown of everything that HMD Global announced at its online event earlier this week. Nokia 8.3 5G Sitting atop the line-up is the Nokia 8.3 5G. HMD Global has leaped into the 5G club with the Nokia 8.3 5G and promised that it is the world's first future-proof phone. That claim is essentially based on the features that Nokia 8.3 5G packs. In addition to supporting the SA and NSA modes of 5G, the sma

After checking out the Galaxy S20 Ultra, it's difficult to forget its brawny build, avalanche of specs, and the impressive reach of Samsung's Space Zoom. Unfortunately, at $1,999, it's also a bit too expensive to love. At that price, the S20 Ultra has to be head and shoulders better than every other phone on the market, and it just isn't. But perhaps the best argument against the S20 Ultra is the existence of the S20+, because for a bit over 20 per cent less money, the S20+ delivers 95 per cent of what you get from its more expensive sibling. So if you're looking for a high-end Android phone with tons of bells and whistles, the S20+ is the one to get. Starting with its build, the Galaxy S20+'s 6.7-inch screen isn't that much smaller than the 6.9-inch panel on the S20 Ultra, so you're not really missing out on much when it comes to your overall viewing experience. And because the S20+'s camera module isn't a huge, boxy thing that sticks

There's an irony to the surveillance measures being put in place to combat the global coronavirus pandemic. The outbreak started in China. The country with the most extensive population surveillance capabilities on the planet quickly put it to work. Extensive data analysis, facial recognition, phone tracking, apps, even drones. The state set out to know who was where and when. And with who, of course. Where they'd been and where they were allowed to go. China did what China does. We are inured to such stories from China. We have read countless reports over the last two to three years about the emergence of this domestic surveillance capability. Added to its extensive controls on information, the internet, the economy, it came as no surprise. We had not yet had our own coronavirus shocks to our stable systems. This, coming from China, just seemed to be more of the same. Then we had stories of government surveillance in South Korea and Singapore. More transparent, certainly

Working from home because of the coronavirus pandemic may sound like a luxury. Freedom to cook lunch. Time to do laundry between tasks. Respite from that loquacious co-worker. Then reality sets in. Your Wi-Fi slows down to a crawl, the new software tools you work with are confusing and your computer mouse is a piece of junk. Without an I.T. department, you are on your own with your tech problems. Our most common work-from-home tech issues are the ones that slow down our productivity: unreliable internet connections, low-quality video calls, software programs that are too narrowly tailored and uncomfortable work stations. Fret not, new telecommuters: I've worked from home on and off for many years and have managed to minimize my tech problems to achieve a kind of work-from-home nirvana. And in consulting other remote-working veterans, there are easy lessons and fixes to apply that will help throughout the time you work from your residence. The biggest of these: Less is better, espec

South Korea's leaders were mostly happy to accommodate Samsung's ambitions, and by the 1960s the company was already a symbol for how political connections could lead to great riches. Samsung's coziness with the government grew as the company did, helping its chairman, Lee Kun-hee, twice be granted presidential pardons for white-collar crimes. Today, across the Republic of Samsung, as South Korean cynics call their country, it can feel impossible to escape the company's influence, which stretches from gadgets to hospitals to art. (A Samsung heiress, Miky Lee, was the executive producer of "Parasite.") Cain lived in South Korea on and off for years between 2009 and 2016. His is a brisk, balanced telling of the Samsung story, though there is much more here about American smartphone marketing strategy than most readers could ever want. Samsung did not cooperate, which is not surprising for a big tech company. But, then, Samsung seems more interested than most in

Yahoo Lifestyle is committed to finding you the best products at the best prices. We may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability are subject to change. Save 20 percent on this Bluetooth speaker. (Photo: Amazon)More If you love listening to your favorite music and podcasts, but hate the tinny and less-than-robust audio from your smartphone, we found a deal that just sings. Right now, you can pick up Anker Soundcore Bluetooth Speaker for just $24 with the on-page coupon, or $6 off at Amazon. Amazon shoppers are delighted with this little Bluetooth speaker's full range of audio and its ease of use when syncing to a smartphone. "Great little speaker," wrote an enthusiastic five-star reviewer. "Sound is crisp and full, it looks great, and has a nice, solid heft to it." So why are shoppers calling this speaker the "bang for your buck" pick? The Anker Soundcore Bluetooth Speaker features premium stereo sound with c

We have started receiving 5G enabled devices since last year, and we will surely get more as 2020 moves on. Now, we have decided to select some of the best 5G smartphones that are currently available for you to purchase. Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra This is the best and most potent Samsung Galaxy device to date. The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra includes one of the best, if not the best camera available on the market, and yes, it's 5G enabled. Well, every single device in the Galaxy S20 series is 5G enabled. It has a massive battery, an excellent camera zoom, and a 120Hz display. Unfortunately, it's not perfect. Its in-display fingerprint sensor could be faster, it doesn't include a headphone jack, and if you activate the 120Hz refresh rate, your battery will suffer. There's also the Galaxy S20+ option, it has all the pros, and it's not so expensive. Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G The latest Note from Samsung was launched a couple of months ago, but it's still a

John Kim/CNET Last year, the Oculus Quest was the coolest self-contained VR headset around. But that may not mean that it's the headset for you.  Yes, VR is still a thing. And there are plenty of headsets you could buy, many of which are really good at what they do. But the idea of VR in 2020 is totally in transition. Know that companies like Qualcomm (which makes the chips inside most self-contained VR headsets, including the Oculus Quest) are building new chips that point to a wave of better standalone headsets, including ones that plug right into your phone -- and might even cost less. Meanwhile, remember those older phone-based VR headsets, like the Samsung Gear VR and Google Daydream? They're basicall

Pete Lau, the CEO and co-founder of Chinese smartphone company OnePlus, recently sat down with CNET for an exclusive interview. Although Lau discussed quite a few topics during the chat, the most important tidbit is the confirmation of OnePlus' 5G ambitions with its next series of phones. During the interview, Lau confirmed that OnePlus is "all-in" on 5G, and the upcoming OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro will both be capable of 5G connections. "I want to restate our commitment to 5G and our long term investment," Lau said. "We've been investing in 5G for several years and we see this as the direction going forward and one we're very much committed to." If the rumors around the OnePlus 8 Pro are true, I probably won't be upgrading For multiple years now, I've used a OnePlus device as my daily driver. When I first started working here at Android Authority, I used a OnePlus 5. I then upgraded to the OnePlus 6T and, shortly … To be clear, Lau di

Virtual reality and augmented reality technology is finding niches in both workplaces and in consumer applications. The companies whose work in the space stood out this year include makers of the core hardware and software like Snap and Microsoft, as well as a number of smaller players that have applied spatial computing in new environments such as stadiums (Dallas Cowboys) and horror gaming (Illumix). These achievements may be small steps toward a future where spatial computing replaces our mobile and desktop screens as our go-to interface. 1. Snap For scanning the world to apply lenses to it The ephemeral messaging platform has increasingly become an AR company in recent years. In 2019, it added a good deal of artificial intelligence to the mix as well by introducing a new feature called Scan. Scan uses computer vision technology to understand objects in the camera's view, then suggests AR overlays, called "lenses," that are relevant to that object. If your camera is tr

It's getting harder to take a truly bad photo on a good smartphone. Thanks to better lenses, robust processors and integrated computational photography software to process images under the hood, even scenes in low-light, no-flash situations that used to be hopelessly murky can now turn out nicely. Your phone's native camera app makes it simple to grab a picture with just a couple of taps. But if you've recently upgraded your device and want to dive deeper into the latest hardware and software, here are a few tips — illustrated by two current models: Apple's iPhone 11 Pro Max and Google's Pixel 4 XL. ZOOMING Each member of the iPhone 11 family has at least two cameras for ultrawide and wide shots, but the iPhone 11 Pro line adds

Your top tech questions answered, each week, by Kim Komando. (iStock) Each week I receive tons of questions from my listeners, readers, and viewers about tech concerns, new products and all things digital. Sometimes, choosing the most interesting questions to highlight is the best part of my job. This week, I received questions about past episodes, iPhone scanning, switching smartphone brands and more. Do you have a question you'd like to ask me? I read every one! Tap or click here to email me your digital life dilemmas directly. Smartphone 911 Q: My parents are older. Is there a special setting on their smartphones so emergency personnel will know the medicines they take and to call me immediately in the event of an emergency? I worry about them. A: Many folks use engraved metal accouterments to quickly inform first responders of any conditions or allergies important to the wearer. Our smartphones can provide the same information to emergency personnel and i

Yahoo Lifestyle is committed to finding you the best products at the best prices. We may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability are subject to change. Just got your tax refund? Itching to get something new for your home (or perhaps a newfangled tech item to spend the next two days poring over?) We rounded up the best deals from Amazon worth your attention this weekend. From smartphones to 4K TVs, some of these markdowns are some of the biggest we've ever seen. Check out the only things you should spend money on this weekend, below: Save $249 on the new Google Pixel 4. (Photo: Amazon)More On sale for $550 (originally $799)—which is the lowest price we've ever seen, by the way—the Pixel 4 is one of Google's newest flagship smartphones. It was only released back in September 2019, but we're already seeing deep discounts on the popular Android device. The Google Pixel 4 comes with an impressive 5.7-inch OLED Full HD+ Smooth Disp