Technology news

The coronavirus is spreading throughout the world and we've got to change how we do just about everything. 
Some people have called for doing away with handshakes. But even the compromise of bumping elbows isn't enough, according to the director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO). 
"When greeting people, best to avoid elbow bumps because they put you within 1 meter of the other person," tweeted Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. "I like to put my hand on my heart when I greet

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge A Florida man who used a fitness app to track his bike rides found himself a suspect in a burglary when police used a geofence warrant to collect data from nearby devices, an NBC News investigation finds. Zachary McCoy had never been in the home where the burglary occurred, but by leaving his location settings on for the RunKeeper app, he unwittingly provided information about his whereabouts to Google, which placed him at the scene of the crime.
Since Mc

A woman wearing a respiratory mask exits the Palace of Justice in Milan. | Photo by PIERO CRUCIATTI/AFP via Getty Images Italy’s government is considering a lockdown of the northern Lombardy region and 11 neighboring provinces to stem the spread of the new coronavirus in the area, the Wall Street Journal reports. Some 10 million people live in the region, which includes Milan. The WSJ says a draft decree of the plan by the Italian Prime Minister’s office, requires people living in L

Marnie The Dog, a beloved senior Shih Tzu, died this week, according to an Instagram post on Saturday from her owner. 
"It is with much grief I share the news that Marnie passed away painlessly & peacefully in my home on Thursday afternoon at the age of 18," the post read, presumably penned by her owner Shirley Braha. "Her comfort had been notably declining over the past few days with little hope for improvement and she let me know she had had enough." 
Marnie earned viral fame by

Kids are amazing. Even in, or perhaps especially in, difficult times. 
As the world frets over the novel coronavirus outbreak that's killed thousands, children at the epidemic's epicenter found a creative way to get out of doing schoolwork. 
A report in the London Review of Books detailed what life has been like in Wuhan, the area in China where the new coronavirus first broke out. Among the harrowing details, there was one lighthearted bit of information. 
Schools were shut down

As cases of the coronavirus continue to spread, you may be thinking to yourself, "Hmm, maybe now is a great time to watch the 2011 medical thriller Contagion."
Here's another thought: Do not watch the movie.
Over the past few months, many people have turned to Steven Soderbergh's Contagion to prepare themselves for the coronavirus.
Though Contagion is nine years old, the film is currently eighth on the U.S. iTunes chart for all movie genres, and third on the chart for most popular thrillers. The

Photo by David Madison/Getty Images In-person classes at Stanford University will be canceled beginning March 9th, as a faculty member has tested positive for coronavirus, and two students have self-isolated after “possible exposure.” Neither student has tested positive for the virus yet, according to a statement from the university, but Stanford provost Persis Drell said late Friday that the university will move some classes online “to the extent feasible.”Exams for Sta

Photo by Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via Getty Images Amtrak is canceling its Acela nonstop service between Washington D.C. and New York, because of reduced demand due to the coronavirus outbreak, the Washington Post reports.“We are closely monitoring the coronavirus and are taking action based on guidance from public health experts,” the company said in a statement.
The Acela service will be suspended beginning March 10th until May 26th. The company says it anticipates other

It is September 2120. 
It is a time of relative peace. 
The Apple campus is now a floating city due to sea level changes. After the Streaming Wars, uneasy alliances were made. Rising temperatures, water scarcity, and shifting borders changed the world forever. 
Despite these developments, Apple continues to release new iPhones every year.  
(In the dark of the Steve Jobs theater in Apple City's floating island-kingdom, a holographic Tim Cook flickers to life.)
TIM COOK: Good

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge You’ve made it to the weekend. Whether you’re still working or you finally have some time to kick your feet up, you may want to know about some deals. These are the best offers we’ve seen all week.
You can still take advantage of a great two-for-one deal on Google Nest Mini smart speakers from Daily Steals. These usually cost around $40-50 per speaker, but you can get two for $47. To take advantage of this deal, head over to their site and add

Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergeFacebook is temporarily banning ads and commerce listings for medical face masks amid growing concern over coronavirus-related exploitation, CNBC reports.
“We’re monitoring COVID19 closely and will make necessary updates to our policies if we see people trying to exploit this public health emergency,” Facebook director of product management Rob Leathern tweeted. “We’ll start rolling out this change in the days ahead.”
We

The days of leisurely strolling through Costco and sampling free food may be over. Temporarily, at least.
As cases of the new coronavirus (which results in the disease COVID-19) continue to spread, Costco is reportedly taking precautionary measures and suspending free food samples in select stores.
On Friday, Business Insider reported that certain Costco stores in the U.S. and China have suspended free samples. It remains unclear if free samples will be suspended in all U.S. stores or simply tho

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Amazon has told its contract Flex drivers, which deliver the e-commerce company’s packages, to stay home if they get sick amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, according to a memo obtained by OneZero. But while Amazon’s Flex Drivers won’t be paid, Uber said late Friday that it will give its drivers up to 14 days of sick pay if they miss work due to coronavirus.
Here’s Amazon’s full memo to drivers, from OneZero: Image: OneZe

NASA/Kim Shiflett Late last night, SpaceX successfully launched its Falcon 9 rocket on the company’s 20th cargo mission to the International Space Station, sending more than 4,500 pounds of supplies and science experiments to the three crew members living in orbit. Following takeoff, SpaceX then landed its Falcon 9 on a drone ship in the Atlantic — the 50th overall rocket landing for the company.
While it was a fairly routine launch for the company, it was also a significant one: th

Image: Sony Pictures Animation I spent last week watching through the new High Fidelity, Hulu’s adaptation of the Nick Hornby novel (and, more importantly, an update to the much-loved John Cusack film). The show was largely shot around where I live, so it was kind of just cool looking out for places I know. Shout out to my local pizza shop for the brief cameo.
Something that I kept thinking about while watching the new series is how much has changed since the movie came out. Where knowing

You might have noticed that many people like to take photographs when they travel. In fact, people who barely use their phone's camera in regular life are often eager to document the strange (to them) and wonderful landscapes, buildings, water features, art, nature, people, animals, and, of course, sunsets of a new location.
There is something about leaving your everyday surroundings that forces you to pick up a camera and start snapping. It's a primal urge that cannot and will not be ignored. Y

In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, Steven Soderbergh’s 2011 film about a pandemic, Contagion, is seeing a spike in viewing. The problem is that Contagion isn’t streaming anywhere — especially in the United States — leading to an increase in rentals on iTunes and torrent downloads.The Verge partnered with TorrentFreak to examine the rise of people downloading Contagion between January 1st and March 4th. The data is estimated by looking at IP addresses that share the

Photo by Mauro Ujetto/NurPhoto via Getty Images This week, a person incarcerated in King County Jail in downtown Seattle was taken to the hospital after they were suspected of having the new coronavirus. The county says there are no cases currently in the jail, but the new virus remains a huge concern for correctional facilities, particularly in outbreak hotspots like King County. With 85 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, the county is home to the largest known hotsp

There’s no question Hulu’s Hillary is historically valuable.
Featuring in-depth interviews with the eponymous politician, husband Bill Clinton, and daughter Chelsea Clinton — as well as talks with staff members, friends, and seasoned journalists —the four-episode docuseries records important events. Hillary Clinton provides crucial perspective on her life and legacy that will undoubtedly help shape our understanding of the major role she played in U.S. governance and poli

TL;DR: Get all the muscle relief you need with the Thorex back muscle massager for $109.99, a 26% savings as of March 7. Between trying to meet your 2020 workout goals, hunching over your computer constantly, sleeping on a rickety mattress, or just moving the wrong way, you've probably experienced back pain at some point. So, you probably also know that giving yourself a back massage is downright impossible. Rolling back and forth on the floor, trying complicated yoga poses, and hanging off

TL;DR: Kill time and play the first-person sci-fi puzzle game Lightmatter for just $15.99, a 220% savings as of March 7. Looking for a new way to kill time now that social media's been overtaken by political advertisements? Try the oddly addicting first-person sci-fi puzzle game Lightmatter on for size. You've heard of "the floor is lava," right? Well, this game is sort of like that, but with shadows. It's basically the opposite of "don't go into the light."
Players in Lightmatter have to u

TL;DR: Save more than $1,000 off a factory recertified Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 as of March 7. The Microsoft Surface Laptops have seriously revolutionized the personal computer game, giving both creatives and business folks an extraordinary amount of flexibility in power and design. They're stylish, speedy, and feature the full Windows 10 Home experience. Plus, they allow your ideas to flow through your fingertips, thanks to their vibrant touch screens and attached keyboards. It's like th

TL;DR: Grab a two pack of the KeySmart Flex for just $12.99, a 35% savings as of March 7. Keys are inherently inconvenient. If you have more than a handful, they're usually bulky, messy, and take up a lot of real estate in your bag. If you only have a couple, you probably lose them more often than you'd like to admit. It's a lose-lose situation, TBH. But that's where the KeySmart Flex comes in. It's the latest from iteration from KeySmart, the company that got its start on Kickstarter back

TL;DR: H&R Block's online tax preparation packages are currently $40 to $70 cheaper than the equivalents on TurboTax's website. As of March 1, you can file federal plus one state at H&R Block for less than the cost of federal only at TurboTax.No, you probably won't go to jail if you do your taxes wrong. However, there are a few common mistakes that could really screw your plans of blowing that return on a May vacation. Unsurprisingly, most of them happen when doing taxes on paper because

I am always in transit. Right now, I’m wedged into economy seats in the butt of a plane. It’s not the most comfortable experience, but the perfect pair of kicks (and maybe a few mimosas) lightens the load.
The right gear is important to smooth sailing, and even spontaneous types should come prepared. As you come out of winter hibernation, check out our compilation of the best travel gadgets. Look at our picks for pet accessories perfect for vacation. If you like to stay connected at

In case you haven't heard, you need to wash your hands. Yes, this spike in handwashing interest stems from the coronavirus, or COVID-19 as it's officially named, but you should be scrubbing your grubby little hands regardless. This should seem obvious, but apparently some people need reminded. Ya nasties. 
The best way to wash your hands is to wet them thoroughly, squeeze out enough soap —yes, you really need to use soap — to fully cover your hands, rub your hands together for a

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Amazon has told its contract Flex drivers, which deliver the e-commerce company’s packages, to stay home if they get sick amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, according to a memo obtained by OneZero. However, unlike Amazon’s hourly workers, who will receive their regular pay even if they have to stay home, it seems as if the company’s Flex drivers won’t be compensated for their missed work.
Here’s the full memo, from OneZer

Image: Postmates Food delivery platform Postmates is starting what the company is calling a “non-contact delivery” initiative designed to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus when its contract workers are delivering ordered meals and other goods.The move was spotted by Recode’s Rani Molla and The Verge has confirmed it is in effect starting today. Postmates users who now open the app should see a notice about the non-contact deliveries, which then prompts users to input a

Nvidia said today that game publisher 2K Games is pulling its library from the company’s GeForce Now cloud gaming service at 2K’s request.“Per publisher request, please be advised 2K Games titles will be removed from GeForce NOW today. We are working with 2K Games to re-enable their games in the future,” said Nvidia community manager Cory Banks in a post on Nvidia’s forums. When asked for comment, Nvidia pointed The Verge to this February 20th blog post.
2K publishe