Ben Schoon is a Senior Editor at 9to5Google, working for the publication as one of its primary news writers since 2016.
In 2013, Ben helped start an independent tech publication where he learned the skills used at 9to5Google including writing, product photography, and videography. He is located in the city of Winston-Salem in North Carolina where he lives with his wife Melissa. Ben is an avid disc golf player.
He primarily covers Android products, including Google Pixel devices, Samsung Galaxy smartphones, as well as devices from OnePlus, Oppo, Motorola, and more. Beyond just covering news about these products, Ben also spends time using these products himself, speaking from experience with the articles he writes. Some of Ben’s most recent hands-on reviews include; Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel Watch 2, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, Motorola Razr+, HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook, and more.
Ben is also a leading source for information about Google’s Android TV, diving deeply into important parts of the platform including its powerful Operator Tier, explaining future changes to the platform, and reviewing its products such as Chromecast with Google TV, Nvidia Shield TV, and more.
In 2019, Ben leaked one of the first in-person photos of the Pixel 4 before later revealing the Recorder and Pixel Themes apps months ahead of launch. In 2020, Ben also reported on multiple upcoming Pixel devices including Pixel 5a and the first report of Google working on a foldable Pixel smartphone. That same month, he was also the first to correctly report the $49 price point of what became the Chromecast with Google TV.
Ben Schoon is active on Twitter, @nexusben, but can also be found on Instagram and LinkedIn. For questions or tips, you can email him directly, and his portfolio is also available online.
Email: schoon@9to5mac.com | Encrypted Email: benschoon@protonmail.com
The NFL Super Bowl is one of the biggest live TV events of the year, and with more and more folks switching from traditional cable to internet streaming, YouTube TV is the choice of many to stream the big game. But, for some, it seems that streaming issues are affecting the quality.
Expand Expanding Close
The latest redesign of Android Auto brings a useful new “dashboard” view that can show multiple pieces of information at once, but I wish it was better at supporting multiple apps at once.
Expand Expanding Close
Towards the end of last year Google unveiled “Chromebook Plus,” a new standard to help customers get better Chromebooks. Acer is among the first to adopt it, and after spending a fair bit of time with the Acer Chromebook Plus 515, there’s definitely something here.
Expand Expanding Close
Samsung just got approval from the FDA to use Galaxy Watch to detect if the wearer is dealing with sleep apnea.
Expand Expanding Close
Recent updates to Android Auto seem to be causing problems with Google Assistant for some users, with “oops, something went wrong” error messages whenever a voice command is attempted.
Expand Expanding Close
Over the past few months, Google has been working behind the scenes to launch more “Cross-Device Services” on Android to enable features that work across your various Android smartphones and tablets. However, we’ve yet to see the features debut. Slowly, though, it looks like things are coming together.
Expand Expanding Close
Google launched Gemini this week with the new AI experience set to replace Assistant for many users. If you do go out and enable Gemini on your Android device, though, you might find that there are two Gemini apps on your device. Here’s why.
Expand Expanding Close
Google’s Waze app is most useful for its ability to crowdsource information about what’s on the road, and that’s all powered by the reporting option in the app. Now, though, a new update for Waze is giving reporting a new look, and also taking away some options.
Expand Expanding Close
With Valentine’s Day around the corner, Google TV is preparing with “Cupid’s Choice” content now appearing on the homescreen.
Expand Expanding Close
The wave of AI has also ushered in some wild new hardware concepts such as the Humane AI Pin and the Rabbit R1. Today, Brilliant Labs has announced “Frame,” a pair of glasses with a heads-up display and multimodal AI, up for pre-order now at $350.
Expand Expanding Close
Google Bard is now Gemini, and with that rebrand, it’s also now the default assistant app on Android. But, if you were in the habit of using Google Assistant for home controls, Gemini can only replace that functionality if you use it in a specific way.
Expand Expanding Close
For years now the top 10 smartphones of every year have been Apple’s iPhones with a couple of cheap Galaxy models slipped in. For 2023, though, the top 10 smartphones also included a slightly more expensive Galaxy devices.
Expand Expanding Close
Samsung’s new Galaxy Tab A9+ just launched in the US a few weeks ago, but there’s now a new promo that offers up doubled storage and RAM at no additional cost.
Expand Expanding Close
Google launched the first beta preview for Android 14 QPR3 yesterday, and with that update, Android made a slight change to biometric prompts to show which app is asking for your fingerprint or face scan.
Expand Expanding Close
Weather apps first arrived on Android Auto last year with the debut of “Weather & Radar,” and now that app is getting a huge update with new features, split-screen dashboard view support, and more.
Expand Expanding Close
With the release of Android 14 QPR3 Beta 1 today, Google has made a tweak to the Easter egg that seems to signal the incoming Android 15 release that should be right around the corner.
Expand Expanding Close
Android 14 debuted in late 2023, but Google is already testing the next mid-cycle update in Android 14 QPR3. Here’s how to install the latest Android 14 Beta on Google Pixel devices.
Expand Expanding Close
While its latest Galaxy S24 series will get updates for the better part of a decade, Samsung is currently saying goodbye to some of its older Android products, with software support and updates now ending for the Galaxy A51 and others.
Expand Expanding Close
Microsoft Copilot is the new name of the company’s AI assistant, and ahead of a big advertising campaign at the Super Bowl, Microsoft is giving the mobile apps for Copilot a redesign.
Expand Expanding Close
Android 14 has been available on some devices for a few months now, but the update is now widely available for the OnePlus Pad.
Expand Expanding Close
YouTube TV can stream some channels at up to 4K, but quality can always get better. Currently, YouTube TV is rolling out support for “1080p Enhanced” across many channels.
Expand Expanding Close
Google added support for weather apps on Android Auto in 2023, and new options just keep coming. This week, “MyRadar” is launching on Android Auto with live radar and more.
Expand Expanding Close
Android tablets and Chromebooks picked up hte super-powerful video editor LumaFusion last year, and this week a new update to the app is rolling out with “Scopes” and other new features.
Expand Expanding Close
Samsung’s One UI is incredibly feature-rich, and that includes the multitasking view which is full of big improvements on top of Android. One of those options is the ability to run apps in floating windows, and Samsung is making that a lot easier in its latest update.
Expand Expanding Close