After a lengthy beta program, Android 14 with Nothing OS 2.5 is now rolling out to the Nothing Phone (2).
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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
After a lengthy beta program, Android 14 with Nothing OS 2.5 is now rolling out to the Nothing Phone (2).
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Smartphones have, in big ways, become more and more of the same. Just about everything has a good camera, good battery life, and a good screen. So, really, everything comes down to personal preference. As the year 2023 comes to a close, the 9to5Google team has picked out our favorite phones of the year and, to my own personal surprise, that’s coming with a huge level of variety.
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Android 14 is working on a new system setting for note-taking apps that now supports Google Keep, giving the app access from the lock screen and future support for your stylus too.
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Intel has today debuted its latest generation of mobile CPUs for Windows laptops and Chromebooks, with the Meteor Lake architecture arriving in new “Core Ultra” processors. Here’s what’s been improved, and the first machines arriving with the new chips.
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Amid its ongoing efforts to crack down on ad blockers on the web, YouTube has now announced that, for the sake of a “better streaming experience,” it will lessen how many ads you see on TV, but they’ll be getting longer.
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The Nest Renew program which allows Google’s Nest Thermostats to be adjusted automatically during peak energy demand is moving out of Google’s umbrella, and instead to a new company, “Renew Home.”
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Samsung has set it sights on major growth going into 2024, with the goal of shipping over 35 million Galaxy S24 devices, up over 10 million from this year.
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Video quality on Android has, unarguably, fallen behind Apple’s iPhone for a while now, and that’s not changing anytime soon. With Video Boost on the Pixel 8 Pro, though, Google is giving its latest flagship a better chance to compete. How does it compare? Let’s take a look.
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Netflix started off its experiment with mobile games with just a handful of options, but over time we’ve seen a ton of big releases in the catalog. Today, Netflix announced another batch of games coming to Android and iOS, including Sonic Mania Plus and many more.
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Available starting today, Xbox Cloud Gaming is heading to VR on the Meta Quest series.
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Cloud gaming through Xbox Game Pass gives users quick and easy access to a huge library of games for a pretty reasonable monthly subscription, but it seems like Microsoft has plans to make that even more accessible, with free ad-supported access in the pipeline.
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After announcing it would do away with Android Auto and CarPlay in its future vehicles, GM is doubling down on the decision, now saying that the removal will somehow make drivers use their phone less.
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iMessage for Android was once just a pipedream but has since become a reality thanks to a bunch of different workarounds. However, Apple has now made it abundantly clear that it does not want iMessage on Android, killing Beeper Mini, the first really good implementation of the idea.
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As the year comes to a close, Google is announcing a few more updates for Google TV that are quietly rolling out, including some further performance improvements, some upgrades to the “Live” tab, and more.
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In the latest beta of Android 14’s next update, QPR2, Google is tweaking the process of sharing your Wi-Fi password via a QR code and making it a whole lot easier.
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When buying a smartphone locally, choices usually boil down to either a carrier store or the one-stop shop that is Best Buy. Apparently, though, Best Buy is testing out a plan that would see stores pushing a single carrier instead of multiple, as well as only shipping phones purchased rather than handing them out in store.
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After years of making monetization status publicly available, YouTube now hides channels that are enrolled in its Partner Program.
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Google’s launch of Wear OS 3 was, at first, limited to just a couple of devices. That’s since changed as the update has become much more widely available, except on smartwatches from Mobvoi. But, finally, Wear OS 3 is coming to the TicWatch Pro 3 and TicWatch E3.
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In Android 14 QPR2, it’s been revealed that Google is soon going to let users turn off the At a Glance widget on the Pixel Launcher, but in the latest beta, we’ve also found that you might also be able to relocate it.
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Back in 2020, amid the worst of the COVID-19 lockdowns, Google announced that it would cap streaming quality on YouTube to 480p for purchased movies when watching through the web. Today, that restriction remains in place, despite further emphasis on the experience going forward.
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Amid the insanity that has been the iMessage for Android conversation in the past week, there’s an underlying question. With iPhone users almost unanimously choosing iMessage, what’s your most-used messaging app?
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One of the best parts of a smartwatch is the ability to change your watch face on the fly, keeping it constantly ready to suit your outfit or whatever you’re doing. And, on Pixel Watch, there’s a useful favorites row that not only stores your favorite faces, but also multiple variations of that same design.
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Video Boost on the Pixel 8 Pro promises better quality for your recordings thanks to processing up in the cloud. Here’s how to turn on the feature and how to switch between recordings.
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The Epic vs Google court battle has come to a verdict, with a jury unanimously voting in Epic’s favor, and declaring that Google has an “illegal monopoly” with the Play Store and Google Play billing.
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