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
Apple finally did the thing, with the company announcing today that RCS is coming to the iPhone in 2024. The announcement comes just two days after Android smartphone maker Nothing announced an iMessage app for its phone.
Coincidence? Yes, and it would be foolish to pretend otherwise.
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The Fitbit app is currently undergoing an outage that is breaking device sync and leaving users unable to load data.
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Microsoft is launching the “Windows app,” a new service that will stream the company’s full desktop OS to other devices from the cloud, including Chromebooks. However, regular users cannot try it out yet.
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Samsung first launched Android 14 for the Galaxy S23 series in late October, but the update is finally expanding more widely as users in the US can easily get it, and it’s also now live in Korea.
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Android 14 is expanding its rollout to more devices, as the OnePlus 11 is now getting its stable update and Oppo is launching ColorOS 14.
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Seamless updates have been supported on Google’s smartphones since the Nexus days, but if there’s one complaint to be had about the background install on Pixel phones, it’s that they’re often maddeningly slow. But, with the latest updates, Google seems to be working on just that.
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After adding support for Xbox Game Pass earlier this year in a huge deal with Microsoft, Nvidia is making the experience even better with the addition of Xbox account sync on GeForce Now as well as a bundle with Game Pass, and it comes as the partnership reaches a big milestone.
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Google’s Pixel experience has long included the “At a Glance” widget that sits at the top of the primary homescreen. Soon, though, the Pixel Launcher will finally let you turn off At a Glance.
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Microsoft used AI to bring Bing back to the spotlight earlier this year with the debut of “Bing Chat,” but that branding is now fading to the background again as Microsoft has announced that it will go all-in on the “Copilot” brand for its AI products.
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Amazon Luna, the cloud gaming service that was for ages locked solely to the United States, is further expanding its footprint in Europe with the addition of three more countries.
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Qi2 was announced in early 2023 as the next generation of the wireless charging standard that many devices use, but only now are the first Qi2 devices actually coming. Plus, it’s looking like Google is preparing Qi2 for the next Pixel release.
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With its Android 14 update starting to roll out, a schedule from Samsung lists almost three dozen Galaxy phones and tablets set to be updated over the coming weeks, but it’s since been removed.
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Amazon has announced that the Comixology app is going away, with all content set to merge into the Kindle app in December.
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Samsung is apparently gearing up to launch the “Galaxy Buds 3 Pro” next year according to a new report.
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A lesser known feature of the Google News app (and the website) is its ability to show digital copies of magazines, but the company is set to remove this option in a month’s time.
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Google has been in the process of moving Nest products into the Google Home app, but the old Nest app is still in use by many on older cameras, thermostats, and more. For Pixel 8 buyers, though, the old Nest app is strangely unable to send notifications.
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AI can be used for good and for evil, and on YouTube, the latter could mean posting videos that mislead viewers into thinking they are real. To avoid those situations, YouTube is now requiring creators to mark videos that are made using AI, and the platform will show labels to viewers.
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Last week, it was revealed that Amazon is working on an in-house OS to replace Android on select products such as the Fire TV, but as it turns out, that process has already started on the Echo Show.
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One of the best third-party launchers on Android is Niagara Launcher, thanks in part to its flexible and unique concept for the homescreen. Now, Niagara is launching “Anycon,” a new icon pack that applies Material You theming to all apps, regardless if it’s actually supported.
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The Meta Quest is the product that’s gone the longest way to bring VR to the masses, in part because it has a sizable library of apps and games available. But, at one point, Meta asked Google to bring the Play Store to Quest to further expand that library, but Google declined.
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Samsung’s work in foldables has gone a long way in pushing the technology into the mainstream, but Samsung also hasn’t done much to make those devices more affordable. Now, Samsung says that it doesn’t have plans for a “mid-range” foldable after all.
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iMessage for Android is a dream for many, but Nothing is trying to make it a reality with the Nothing Phone (2) and “Nothing Chats.”
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The update to Android 14 is becoming available to more and more smartphones as of late, but for Android Auto users, the update has broken some music apps.
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Huawei’s relationship with Android has been a tough one ever since the 2019 trade ban that cut the company off from Google apps. Now, it’s looking like Huawei is preparing to further give up on Android with a new version of HarmonyOS.
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