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
You might not know it, but Google TV has a special homescreen mode that strips away recommendations and clutter, leaving you with just apps. Recently, Google TV has redesigned that “Apps Only” mode with a new look.
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Nest has been an incredibly popular brand in the smart home world over the past several years, but ever since Google took over, the pillars that customers loved about Nest have been slowly chipped away at. And while there’s still a lot to love about Nest in 2023, Google has failed its customers in some major ways.
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Following its launch earlier this year, Google is widely expanding the availability of Nearby Share for Windows PCs to nearly all countries around the globe.
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Following its launch in March, Google is now making its Bard AI tool available to users with Google Workspace accounts.
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Google’s Android Automotive OS is set to appear on more and more vehicles in the years to come, and now it’s getting a taste of Material You.
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The latest update for Waze on Android Auto finally brought support for “Coolwalk,” but it also broke a few key features, including voice commands. As it turns out, those were broken intentionally.
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YouTube TV has offered a referral program for a while, but it’s getting a change now as referrers will get a smaller credit, and that credit will be dependent on how long people stick with the service.
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Ads are a central part of Google’s business and, in many cases, the way that the company’s products are provided at no charge. That includes Gmail, which is starting to show more ads for a lot of folks.
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ADT and Google have been working behind the scenes for years now on a new partnership that, finally, has resulted in a new “DIY” security system. But, after getting started with “ADT Self Setup” as a Nest Secure owner, I’ve quickly learned that owners are going to be incredibly disappointed with this transition.
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In recent weeks the Google Home app has done a lot to better support various smart home devices such as climate devices and more, and that also includes the long overdue ability to control garage doors.
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Google’s ChromeOS is improving the ability to type special characters, with support for symbols and more now available in the emoji picker.
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Hulu is rolling out a new batch of channels for its Live TV service, with local PBS channels coming to hundreds of markets in the United States.
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After debuting its flagship Edge 40 Pro last month, Motorola has just unveiled the Motorola Edge 40, a more affordable high-end phone.
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2023 is quickly turning into the year of the foldables, and now we’re hearing more about when OnePlus will launch its first entry.
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As its aggressive AI push continues, Microsoft is opening Bing AI to anyone who wants to try it as it prepares the arrival of powerful new features including plugins, images, videos, and more.
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Samsung’s next generation of foldables is set to bring some long-awaited improvements, and for the Galaxy Z Flip 5 that means a brand-new, much bigger cover display.
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As chips have pushed for better efficiency, the gap between Samsung and TSMC has become all the more clear. Now, it’s being reported that Samsung is seeing improvements to its 4nm process, which is apparently set to be used on Google’s Tensor G3 in future Pixel phones.
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Google TV’s strength is in streaming services, but its Android base means you can do a whole lot more behind the scenes – but only if the performance and hardware hold up. The Mecool KM7 Plus is a Google TV box with plenty of ports and excellent performance, all for a fairly affordable price point.
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We’re only a week away from Google’s expected announcement of the Pixel 7a, but that hasn’t stopped the leaks. Right now, there are a bunch of brand-new Pixel 7a units for sale on eBay, and they aren’t even all that expensive.
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The Pixel Buds A-Series are almost two years old now, but Google is keeping them fresh with a new blue color variant expected next week. Here’s a peek.
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The “Fan Edition” is reportedly coming back to Samsung’s lineup this year, with the upcoming Galaxy S23 FE allegedly set to deliver a significant camera upgrade.
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The juggernaut that is Fortnite is about to land on another cloud gaming service, as the hit lands on Amazon Luna, starting today.
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Carl Pei’s Nothing is preparing for the release of its next smartphone, with Nothing Phone (2) now confirmed for a Summer 2023 release date as a new teaser hinting at the design.
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Rolling out starting today, Google TV devices are getting a performance boost with a new update that also makes tweaks to improve the storage situation that many users face, partially with the addition of automatic app hibernation.
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