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
Google’s Bard AI arrived late to the game after OpenAI’s ChatGPT took the world by storm and had its tech quickly integrated into Microsoft Bing and other products. Now, a new report cites Google employees who feel that the company’s rush to deliver on AI has led to ignoring ethics concerns, all while Bard itself is considered “worse than useless.”
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The launch of Walmart’s new, unexpected Google TV streamer has been a bit messy, to say the least. After suddenly appearing on the retailer’s website last week, Walmart will now show you which stores have the new Google TV dongle in stock, even though it hasn’t officially launched yet.
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Google’s YouTube TV is rolling out several updates, including improvements to picture quality and a “major” update for Apple TV users.
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Smartwatches for Android spent years stuck on inadequate chips, but things are finally turning around following the arrival of Wear OS 3. Now, with its upcoming Galaxy Watch 6, Samsung is apparently set to debut a new Exynos W980 chipset.
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If you’re due for a new smartphone and looking for a discount, Samsung is about to start selling its Galaxy S22 series at a discount with refurbished devices through its “re-newed” program.
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Google is rolling out a new update to its Bard AI experiment this week that will expand on one of the platform’s unique aspects in “drafts.”
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RCS has grown significantly over the past few years, but one gaping hole in the product was support for end-to-end encryption. Now, after a few months of testing, Google appears to be rolling out, or at least testing, end-to-end encryption for RCS group chats in stable Google Messages updates.
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Waze is a useful app for managing a daily commute, with its helpful crowdsourced navigation data often proving invaluable. But, annoyingly, some Android Auto users have noticed that the Waze app is staying open in the background well after they’ve left the vehicle.
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The United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has had an ongoing antitrust probe into Google’s control over Android for months at this point, and it’s now looking like Google will soon bring User Choice Billing to Android apps distributed via the Play Store in the UK.
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It’s finally time. Netflix has confirmed it will start cracking down on password sharing in the United States imminently.
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It’s abundantly clear that Walmart is set to launch its new Google TV dongle any day now. But while we wait for the official launch, some users have managed to buy devices from their local stores, and early impressions signal that this will be another winner.
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GM has been under fire lately for its decision to pull the plug on Android Auto and CarPlay in its coming electric vehicles, and in a new interview, the company is doubling down on that decision, saying that its built-in OS can be even better than the current projection systems.
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Rolling out starting today, Samsung is debuting its own news app, Samsung News, which aggregates content and makes it available to Galaxy smartphone and tablet owners.
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As Google TV quickly replaces Android TV, Xiaomi is preparing to launch its next set-top box with refreshed specs and an updated design, as well as Google TV on board.
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“Now Playing” made its debut on Google’s second Pixel series and, in the time since, has continued to be one of many features that add a bit of delight and utility to Google’s software. Now, Google is working on expanding “Now Playing” on Pixel to include a new “Summary” page that breaks down songs you’ve heard.
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The rollout of Matter across Google’s ecosystem has been relatively quick, and now the company is bringing support to another device. The 2020 Nest Thermostat is adding Matter support, with the rollout starting today.
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Google’s first Tensor-powered smartphones had an unfortunate downside in their modem, which often made cellular connections unreliable or slower than on other phones. With the Pixel 7 series and Tensor G2, though, Google made big improvements to the modem, as is proven by the Pixel 7 Pro outranking the iPhone 14 Pro in a speed test report.
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According to a new rumor, Google’s Pixel Fold is set for a release date in June, with a staggered launch at carriers, following a reveal at Google I/O 2023.
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Live TV has been a relatively stagnant experience for years now, but the arrival of internet-based services such as YouTube TV have certainly opened the door to more advanced features. Now, YouTube TV has earned a Technical Emmy Award for its “Views” feature that includes key plays and more.
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In 2020 TiVo launched a new Android TV dongle that brought support for content aggregation well ahead of Google’s effort to do the same in Google TV later that year. Now, though, the TiVo Stream 4K that introduced that vision is losing one of its key features: integration with Sling TV.
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The merger of Google Meet and Google Duo was filled with a lot of confusion, but now that the dust has finally settled, Google Meet is pushing some users to uninstall the original Meet app from their phones.
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A new update rolling out now to the Oppo Find N2 Flip delivers support for a new widget on the cover display for Spotify, as well as long-awaited support for voice-to-text replies for messages.
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Following its unveiling earlier this year, the second-gen Citizen CZ Smart smartwatch is now available for pre-order, starting at $350.
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Google’s Pixel 7a might see a release well ahead of the summer launches of its two predecessors. Apparently, the Pixel 7a’s release date could be very close to Google I/O.
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