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
YouTube TV is one of the best ways to keep live TV while cutting out traditional cable, but the list of channels is still expanding. Today, Fox Weather is arriving on YouTube TV as the only dedicated weather channel on the service.
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This week Google officially pulled the plug on the Pixel 4a, the company’s most affordable Pixel to date, and the one that so many love. Looking to the future, though, the Pixel 4a may very well be the last truly “delightful” Google phone for a while, as the company’s next step appears to be on a different path.
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This week, Google announced a new change to Search that will put the information for the National Domestic Violence hotline in prominent locations.
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Google TV launched in 2020 with the goal of replacing the Android TV experience entirely within a couple of years. As the clock ticks away, more brands are getting on board with the Google TV experience, including long-time partner Philips.
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Following its debut late last year, Rocket League Sideswipe, the mobile port of the hit PC/console game, is preparing for Season 2. The coming update will bring more ways to play Rocket League Sideswipe, including a special Volleyball mode.
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Some of my favorite earbuds in recent memory have come out of Jabra’s Elite lineup, with great fit, reasonable cases, and very good audio quality to boot. However, the company’s latest high-end model feels like a step back, as Jabra Elite 7 Pro has lesser sound quality despite its long-overdue addition of Google Assistant and other features.
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The first Google-certified dongle for bringing wireless Android Auto to cars is launching today, but launch inventory sold out instantly. Luckily, a restock of the Motorola MA1 is in the works.
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Telegram is one of the best ways to send messages on Android smartphones and tablets, and the app’s latest update delivers some welcome improvements. Telegram is paving the way for many more stickers to arrive, as well as improving message reactions and more.
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Google’s Chrome OS made a huge impact early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, with the quick shift to working and educating at home necessitating more machines, and often super affordable ones. However, the following year has seen those numbers drop quickly. In Q4 2021, Chromebook shipments dropped even further, down over 60% compared to the same period in 2020.
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Google Chrome extensions are useful for a variety of reasons, from keeping your password manager a click away to checking your grammar. Some extensions, though, really think outside of the box, like the “Wii Shop Channel Music” extension for Google Chrome which puts the iconic tune on any shopping site you visit.
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Material You’s colors make Android 12 fun, but custom options aren’t built into the system. Repainter is a third-party app that adds that functionality, and with its stable release, the app is adding better support for Samsung devices on Android 12 and more.
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Android Auto is far from a stagnant platform, but it hasn’t seen any major UI changes since its overhaul in 2019. For the past few months, a new Android Auto UI known as “Coolwalk” has been in development with a dashboard style, and Google is still working on the project.
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More and more cloud gaming services have launched over the past few years, to the point where some are hard to keep track of. This week, T-Mobile’s parent company Deutsche Telekom announced that it would shut down “Magenta Gaming,” a cloud gaming service that certainly went under the radar for most.
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Google Stadia has made a couple of expansions this week, adding two more games to its catalog and a free trial of Rainbow Six Extraction.
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A new year brings with it a new batch of security updates, and Samsung is getting a headstart with its January 2022 security update by starting it on December 30. Here’s what devices have been updated.
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The merging of OnePlus into Oppo has resulted in a weird launch schedule for the OnePlus 10 Pro. The phone is already available in China, but has no firm launch date in the United States and other regions. However, a new hands-on video offers a US perspective on the OnePlus 10 Pro, its hardware, and its new cameras.
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Wireless Android Auto support is something rarely seen built into cars, but the rise of third-party dongles has made it much easier to bring this functionality to cars that don’t already have it. Tomorrow, a new wireless Android Auto dongle under the Motorola brand will officially launch, and – based on our brief first impressions – the Motorola MA1 seems like a great option.
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The Google Play Store offers several ways to pay for apps and subscriptions, including the option of adding the charge to your carrier bill. Verizon, though, is now dropping support for carrier billing in the Play Store.
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The Shield TV just got its Android TV 11 update last week, but in the time since many Shield TV owners have come out in frustration regarding various bugs surrounding the update. Now, Nvidia has confirmed it’s working with Google and Plex to patch these problems.
Update 1/27: Nvidia has made a hotfix for this update available. See below for more details.
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At CES earlier this month, TCL launched its latest duo of Android smartphones with the TCL 30 series. Now, the carrier-branded devices are starting to make their stateside debuts with the TCL 30 V launching today on Verizon Wireless.
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Auto-playing videos and ads can be super annoying when surfing the web, but Google has taken steps with its Chrome browser to make that easier. Now, Google Chrome is preparing a minor tweak that will make it much easier to mute tabs with a single click.
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Android tablets are often criticized for getting too few updates and not enough long-term support. Realme, which just released its first tablet a few months ago, isn’t doing anything to help that reputation by confirming that its basically brand new Realme Pad won’t get Android 12.
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The Nvidia Shield TV’s 2019 refresh brought with it a neat trick that could upscale content to 4K using AI, and now that upscaling feature is expanding to GeForce Now.
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One of the pillars of OnePlus smartphones for years has been very fast charging, and it’s a metric that gets pushed further with each new release. According to a new rumor, OnePlus may bring super-fast charging to even cheaper phones this year, with 80W speeds on an upcoming Nord device.
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