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
Over the past couple of years, Twitter has been trying out new methods of interacting with followers, including Spaces and more tweet controls. Last year, the social network launched “Twitter Communities,” and now the feature is finally making its way to Android.
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Google’s YouTube TV service added support for 4K streaming last year on some channels and some content, with sports being one of the first places to enjoy the increased quality. Now, NBA games are starting to become available on YouTube TV in 4K.
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The Oculus Quest 2 is one of the most affordable, and frankly, one of the best ways to experience VR, and it has a ton of games and features to boot. Now, with the latest Oculus Quest 2 update, owners can send links from their Android device to the headset to view them in VR.
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C-Band 5G is the next step in bringing 5G to the masses, and it has the potential of really delivering on the speed promises that carriers have touted for years. However, Pixel 6 owners will have to wait a bit longer to access C-Band 5G from Verizon.
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Samsung’s tablet portfolio is about to add a super-sized option in the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, which is also Samsung’s first tablet with a notch. Ahead of its launch, Samsung showed the tablet on its own website, and it’s still there.
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In a partnership with Allen Media Group, Google’s YouTube TV streaming service is adding The Weather Channel later this year.
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The new “Logitech Pen” is a stylus built not for just one Chromebook, but for the masses thanks to its use of the USI standard. Unfortunately, though, this is a product meant for the education market, not for the average consumer.
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The Samsung Galaxy S22 series is expected to arrive sometime in the next two or three months, and we’ve so far seen everything from spec leaks to 3D renders. Today, a handful of alleged wallpapers from the Galaxy S22 series have made their way online.
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The smart TV market continues to grow in size, and on a global scale, it’s a market that’s saturated with different operating systems for these various TVs and brands. In a new report, one market analyst says 2022 will be a “decisive” year for smart TVs, as Android TV OS and Roku compete.
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The Nvidia Shield TV is perhaps the single best-supported Android device of all time, with models from 2015 and on getting updated to Android 11 earlier this month. However, it seems that Android 11 update is breaking Plex servers and causing other issues for some Shield TV owners.
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Samsung’s Galaxy S22 is likely only a month away from launch, and leaks are coming out en masse to show off the design and spec sheet. This week, a new batch of official-looking Galaxy S22 and S22+ images show off the colors and design, while another leak provides more context to the spec sheet.
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Google Keep is a simple but delightful note-taking app that Google offers across Android, iOS, and the web. However, it seems some recent updates have spurred up an issue with some Google Keep owners who are seeing numbered lists repeat numbers unexpectedly.
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The Galaxy S20 FE debuted as the answer to overpriced flagship smartphones in a time when many really needed the option. It led to the device being immensely popular, but a little over a year later the equation has changed, and the Galaxy S21 FE is a bit less enticing. That said, it remains a solid smartphone, and it’s one that’s ready and waiting for its inevitable discounts.
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Sony isn’t known for its cloud gaming efforts, but PlayStation Now has provided players with access to cloud-streamed games. Ahead of bigger plans for subscriptions, though, Sony has marked the beginning of the end for PlayStation Now as a brand.
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Google Stadia started off 2022 relatively slowly, but things are starting to pick up with PUBG now going to free-to-play – however, perhaps a more interesting story was Google asking directly for feedback from Stadia’s players.
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Mid-range Android tablets aren’t particularly hard to find, but Samsung has some of the best when it comes to longer-term support. Today, Samsung is unveiling its Galaxy Tab A8, which features a 10.5-inch display.
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Samsung’s next generation of tablets has been a long time coming, and it seems next month will finally see its debut. The Galaxy Tab S8 series includes three different models, and a huge leak today reveals the full specs sheet.
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Motorola’s Moto G lineup helped usher in the era of actually good budget Android phones we enjoy today, but the series has evolved tremendously over time. Ahead of its coming release, the 2022 version of the Moto G Stylus has leaked on multiple occasions this month, divulging its design and some of the spec sheet.
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With Android 12 having been a massive overhaul to the platform’s visual makeup, at least on Pixel phones, Android 13 is mostly expected to be a relatively minor update on that front. As details have started to leak out, though, one thing that certainly has our attention is Android 13’s potentially-greater control over Material You.
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Google Assistant speakers and Chromecast-compatible products were hit with some big changes last week, as Google lost a lawsuit from Sonos that required the company to make some changes. Now, the “Device Utility” app Google built to work around those changes is being review-bombed as users express their discontent with the alterations.
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Google TV’s promise of aggregating all of your content in one place is ambitious and useful, but it comes with the caveat of requiring cooperation. After Netflix torpedoed its integration with Google TV in 2020, it has felt as though the two platforms will never fully reconcile, but it sounds like, according to one executive, there’s still hope. On top of that, there was a teaser for Google TV’s future, including new fitness and smart home features.
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Fortnite is still a massive hit, but Epic Games’ war on app stores has left the popular game absent from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store for a long time, with no signs of returning. Today, Nvidia and Epic Games have announced that touch controls are coming to Fortnite on GeForce Now.
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Google’s beloved Nest Hub smart display got a refresh in 2021 with an updated design and a neat new trick. Now, nearly a year after that launch, it’s finally arriving in India.
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Android 12 is a huge visual update, but some changes turned out to be frustrating for some users. With the latest Android 12L Beta update, Google is adding an option to turn off the two-line clock on the lockscreen.
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