Ben Schoon is a Senior Editor at 9to5Google, a sister site of 9to5Mac. Ben has been working for the publication as one of its primary news writers for the past 5 years. 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 lived with his wife Melissa, married in 2019.
He primarily covers Android products, including Google Pixel devices, Samsung Galaxy smartphones, as well as devices from OnePlus, Oppo, LG, 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; Galaxy S21 Ultra, Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro, Fitbit Versa 3, Nest Thermostat, Galaxy Z Fold 2, and Fitbit Sense.
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
About a month after our colleagues at 9to5Mac reported that Apple had acquired NextVR, Apple confirmed the news just yesterday. Within hours of that public confirmation, NextVR’s Android app was quickly pulled from the Google Play Store.
After several of the largest companies exhibiting at the show pulled out over the last week due to concerns over the coronavirus epidemic, GSMA has now announced that Mobile World Congress 2020 is officially cancelled…
Disney+ just launched earlier this month with tons of great content, but the platform has been missing a basic feature since launch day. Unlike Netflix, Hulu, and basically all of its competitors, Disney+ had no “Continue Watching” section. Now, that’s being added.
Huawei is still in a sticky situation with the US, but that’s not stopping the company from debuting new products. Today, Huawei has launched its new MatePad Pro flagship tablet which is basically an iPad Pro clone.
After reports last week, Google has confirmed this morning that it will acquire Fitbit for the sum of $2.1 billion…
Last year Spotify was experimenting with a new app called Stations for streaming music with personalized radios. Now, after being exclusive to Australia for quite some time, the Spotify Stations app has launched in the United States on both Android and iOS.
According to the Wall Street Journal today, Samsung is officially delaying the Galaxy Fold launch in the US until further notice following some major display issues that popped up last week. Yikes.
On Monday, Samsung officially let the press handle the Galaxy Fold after it was shown off in a tightly controlled demo in February. Just two days later, the first review units are encountering multiple issues all focused on the foldable display.
Dark mode has slowly been making its way to various Google services and will be a big highlight of the upcoming Android Q release. Over the past couple months, though, we’ve been tracking a dark mode in Google Chrome on both macOS and Windows 10. Now, that feature respects the system-wide dark mode on both platforms.
As more YouTube viewers hit mobile devices, the platform is testing new features to improve the experience on smartphones and tablets. This week, YouTube is launching a new set of swipe gestures for its mobile app to better navigate video history.
Smartphone cameras are getting insanely good, especially in the case of Google’s Pixel lineup and Apple’s latest iPhones. Moment has made some excellent lenses to produce even better shots out of your phone, and today the company is launching the new Moment Tele 58mm lens.
Earlier this week, Apple made a move that many expected wouldn’t happen — the iPad adopted USB-C. That aligns it with much of the industry, including most Android makers, but at the same time, the tablet also dropped its 3.5mm headphone jack. That led to an Apple USB-C to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter, and it’s currently the best one you can get for an Android device.
Google Maps revealed a handy new Commute tab earlier this month, and alongside it, the app also debuted native music controls for a handful of popular services. Here’s how to add Apple Music to Google Maps along with Spotify.
Earlier this week Google announced that one of its most popular services, Google Maps, was going to get some big new features. Today, those features are starting to roll out to users. The Google Maps Commute tab and native music integration are starting to go live. Read More
Google Maps is probably one of the company’s most-used and more-adored products, and it’s always getting updated to try and improve things for the better. Today, Google is announcing a slew of new features for Maps users including a new “Commute” tab.
Apple Music has been in a battle with Spotify for months now with both companies trying to one-up each other. Today, Spotify is adjusting its annoying download limit to let users store a lot more music for offline listening.
It’s legitimately incredible what developers have been able to create when it comes to games for mobile platforms. Today, hit PC/console game ARK Survival Evolved has arrived on iOS, and it’s free to play.
Few will argue if you tell them Google Maps is the best navigation service, and it’s continually getting better all the time. Today, Google is bringing a new feature to Maps to improve its functionality for wheelchair users.
Google Maps often ties in with pop culture for special events or easter eggs, and apparently, there’s another one on the way.
Whenever Apple debuts a unique feature, it’s inevitable that it eventually gets picked up by others. We’ve seen this time and time again, and with the debut of the iPhone X and its Animoji, others are copying. According to a new report, Samsung will be doing just that with its next flagship.
Portal is a beloved gaming franchise for many, and while fans still want a proper sequel to the game’s last release, it’s probably not happening anytime soon. Luckily, Portal is making a return, but by means of Bridge Constructor.
While most would argue that Google Assistant on iPhone is inferior to Siri in a lot of ways, it’s still a fairly handy tool for those using Google’s services. Recently, Google has given Assistant on iPhone a bit of extra functionality with Apple Music integration.
Buying movies digitally is a great way to build up a library, but there are a lot of places to buy from. Between Amazon Instant Video, VUDU, Google Play Movies, and iTunes, there are a lot of accounts to keep track of, especially if you are hunting for the best deal on a movie. Today, a joint effort from all of these major digital distributors is going to make buying digital movies a whole lot better.
YouTube is likely the Google product with the most frequent set of changes. Over the past several months, the company has been testing a series of new features for its mobile and desktop experiences, and today they are all launching alongside a refreshed logo.