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
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.
Gboard for iOS is today adding a few handy new features for iOS users. In its latest update, available now through the App Store, Google is adding integration with Google Maps and YouTube, along with a fun new option for “artists.”
Most of us watch TV in one form or another, but many people have been cutting the cord and diving headfirst into streaming services. Recently, YouTube and Hulu have debuted their own plans for streaming live TV channels, and starting today, one of the biggest names in television is starting to track those services.
As an avid user of the Nintendo Switch, one of its few sore points has been the lack of improved online functionality. Playing games is one thing, but being able to chat with your teammates adds a lot to the experience. Today, Nintendo has finally released its Nintendo Switch Online companion app for iOS devices.
DJI’s latest drone, the Spark, got some serious attention when it was announced last month, for good reason too. The adorably tiny drone is advertised as something for beginners that doesn’t require much in terms of setup. Currently, though, there are some issues with the Spark’s WiFi connection. If you’re experiencing these problems, here’s how to fix it.
Google Drive is full of powerful tools, and Sheets is one that many rely on as an alternative to Microsoft Excel. Today, Google is debuting several new features for Sheets that are bound to become incredibly useful to its users, including those on the iPhone and iPad.
Today the Essential Phone, built by the father of Android, went official and it’s an impressive device, to say the least. However, that’s not all the company had to announce. Along with the phone is the Essential Home, a new home assistant that looks to compete with Apple’s upcoming Siri speaker and other Amazon Echo and Google Home-like devices.
Livestreaming on the YouTube mobile app can certainly come in handy, as 9to5Google used it at I/O, but Google has held it back just a bit so only certain users can access it. Now, all requirements for mobile livestreaming are being dropped.
Update: Bloomberg corroborates the report, stating the planned I/O launch as a specific plan rather than merely a possibility.
Google’s artificial intelligence software is already inside Android phones, smart speakers and watches. At the Google I/O conference this week, the Alphabet Inc. unit plans to bring it to at least three more places: iPhones, coffee tables and kitchens […]
The Assistant app will integrate with other Google apps on the iPhone so a user could ask to see a video and it will begin playing via YouTube.
Google Assistant has expanded quite a lot over the past several months since its debut on the Google Pixel, with the service moving to Google Home, Allo, and the majority of Android phones on the market today. Now, it seems that Google is planning another expansion, with a potential debut on Apple’s iOS.
Smartwatches are one of the most personal pieces of tech someone can use day-to-day. Not only does it come down to the style of the device, but also the look and feel of the operating system. For Apple users, the obvious choice is the Apple Watch, but other options are available as well. Today it has been revealed that Samsung’s smartwatch OS, Tizen, has surpassed Google’s Android Wear, but it still falls far behind Apple’s option.
Gmail on its own is already a very powerful email client, offering useful features and direct integration with Google’s other services, like Google Drive. However, there’s always room for improvement. Today, Google has announced that Gmail will add support for native add-ons.
Each year, Harris Polls runs rankings of the top 100 “most visible” companies operating in the United States, ranking them by their reputation among customers who participate in the survey. This year, in a survey of 30,000 customers, Apple has taken the 5th spot.
This morning Nest has released a brand new version of its mobile app which comes along with a handful of new tricks for Nest Cam owners. The most notable new feature comes with a Nest Aware subscription, and that’s the addition of door detection.
Just a few days following the debut of Chrome 56 on the desktop, Google has started pushing the same new version to iOS users. While not a major update, this new version does bring along a couple of useful features, including a handy QR code scanner.
Since its launch, Google’s Chromium project has been a desktop-only matter, but that changed in 2015 with the addition of the Android version. Following that, only the iOS version of the browser wasn’t open-source. However, that’s changing today as Google has announced that the code for Chrome on iOS has been moved into the Chromium open-source repository.
Gaming on Macs has never been a primary use case, but for the few who do want to use their Macs for gaming — whether on the desktop or on a Macbook — there have never been great options. However, at CES 2017, NVIDIA has revealed that it’s game streaming service, GeForce Now, is headed to the platform.
T-Mobile ONE first debuted a few months ago as the “one-stop shop” for data on T-Mobile, offering “unlimited” data for $70 a month. The plan was designed to make things as simple as possible, but today, T-Mobile ONE is expanding from one plan with add-ons, to three different plans.
Microsoft’s suite of apps on iOS are constantly expanding, and today the company has announced that yet another of its famous desktop apps is making its way to Apple’s mobile platform ─ Visio.
Following several reports over the past few days, both Pebble and Fitbit have officially announced this morning that Fitbit will acquire Pebble’s software assets as the smartwatch maker is dissolved. The acquisition excludes all hardware.
About one month ago we reported on a serious pairing issue iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus users were having with multiple Android Wear devices. In the month since, it seems that the issue has been resolved.
Android Wear is a fantastic platform, but one of its best aspects is that it works not just on Android, but also on iOS. While Android Wear’s functionality is more limited when used with iOS devices, it’s still great to have the option. That said, something odd is seemingly going on with a handful of Android Wear smartwatches and the recently-announced iPhone 7.