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 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.
Recently it was revealed that Anker’s Eufy was sending data from its cameras to the cloud, despite advertising the opposite. Now, Eufy has updated its app to with a disclosure more clearly explaining that it is sending data to the cloud when certain settings are enabled.
Home security cameras have gotten a lot better in recent years, but the security of your footage has always been a concern. Anker’s Eufy brand claims to keep data local, but a security researcher has exposed that the claim is far from true, with footage not only going to the cloud, but remaining visible even after it was supposed to be deleted.
Samsung is just a few months out from debuting the Galaxy S23 series, and rumor has it the company’s next-gen flagship will take a note from the iPhone 14’s satellite connectivity, as well as upgrading its fingerprint sensor.
T-Mobile probably isn’t the first name you think of with a suitcase, but the carrier is today debuting the “Un-Carrier On,” the first suitcase with built-in wireless charging and a vibrant magenta look that ought to prove tough to misplace.
iMessage is a powerful messaging platform for iPhone users that changed the game for messaging, but over the years, it has also served as a lock-in tactic and even developed a prejudice between Android and iPhone users. In an interview this week, Apple’s Craig Federighi said that iMessage for Android would have been a “throwaway” effort that would have “held [Apple] back in innovating.”
The Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are now widely available and shipping to early customers, but there’s a new bonus for iPhone users looking to switch as Google has boosted trade-in values.
Google’s other navigation app, Waze, is an incredibly helpful way to stay informed on your route, but lately, the app has been suffering from lag issues on Android Auto and CarPlay for some.
Mobile games continue to improve in quality every year, and now Ubisoft is bringing its popular shooter series The Division to Android and iOS with the upcoming title “Resurgence.”
Epic Games first brought Rocket League to mobile devices last year with “Sideswipe,” and now the game is entering Season 4 with a bunch of new perks for players.
Spotify has, for years, included some social features that make it easy to share playlists with friends, and even see what your friends have been listening to. But for as long as those features have been around, they’ve never been available in the mobile app. Now, Spotify is finally preparing to bring friend activity to the mobile app with a “Community” feature.
Apple’s ecosystem is famously fairly locked down, but things have improved a lot over the past few years. With the upcoming release of iOS 16, Apple appears to be working towards better support for Chromecast and other casting standards in apps.
eSIM support has been expanding for a few years now, with Google and Apple at the forefront. This week, Verizon is opening up support for BYOD users to get their service going on Pixel, Samsung Galaxy, and iPhones with an eSIM instead of waiting for physical delivery.
Playing Fortnite on mobile phones is about to get a lot better, as Nvidia GeForce Now is rolling out support for the full hit game with touch controls on both Android and iOS.
A few years ago Spotify opened up a second app that offered an experience based around “radio” stations. Now, Spotify Stations is shutting down later this month.
A couple of years after its debut, Nvidia GeForce Now is finally expanding its streaming options on PC and Mac. Starting today, GeForce Now supports 4K streaming on Windows and macOS.
NBC’s Peacock is the home of hits such as “The Office” and “Parks & Rec,” but the streaming service has long felt like a chore to use due to its unintuitive app layout. Today, Peacock is sharing a first look at its TV interface redesign, among other announcements.
The popular messaging app Telegram is working on a Premium subscription that adds new exclusive reactions and stickers, but is only available on iOS for the time being.
After adding support for the M1 through Rosetta last year, Nvidia has just announced that its GeForce Now cloud gaming service is picking up native support for M1 Macs through its latest app update.
Last year TCL launched itself into the Google TV experience with a batch of pretty solid 4K TVs. Earlier this month, the brand refreshed that lineup in Europe, and one detail that flew under the radar until now is that the entire lineup is equipped with support for Apple’s AirPlay 2 and Homekit.
Wireless Android Auto has been around for a few years, but it’s been slow to adoption from carmakers. This week, Subaru announced it will adopt both wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay in its 2023 Outback.
This weekend, YouTube removed the long-running experiment that allowed iPhone and iPad users to keep watching videos in picture-in-picture mode. Now, YouTube has confirmed that its iOS app is in the process of rolling out picture-in-picture support to everyone on iOS 15 and up.
While Spotify’s Car Thing device isn’t exactly pointless, it certainly has a narrow use case as we detailed in our recent review. Now, Spotify Car Thing is picking up its first major update with the ability to answer phone calls, control other apps, and more.
Cellular plans in the US are far from cheap, but there are some good deals out there. Verizon’s Visible has become a favorite by offering one of the best networks in the US, unlimited data, and affordable prices. However, following a recent promotion, some Visible account holders have unexpectedly lost their accounts.