Ben Schoon is a Senior Editor at NewGeekGuide, 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 NewGeekGuide 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
Samsung’s next big Galaxy update, One UI 8.5, continues to leak with a number of visual changes, with one of the latest finds being a “3D” effect for icons.
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Unlimited Google Photos storage was the biggest selling point of what quickly became the most popular photo storage service, but as it became hard to sustain with scale, Google pulled the plug. For a while, though, T-Mobile customers have had access to a special Google One subscription that included unlimited Google Photos storage, but it’s now dead.
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Samsung has started rolling out its Android 16 update to Galaxy phones and tablets, with a schedule running through November at least. Here’s when to expect the update on your Galaxy device, and which devices are already eligible for the update.
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Google’s latest lineup of Nest Cam devices has arrived, but there are no new battery models in the 2K refresh. Why? Google has an understandable answer.
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Amazon is giving gaming a “rethink” and introducing a new “GameNight” feature that heavily pushes local party games on Amazon Luna, all while still delivering on the cloud gaming promise it’s made for the past five years and making that even easier to access via Prime.
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Verizon has announced that Hum, a cellular-connected car accessory that included Google Assistant support, is shutting down later this year.
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Philips is finally bringing its neat “Ambilight” TVs to the US market, with Roku TVs available starting today with their built-in lightstrip effect.
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With its major Gemini revamp to Google Home and Nest Cam, Google is opening the door to third-party cameras accessing the same level of integration and features, and it starts with incredibly affordable cameras from Walmart.
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Google Home’s Gemini revamp is here and, for Nest Cam owners, it means getting better notifications, the ability to search through footage, and more. Here’s what to expect.
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Google is delivering its first big Nest hardware refresh in over four years, with new 2K video upgrades for the Nest Doorbell and Nest Cam Indoor, as well as a new wired Outdoor Cam.
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In the eleventh hour, YouTube TV has confirmed a short-term extension with NBC that will keep the networks up and running for customers while a final deal is established.
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YouTube TV is contacting customers this evening to confirm that Univision and UniMas channels are being removed from the catalog immediately, and it comes right as a deal with NBC is in limbo.
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Ahead of tomorrow’s Google Home and Nest revamp, Amazon today laid out a collection of new Ring and Blink hardware, Echo speakers, and introduced a clever new AI feature that helps locate lost dogs.
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After years of rumors and reports, Amazon has officially announced Vega OS, its replacement for Android on Fire TV hardware, and it’s going to make some big changes.
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Nothing is officially launching its Android 16 update in beta today, but Nothing OS 4.0 unexpectedly leaves out a couple of key devices.
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Nothing has been teasing an operating system built for AI and, today, they’re showing that off with “Essential” and it’s… a lot.
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With less than two weeks remaining before Pixel Watch 4 fully launches, Walmart is selling the Pixel Watch 3 for as low as $199 in a huge discount.
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Google Fi is rolling out support for AI billing summaries, but Google, as usual, says that you shouldn’t rely on AI that can make mistakes.
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CMF by Nothing today launched CMF Headphone Pro, a pair of over-ear headphones that cost $99, pack flagship-tier features, and have a clever physical control setup that includes a slider to tune bass levels on the fly.
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YouTube has just announced that its new Premium Lite subscription is expanding to India, and it’s also been made available in a few other regions too.
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Following its launch earlier this month, the Google app for Windows is now prompting users to uninstall and reinstall the app to get continued updates.
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The Google Clock app for Wear OS has just made a change that breaks support for every other smartwatch except Google’s own Pixel Watch, leaving out Samsung, OnePlus, and others.
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Negotiations between YouTube TV and NBC seem to be getting heated. With the current deal set to expire tomorrow, YouTube TV is offering its subscribers a $10 credit if channels go dark, while NBC says that Google “wants to control what we watch.”
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Samsung is now rolling out stable One UI 8 updates to several more devices including the Galaxy S23 series, Galaxy Tab S10, Galaxy A devices, and more.
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