Published May 5, 2026, 5:00 PM EDT Brandon has been involved in tech journalism since the year 2000 and was part of the OG team of XDA and Pocketnow. He's currently a staff writer for MakeUseOf, covering mobile and consumer tech. Brandon likes to help people take full advantage of their technology.  He lives outside of Philadelphia, PA, with his wife and three kids. When he's not writing, Brandon plays drums and enjoys listening to music.  He's a graduate of the Villanova School of Business where he got a bachelors degree in finance. While my phone has changed over the years, there's been a constant whenever I use Android: I always have a persistent Google search widget on my home screen, putting Google search tools front and center when I use my phone.…