Damien is 9to5Google‘s resident Video Producer and has over a decade of UK media experience. He worked within the sports industry and with numerous sports-focused publications — including golfing publication National Club Golfer — prior to joining the 9to5Google team.
After completing a BSc in Computer Science at the University of Hull with a major focus on data analytics and UX, he joined the Press Association (now PA Media), developing growing sports data products for the Barclay’s Premier League. These’s data packages included the now-defunct ACTIM Index which eventually evolved into the EA Sports Player Performance Index.
While working with the UK’s largest media agency, he attained a MA in Journalism at Sheffield Hallam University after completing his studies in 2014. This is where a love affair with all things videography surfaced after a brief stint in student TV. A major interest and constantly growing know-how of technology and videography have seen Damien lead 9to5Google’s official YouTube channel since 2018. He previously hosted the 9to5Google Daily podcast from 2019 to 2021.
Damien’s expertise and focus area lie in a number of beats including Android and OEM software updates, mobile applications, smartphone and accessory reviews, and just about anything that makes a modern mobile nerd tick. He says that he is “platform agnostic” despite primarily using Android devices and attempts to regularly test the iOS waters to better understand the nuances of the tech he covers on a day-to-day basis.
Outside of the tech space Damien is an avid supporter of his boyhood soccer team Hull City and is even a fully qualified Barista — with 3 years of experience making speciality coffee. Be sure to follow him on Threads, Bluesky, LinkedIn, and Instagram for insights and upcoming video updates and tidbits. If you are interested, you can also check out just what video gear he is currently using on his dedicated Kit.co page.
We’ve reported recently on a few issues with malware and shady apps from Chinese developers. The latest report comes in the form of a Google Play Store ban for CooTek after many of its apps were rendered nearly unusable due to invasive ads.
The long-awaited, long-rumored LG Pay has now touched down in the US, but in typical LG fashion, is only initially available on one device — the LG G8 ThinQ.
Announced back in June for Europe and global markets, the Nokia 2.2 is now officially available in the US. The Android One smartphone offers quite a substantial experience for just $139, making it a solid entry-level smartphone for many on the market.
Listen to a recap of all the top 9to5Google stories of the day. 9to5Google Daily is available on Google Play, iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Pocket Casts and other podcast players.
We’re seeing dark mode everywhere in our apps and OSes but one area we haven’t seen much of a switch is on the web. Now thanks to a few recent Chrome beta updates, we’re seeing an improved native dark mode.
We’re still unsure gaming phones will have a long future given that many of the big players have dropped out of the market. That said, for avid mobile gamers, the Asus ROG Phone 2 might be just the ticket after hands-on photos have leaked showcasing the device on Chinese networking site Weibo (via IndiaShopps).
Meredith Whittaker, the employee who helped lead a number of protests that included the “Google Walkout for Change,” Google’s work with the military, and AI ethical decisions, is leaving the company.
In the world of voice assistants, we all know the real big players. It’s the Google Assistant and Alexa. Siri and Bixby can try and muscle in but they are just not as ubiquitous as the two big guns from Google and Amazon. Personal opinion aside, the brand new Amazon Echo Show 5 is genuinely an enticing smart display option but how does it stack up against the Google Nest Hub?
Listen to a recap of all the top 9to5Google stories of the day. 9to5Google Daily is available on Google Play, iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Pocket Casts and other podcast players.
Another week, another Google service bites the dust, this time in the form of the Blog Compass blog management tool. Google hasn’t hung around, killing the Blog Compass app after just 10 months.
Despite eased sanctions in the pipeline that will likely allow Huawei to buy integral components from US companies, it’s still not 100% rosy for the Chinese company. According to reports in The Wall Street Journal, Huawei is planning job cuts for hundreds of staff in the United States at its Futurewei Technologies research center (via The Verge).
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Is there anything worse than needing the restroom and not knowing where to go? Google Maps in India is set to offer the solution of a local restroom locator built directly into the app.
Listen to a recap of all the top 9to5Google stories of the day. 9to5Google Daily is available on Google Play, iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Pocket Casts and other podcast players.
If you haven’t already heard or tried Google Sounds, it’s likely because the app isn’t officially available on the Google Play Store. The ringtone and notification tone manager is technically exclusive to Pixel devices, and now it has a nice dark mode to fit the full Android Q dark theme.
Malware is something that affects all platforms, be that smartphones, tablets, and desktops. According to a report by security firm Check Point, the ‘Agent Smith’ malware has infected more than 25 million Android devices with its malicious ad injection.
The upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ are at the very top of many “most wanted” lists ahead of its launch. We caught our first glimpse, courtesy of leaked press renders recently, but now we have some more solid Galaxy Note 10 pricing information to add.
While the EMUI 9.1 rollout is still in full swing, it appears that Huawei is set to launch EMUI 10 as early as next month.
We are inching ever closer to a full release of Android Q, which is why Beta 5 feels more like fine-tuning than a brand new OS. Sure there are some solid additions — which is why we’re here!
Listen to a recap of all the top 9to5Google stories of the day. 9to5Google Daily is available on Google Play, iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Pocket Casts and other podcast players.
You would think that given the failure of Google+ to really leave much of an indelible mark on the internet, Google wouldn’t be too keen to attempt to build another social networking site. How wrong you’d be, as Google’s more “experimental” Area 120 incubator is creating a hyperlocal social network called Shoelace (via TNW).
A report from a Belgian network, VRT, has uncovered how Google is using human subcontractors to help transcribe and improve its Assistant speech-recognition systems around the globe and how this could be a privacy concern (via BoingBoing).
Wimbledon is not only just one of the most classically British events, but it’s also one of the biggest sporting events on the planet. Which is why Google has added a neat little 8-bit Wimbledon Easter egg game that you can play right now in Search.
WhatsApp hasn’t added a ton of new features to the popular multi-messaging application in recent months. That said, WhatsApp looks set to get a ‘Quick Edit Media’ shortcut in a future update after being unearthed via the latest beta testing platform.
The latest OxygenOS open beta 22 for the OnePlus 6 and open beta 14 for OnePlus 6T are rolling out with a host of bug fixes plus a few brand-new features and functions.
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