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.
Did you know that Google’s upcoming Pixel Fall Launch event will include more than just smartphone announcements? Yes, we’re going to see some other stuff too!
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The explosion of Chrome OS over the past 18 to 20 months and at-home working similarly expanding unlike ever before, it’s refreshing to know that you don’t need to deal with cheap, underpowered Windows laptops or PCs to get actual work done. A case in point is the excellent Acer Chromebook Spin 713.
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Fresh off the launch of the Nothing ear(1) Bluetooth earbuds, Carl Pei’s startup has now confirmed a strategic partnership with US chipmaker Qualcomm.
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After the confirmation of encrypted chat backups, WhatsApp has now turned attention to the size of device backups according to the latest beta update for Android.
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OnePlus looks to be working on yet another limited-edition device – this time a Pac-Man-themed version of the affordable Nord 2.
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Back when Android 11 launched for OnePlus devices we thought that fans would be annoyed. Well, expect that frustration to evolve into outright fury with OxygenOS 12.0.
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With the Pixel series, up until now, we’ve relied on a capacitive fingerprint scanner save 2019, where Face Unlock was briefly added to the mix. Because the Pixel 6 is set to include software-based Face Unlock and an in-display fingerprint scanner, we wanted to know just what biometric security you prefer on your device.
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Security updates are designed to keep Android devices as secure as possible, but you’re only as safe as your latest update. OnePlus does promise regular updates for its smartphones for at least two years, so let’s see how they’re handling the September 2021 security update.
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When browsing the YouTube Music homepage on mobile and desktop, you may soon see a “From the community” section that surfaces user-generated playlists rather than the personally or automatically generated collections.
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The very latest YouTube UI test or experiment is rolling out visual indicators for the most viewed portion of a video above the playback progress bar on mobile and desktop.
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After being hinted at and after testing in previous beta builds, WhatsApp has confirmed that end-to-end encryption for cloud backups is set to roll out soon.
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This year, leaks and tidbits haven’t been quite as prominent ahead of the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro launch, but there have been plenty of rumors.
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The fact that we haven’t seen a stable Android 12 release means that at least Samsung has the opportunity to catch up to Google with their One UI 4.0 Beta 2 update.
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The Pixel 4 series was the first and — at present — the only Made by Google smartphone to come with dedicated tech to enable secure 3D face scanning for biometric security. A recent leak indicates that face unlock is returning on the Pixel 6 series alongside an in-display fingerprint scanner, but we want to know which you prefer?
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Although we’re not yet seeing the stable Android 12 update for Pixel hardware — or any other device for that matter — the first wave of custom ROMs is now already available for intrepid device tinkerers.
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The landscape of affordable Android tablets is littered with unbranded options and many poor-quality options. However, HMD Global wants to change that with the newly unveiled Nokia T20 Android tablet, which at under $250 could be a nice everyday companion.
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Google is pledging to help us get a better idea of our travel choices with estimated carbon emissions/impact of any journey planned using Google Flights.
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Listen to a short-form recap or roundup of all the top 9to5Google stories of the previous 24 hours. 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.
Mobvoi has officially unveiled the TicWatch Pro X in China, with the Wear OS smartwatch packing in much of what we’ve already seen on the previous TicWatch Pro 3 series before.
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After limited testing in selected regions earlier in the year, Netflix has now rolled out the “Play Something” shuffle mode to all Android users globally.
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As Facebook scrambles to get Instagram and WhatsApp back up online after an extended period where the services are down, Google Messages might provide the perfect alternative.
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After years of not allowing you to manually adjust YouTube Adsense currency, YouTube Studio on Android has added the ability to change your local currency option.
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YouTube Music has announced that all users in Canada will be able to access background listening with the mobile apps on Android and iOS for free from November 3.
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Google Photos has now added the ability to edit the time and date of when an image or video in your library was taken directly from your Android phone.
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