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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
According to some rumors, Android 12 is set to arrive today but while it is not technically official yet, we asked you what Android version you were running on your device and now we have the results.
After leaking earlier in the month, the sustainability-focused Fairphone 4 has now been officially unveiled with some notable upgrades over the previous iteration.
Android 12 has been almost a year in the making, but not all smartphones are eligible to get updated when it arrives. Which has us wondering just which Android version you’re currently running on your device.
While we await the full release of Android 12 for Pixel devices, Developer Preview 2 is now available for the OnePlus 9 series with a number of tweaks and tuning in tow.
After a long time waiting, WhatsApp introduced multi-device support earlier this year but with certain connected device limitations. However, it seems that a potential “multi-device 2.0” update could enable your secondary smartphone to use your “main” WhatsApp account.
A fair few months after we first uncovered the feature, Google has added “Phone Link” to Stadia, allowing you to play games using your smartphone as a gamepad on your Chromecast, Android TV devices, and through a web browser.
As smartphone charge speeds have increased, so have our charging habits. Which is why we had some interesting responses when we asked you how often you charge your smartphone.