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.
Without foldable devices, smartphone design has hit a bit of a plateau. Enter Planet Computers’ Astro Slide, full-sized Android phone that includes a slide-out keyboard, 5G connectivity, and a sub-$500 price-tag.
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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 Spotify,Google Podcasts, Amazon, iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Pocket Casts and other podcast players.
Samsung has quietly unveiled the Galaxy A32 ahead of the upcoming Galaxy S21 series, with this affordable device being the cheapest 5G-enabled phone from the firm to date.
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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 Spotify,Google Podcasts, Amazon, iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Pocket Casts and other podcast players.
Likely to help surface new content to users, the desktop version of YouTube is now showing a pop-out video preview player when hovering over on-site content.
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Dell has refreshed the popular Chromebook 3100 lineup to add LTE connectivity, making the entry-level devices a solid option for at-home learning or learning on the go.
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HTC has very quietly unveiled the Desire 21 Pro 5G, a lower mid-range device that offers superfast networking but might not spread beyond Taiwanese borders.
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It’s hard to quantify why software Easter eggs are just so interesting, with Google being no stranger to adding neat little nods to popular culture within all facets of their software and hardware offerings. The latest Easter egg to be uncovered is the Google Assistant’s nod to the late-80s and early-90s anime classic Dragon Ball Z.
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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 Spotify,Google Podcasts, Amazon, iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Pocket Casts and other podcast players.
There is no homescreen replacement on Android quite as popular and revered as Nova Launcher. It’s a staple, a stalwart of customization, but it has received its biggest update in recent years, courtesy of the Nova Launcher 7 beta.
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Samsung has now officially launched the Exynos 2100 chipset that will be the bedrock of global Galaxy S21 handsets ahead of Unpacked 2021.
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Video sharing platform Rumble is suing Google, accusing the YouTube-owner of abusing its power in the search and mobile market by promoting its own platforms.
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While the Chinese company is still steadily removing ties with its former paymasters Huawei, Honor is set to launch the Band 6 fitness strap in the US in the coming weeks.
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The fear of running out of device storage is one that we’re sure many of you out there may know and have experienced at some point with your smartphone. However, in Android 12, we might be able to “hibernate” apps as a way to free up on-device storage.
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YouTube shouldn’t be home to hashtags, but they were added anyway for no real reason. But in a bid to tidy up the feature popularized by Twitter, should you tap a video hashtag, you can now head to a dedicated section related to it — yes, in a carbon copy of how Twitter hashtags work.
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If you thought that Samsung was letting up with software patches and security updates in 2021, then think again. The Galaxy S9 and S9+ are among the very first to get updated to the January 2021 security patch which is all the more impressive given the age of the former flagship duo.
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The first renders of the optional Galaxy S21 S Pen have now been shared online alongside a carry case which no doubt signals Samsung’s intent to call time on the Note series in the future.
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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 Spotify,Google Podcasts, Amazon, iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Pocket Casts and other podcast players.
While Google has banked on Smart Displays in recent years, there aren’t quite as many available as we would have hoped. The latest though is the cutesy Xiaomi Mi Smart Clock, which is set to go on sale in Europe for just €50.
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Although not necessarily the best calendar experience, Google Calendar is a solid digital diary, but a recent shift to the search button to the top navbar might be one of the best simple UI changes in recent updates.
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After multiple early teasers, the OnePlus Band has now officially launched in India with a price tag to rival the most popular fitness bands on the market.
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Android 12 may not be here in a full release capacity until the latter half of 2021, but that hasn’t stopped us from dreaming up a wish list of things we really hope to see in the next OS build.
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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 Spotify,Google Podcasts, Amazon, iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Pocket Casts and other podcast players.
Google looks to be working on a unified one-stop hub for all of your video streaming services in Chrome called Kaleidoscope.
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