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.
Because of some App Store politics being played by Apple, Stadia is now available on iOS, but not in the traditional format of an “app” that we’re all pretty much used to.
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After confirmation came just a few weeks ago, Google Stadia is now fully playable on iOS devices including the iPhone and iPad, courtesy of a Safari web app or Progressive Web App.
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Augmented reality has become a big proponent of many of Google’s efforts throughout late 2019 and most of 2020, thanks to apps and even Search integrating the 3D experiences. This has clearly been a success as the ARCore, or Google Play Services for the AR “app,” has now reached the 1 billion install milestone on Google’s mobile platform.
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While Qualcomm takes headlines for having multiple top-tier mobile CPUs, the firm’s latest chipset — the Snapdragon 678 — is a more modest affair.
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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.
HMD Global has announced yet another dirt-cheap Android Go smartphone in the form of the Nokia C1 Plus, giving people yet another affordable 4G-only phone option in late 2020 and early 2021.
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One of the best new additions in Android 11 has been that of the new media controls housed within the notification toggle section. While the feature is great, the ability to swipe away or dismiss media controls in Android 11 was removed just before the stable release.
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The latest Microsoft Edge Beta for Android now lets you sync all of your search history and tabs to the desktop version of Microsoft Edge on Windows 10.
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Files by Google is one of the most stripped-back file managers for Android, but it has a simple, easy-to-understand design and layout. If you didn’t already know, the media player within Files by Google now includes some neat volume and brightness control gestures.
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After being hinted at thanks to an early ARCore support list inclusion, HMD Global has now officially launched the Nokia 5.4, a device aimed squarely at the mid-market Android space.
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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.
With a number of touch-enhanced games already available for Nest Hub devices, the developers of the popular Words with Friends word puzzle game are set to bring “Daily World Wheel” to Assistant-powered speakers.
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If there is one positive that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought, it’s hopefully a look at the work-from-home model and how it has some serious advantages for certain industries. If you’ve transitioned to working from home — and are set to continue for the foreseeable future — then these accessories and extras might be ideal.
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As we have now seen the much-loved Google Music bite the dust in recent weeks, YouTube Music has added yet another notable but frustrating feature in the form of animated video previews when scrolling your music feed.
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After confirming the official Android 11 road map in recent weeks, Sony has now set the ball rolling with the OS upgrade now heading out for Xperia 1 II devices.
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The past few years has seen a shift to dark themes on many of the most popular mobile applications all working directly with on-device system themes, the latest being that of Google Earth.
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Although usually very reliable, a large outage is affecting multiple Google services including Gmail, YouTube, Drive, and more across the globe.
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YouTube has a few physical awards that it gives out to creators for achieving certain milestones. The first on the ladder of these physical plaques is the YouTube Silver Play Button, but what is it, why is it awarded, and how do you get one?
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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 officially launched a standalone GameDriver app that is supposed to boost gaming performance on select Galaxy devices.
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A long-standing device sensor issue that has affected a minority of Pixel owners now appears to be affecting some Pixel 5 units.
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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.
After a huge uptick in livestreaming to the platform over the past 18 months, YouTube has now confirmed that creators can livestream HDR content.
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Google’s Discover Feed is more or less in a constant state of flux thanks to tests, experiments, and tweaks. It now looks as though Google is testing a clean, cardless Discover Feed.
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