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.
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’s Project Mainline — or Mainline — effectively turns part of your favorite mobile OS into modules that are treated as independent portions of the wider build. It was introduced with Android 10, with the express aim of making core updates easier by decoupling them from the main system into modules.
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So Android 11 is still officially missing from Samsung Galaxy devices, but the Android 11-based One UI 3.0 beta has offered a preview phase ahead of a global rollout.
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YouTube is trialing yet more features as part of its experiments and UI tests, the latest being an easier way to tag a time stamp within video comments.
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Motorola effectively bombards the low-end of the Android smartphone market with reasonably well-priced, modestly-specced devices that are well worth a look. The latest is that of the Moto e7, which has been announced as available in select European markets.
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The OxygenOS 10.0.10 update is now rolling out for the OnePlus 7 and 7 Pro with very little notable beyond the November 2020 security patch.
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Android Go might only be aimed at those in emerging markets, which means modest internals and an even more modest price. The Vsmart Bee Lite is the cheapest Android Go device to date, though, with a staggeringly low $26 asking price.
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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.
YouTube’s experiments are regularly testbeds for core features that will eventually come to the video-sharing platform wholesale. Chapters have been a big component for creators for a little while now but needed manual inclusion within a video description. Now time may be saved as YouTube is testing auto-generated video chapters for selected videos.
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Considering that the Google Podcasts app is effectively an instance of the Google Search app, the dedicated podcast player has now hit an impressive 50 million downloads on the Google Play Store.
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The team behind the Paranoid Android ROM has now announced that its Android 11-based “Ruby” update is now available in alpha for the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro.
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The OxygenOS 10.0.15 update is now rolling out for the OnePlus 7T, with the November 2020 security patch being the only real notable addition in this OTA update.
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Xiaomi offshoot Poco has announced another affordable Android handset, this time in the form of the M3, which will come with some modest but enticing internals and seriously low entry price.
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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 Duo’s AR-powered video filters are set to get a little more “glam” with a series of new L’Oreal Paris lipstick filters usable when video calling your friends and family.
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As seems customary after the release of a new device, OnePlus is giving the latest OnePlus 8T extra care and attention with its fourth update — OxygenOS 11.0.5.6 — since it officially went on sale.
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The OxygenOS Open Beta 4 is now rolling out for the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro as, technically, the fourth post-Android 11 update for the mid-2020 flagship duo.
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After an extended wait, the “middle child” of the late-2020 Pixel series is now here. Pixel 4a 5G units are now shipping out to those that pre-ordered early. We’ve spent 24 hours with our own retail unit to give you some of our Pixel 4a 5G first impressions.
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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 announced that the Google Assistant is now available on Samsung’s 2020 lineup of smart TVs in the UK, Germany, France, and Italy, and is set to come to a further 12 countries by the end of the year.
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An update to the YouTube terms of service in the US has potentially altered the way the platform will show ads on content uploaded from channels without monetization enabled or “partner status” on the YouTube Partner Program.
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NFC is almost an essential for any smartphone these days but beyond wireless payments, the tech hasn’t really been utilized as much as it probably could. Thanks to a newly announced collaboration between the NFC Forum and the Universal Stylus Initiative, we may eventually be able to charge Chromebook styluses using NFC tech.
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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.
Apple’s tough enforcement of its App Store policies has led to a sad lack of a playable version of Google Stadia on iOS. That is set to change very soon as public testing of a dedicated progressive web app is set to start within “several weeks.”
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