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 OnePlus 7 Pro is the best new phone you can buy right now. Yes, it has some compromises that hardcore OnePlus fans will miss — wireless charging is one I hear a lot. It doesn’t, however, lack power, looks, and outright smoothness. But it has a design that you will want to keep safe from damage, so a case is an absolute must.
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The Samsung Galaxy Fold launch saga still rumbles on. According to a report by Bloomberg, Samsung has fixed many of the issues that arose during the failed launch of Galaxy Fold with a redesign of key components.
Project Loon is now set for its first commercial trial of a permanent ballooned-powered internet service — once approval is provided.
Essential is still doing a superb job of keeping its devices up-to-date with the release of the July security patch for the Essential Phone now available.
Before the Pixel Slate, the last first-party Android tablet released was the Google Pixel C. Judging by the lack of a July security patch appearing for the Pixel C, it may have been cut from the update program.
Samsung deserves some credit for upping their game in the update stakes, with the entire Galaxy S10 line — save the S10+ 5G — plus the Galaxy Note 8 now receiving the June 2019 security patch.
RCS Chat is now live within Google Messages in just two countries — the U.K. and France. We know all about the rich communication services and how they might offer something akin to iMessage, but for Android smartphone owners.
It turns out that some OnePlus 7 Pro owners reported a series of random notifications on their handsets earlier today. No, there is no need to worry, your OnePlus 7 Pro is not hacked or under attack. OnePlus has since put out a statement to confirm that this was a test and the notifications appeared on phones by accident.
Samsung has launched its Bixby Marketplace in the US and South Korea, which is a dedicated store for Bixby-compatible apps and services for supported Samsung hardware.
LG’s latest release, the LG Stylo 5 is now available in the US with certain colors available as carrier exlusives.
The lastest OxygenOS update is now rolling out to the OnePlus 7 bringing with it some general optimizations and the June 2019 security patch.
Google has updated its developer content policy on the Google Play Store to immediately ban any applications that sell or help assist in the sale of marijuana or products containing THC.
The Huawei trade ban is set to be lifted by President Trump after he announced the potential ceasefire in a news conference.
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The RCS revolution on Android has begun, well, at least in the UK as RCS Chat is now starting to roll out to Google Messages in the United Kingdom and France — although it comes with a few caveats.
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Google is now adding “crowdedness predictions” to Google Maps, which will be able to tell you just how busy your bus or train will be.
The LG W10, W30 and W30 Pro have been officially unveiled as an Indian exclusive. All three handsets are most definitely catered toward to mid-to-low end of the market and clearly designed to help boost LG’s fortunes in one of the world’s growing smartphone markets. Oh, and they come with an actual customizable notch.
If you use the incredibly popular third-party keyboard Swiftkey on your Android phone or tablet, prepare to be disappointed in future as Google looks to be removing Gmail access to Swiftkey in early July.
Google is set to become a ‘supporter’ for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics after announcing the partnership in an official blog post.
Amazon and Google may have only just recently buried the hatchet. Now we have the first wave of Android TV units that will bring Amazon Alexa to arguably the best smart-TV platform.
The wealth of smart home hardware and extras continues to grow at a rapid pace, and one of the first forays into smart home tech was no doubt the introduction of automated vacuums. The Roomba is arguably the iconic robotic vacuum cleaner, more-or-less creating the automated home cleaning market. Although selling well and effectively inventing the market, the Roomba didn’t really do all too well when compared to good old fashioned elbow grease.
At this point in 2019 though, there is a new industry leader — Eufy — that has taken that baton and ran with it thanks to their popular but affordable RoboVac line. And it works with Assistant.
The OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T are now receiving the final OxygenOS open betas in the form of Open Beta 35 and 33 for the two phones, respectively.
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While using Google Maps for your own navigation is great, it has a dual purpose as a tracker to make sure your Uber, taxi, or public transport is sticking to the track laid out before them. Google appears to be testing taxi wrong-route alerts in India to help us stay safer in private and public transport.
Oppo has done a great deal for mobile photography in recent months, at MWC they showcased the first 10x hybrid optical zoom camera — only to be beaten to the punch by Huawei. Now, after some teasing, they have unveiled then subsequently demoed the world’s first under-display selfie camera.
Google ARCore support has now rolled out to the recently released Sony Xperia 1, the Xiaomi Mi 9, and the Asus Zenfone 6, allowing you to enjoy the fruits of Google’s augmented reality labor.