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.
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.
The Honor 20 is the latest device from the affordable Huawei subsidiary, and while the release has already been rocky due to the dark cloud that seems to be following the Chinese smartphone manufacturer around, it actually proves to be the perfect competitor for the Samsung Galaxy S10e.
One of the neatest aspects of the Pixel line — and many other devices — is the excellent ‘Always-on display’ function. On Pixel devices, it’s called ‘Ambient display’, and Google is looking to improve the palm rejection of the feature.
The latest OxygenOS Open Beta for the OnePlus 6 and OnePlus 6T are now available after being announced on the official OnePlus Forums.
While the next Microsoft Surface is still very much under wraps, the new dual-screen could potentially come with the ability to run Android apps natively.
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Huawei remains adamant that the P30 Pro and Mate 20 Pro plus a further 15 devices will get updated to Android Q even despite the ongoing US trade ban.
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Just a week after a full unveil, Dota Underlords is now available on Android, iOS, and PC. The game is Valve’s take on the Dota Auto Chess mod for the immensely popular Dota 2 — which itself is another mod.
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The Huawei Watch GT is — despite our initial skeptical review — a superb smart fitness tracker option for ultra-active people. The success of the Watch GT in global markets is quite surprising in many regards but it appears that it has now surpassed 2 million sales since release.
A recent investigation by The Wall Street Journal claims that there are potentially millions of fake business listings being shown on Google Maps. Since this report, Google has responded by acknowledging the problem and detailing steps on how they are tackling these fake business listings.
While the Android Q Beta 2 has already hit Pixel devices, the developer preview is now rolling out to OnePlus 6 and OnePlus 6T devices.
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The Pixel 3a and 3a XL are fantastic devices that are an amazing value for what they offer. The cheaper polycarbonate builds and overall design has them feeling much more premium than their initial price-tag suggests. While having a mostly plastic build is great for durability, having the cheaper Dragon Trail glass is not, which is why we’ve shortlisted a few of the best Pixel 3a screen protectors to ensure your display is protected.
After only initially being available on Windows 10, Microsoft’s Chromium Edge browser is now available to those using Windows 7 and Windows 8.
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Fast charging is set to provide the new battleground as Android OEMs begin to push the sizes of our batteries even further. Vivo has taken it to the next level though, announcing its Vivo Super FlashCharge 120W charging technology that can fully charge a 4,000mAh cell in just 13 minutes.
We can level many criticisms at OEMs for not listening and acting on owner feedback but OnePlus is most definitely not one of those. In a post on the official OnePlus forums we’ve been given some information on potential new features coming to OxygenOS and OnePlus devices.
The Motorola One Pro may have leaked previously but it was pretty much a ‘Mystery Moto‘ device with some interesting inclusions. Leaked press renders via CashKaro have since confirmed that this mystery handset is indeed the Motorola One Pro.
Despite growing fears that Android support will cease after August 19th, 2019, the Huawei P30 Pro is currently getting EMUI 9.1.0.178 updates that include some much-requested features including DC Dimming and Bluetooth audio stability improvements.
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Each and every single WhatsApp beta update gives us a little glimpse into what might come to future full updates of the application, granted they are not guaranteed features like the latest picture-in-picture mode for video.
The long-awaited release of Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is now set for a June 21 release date in the US and UK.
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Smart plugs and power strips are now increasingly common but there are very few that offer the ability to power an entire home entertainment system, office, or even bedroom from one outlet — enter the meross Smart Power strip — a true Google Home Essential.