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.
For anyone that loves the group call features in Google Duo, you’ll be pleased hear that the limit has now been raised from four to eight concurrent video callers, offering the potential for even bigger group video chats.
We’ve seen TikTok move into the vacuum left by looping video application Vine, becoming one of the world’s most popular applications in the process. Now Bytedance — the creator of TikTok — is launching a brand new messaging application called Feiliao, or “Flipchat” in English.
Huawei is having a truly horrid time after the US first blacklisted trade with the Chinese tech firm, then Google revoked its Android license, putting its entire smartphone business at risk.
An official statement from the company suggests that device owners need not be worried about a lack of device support. Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei has now issued a pretty confident statement via the state-run Global Times (via Android Authority) suggesting that these relatively harsh US sanctions will not affect the company’s core business.
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The Pixel 3a and 3a XL are genuinely superb handsets that offer a ton even given their relatively low price tag. However, we are hearing reports from Pixel 3a and 3a XL users about random shutdowns.
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Samsung’s skinned version of Android Pie, called One UI is quite the overhaul of previous versions of what people sometimes wrongly refer to as TouchWiz. The latest version of One UI is now rolling out to the Galaxy Watch, Gear S3, and the Gear Sport.
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Even with all the competition, WhatsApp still remains atop the throne of multimedia, multi-platform messaging on smartphones. That doesn’t mean that it’s perfect, but with each WhatsApp beta we see more interesting and important new features. The addition of a dedicated Night Mode to the latest WhatsApp beta will be a popular one.
The fallout from the US Huawei ban and subsequent removal of its Android license by Google is slowly starting to settle. Huawei has now released an official statement confirming that they will “continue to provide security updates and after-sales services to all existing Huawei and Honor smartphone and tablet products.”
One of the unveilings at the recent OnePlus launch was that of the OnePlus Bullets Wireless 2 Bluetooth headphones. A refresh of the immensely popular but slightly flawed OnePlus Bullets Wireless released in 2018, the sequel looks to improve in a number of key ways.
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We get that certain phones will often tout exclusive features and functions as part of their marketing campaigns and as a way to entice buyers. But Samsung has a pretty unique sales tactic in the UK with its exclusive Samsung Secret Menu — yes, Samsung phones now have ‘exclusive food’.
The announcement that one of the most popular PC and console FPS franchises ever would be coming to both Android and iOS is a pretty big deal. Now fresh intel has come directly from Activision, and they are telling us to expect the first Call of Duty Mobile beta within the next week.
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The commonly heard phrase often goes something like “the best camera is the one that you have with you”, right? And with smartphone cameras so ubiquitous now, often that camera will be a mobile device. While the Pixel 3 has one of the best single-lens smartphone camera setups for stills on the market, video and videography isn’t something I would recommend without a few tiny tweaks, improvements and additions.
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One of the OnePlus 7 Pro’s most interesting new software additions courtesy of OxygenOS 9.5 was the new Zen Mode. There was also room for improvements to the night shooting mode, now updated to Nightscape 2.0. Thanks to an inquiry by Android Authority, OnePlus has confirmed that the relaxing Zen Mode will come to OnePlus 6T devices, but unfortunately, we won’t see Nightscape 2.0 on older OnePlus handsets.
For anyone with the Samsung Galaxy S9, S9+, and Note 9, the latest May 2019 security OTA updates are rolling out.
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The ongoing saga between Huawei and the US government has taken yet another turn, with the Trump administration essentially blocking the Chinese tech giant from importing US hardware.
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While the OnePlus 7 Pro took center stage, the OnePlus 7 was nowhere to be seen during the US and UK keynotes. And as odd as that seems, it turns out that the incremental upgrade over the OnePlus 6T simply won’t be heading Stateside in the near future — at the very least. To better understand why, we made a beeline to get hands-on with the OnePlus 7 at the UK launch event.
Back in March, Google added a playable Carmen Sandiego game within Google Earth. The very latest episode in the on-going collaboration has been announced and is available to play right now.
Times are troubling for Sony, and the Xperia 1 could be an exceptional device that breaks convention with its 21:9 design and simply gorgeous 4K OLED display. There’s even the bonus of Sony’s videography expertise coming to the Xperia 1 camera system. One of the biggest problems is the lack of official information on when that device might even make it to market.
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While we have already seen LTE version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 get some Android Pie action in select regions, the update is now finally arriving across the board in a wider rollout.
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The OnePlus 7 Pro may only just have been announced, but the flagship device is shipping with a day one software update waiting once you get the device right out of the box.
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For those looking for an ‘affordable flagship’, look no further than the OnePlus 7. The device was officially unveiled alongside its bigger brother — the OnePlus 7 Pro — at a London launch event today.
There were times during the inception of OnePlus that a device like the OnePlus 7 Pro looked like it was simply a pipedream. Even despite an ever-growing market share and ravenous set of fans, OnePlus has continued with their ‘Never Settle’ motto, which has led us to their apex — the OnePlus 7 Pro.
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The OnePlus 7 Pro 5G has now gone official becoming the first device from OnePlus to include 5G connectivity but a firm release date is not yet known.
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During the OnePlus 7 Pro keynote, there was also time to announce an updated pair of Bullets Wireless Bluetooth earbuds — aptly named OnePlus Bullets Wireless 2.
The OnePlus 7 Pro has now gone official at the London launch event. The ultra-premium handset arguably boasts one the most impressive spec sheets of any 2019 flagship device so far.