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 ultimate all-in-one style mobile device has been a desire for years, and even though Canonical themselves tried and failed to fund their own Ubuntu phone, Samsung’s Linux on DeX beta has actually realised the full desktop OS on a mobile device experience.
The release of Google Stadia might not yet be concrete, but it still poses a wider question: how will multi-device streaming affect the growing ‘gaming phone’ market?
The constant stream of WhatsApp beta updates has new features tried and tested long before they become available to the public. In the latest beta update, we’re seeing brands new animated stickers alongside Doodle UI emoji improvements.
Google Docs continues to encroach upon Microsoft Excel territory with the addition of many stalwart Excel functions and features. Announced today, the update includes new tweaks to Google Sheets and enhanced formatting functions for images, charts, and Pivot tables.
Do you remember Project Jacquard? Well, the smart-jacket that Google made in collaboration with Levi’s has now returned, this time packing in the ability to connect to the cloud and control things from the cuff of your jacket.
Expand
Expanding
Close
An update for the Samsung Galaxy Buds is adding the ability to control your wireless earbuds completely hands-free with Bixby alongside other gesture controls.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Motorola has officially announced the Android Pie update for its Moto G6 Play devices is now rolling out to US users.
If you’re a YouTube Premium subscriber, you could have received $2 in free Super Chat credit to help support YouTube content creators on their next live stream (via Android Police/@Sk1er_).
The long-awaited Android Pie open community beta for OnePlus 3 and 3T is now available for owners to download and install.
With the Pixel 3a and 3a XL rumors now whipping us up into a frenzy, the upcoming mid-range device is set to offer much of the same experience as the excellent Pixel 3 and 3 XL, but without the associated price-tag.
The Eurostar has become the world’s first international train service to introduce Google Pay tickets, to help reduce the usage of paper alternatives.
The Google Play Store has very quietly rolled out a great new budgeting feature that allows users to set a budget for expenditure and better track your spending (via VentureBeat).
The Huawei P30 Pro is a fantastic device that rightly deserves its camera plaudits. It is the gateway to a zoomed-in smartphone camera future that will no doubt force other OEMs to really think about what type of lens setups we see in upcoming devices.
Expand
Expanding
Close
According to a report by Counterpoint Research, Google is now the #3 premium smartphone OEM in the US as of the end of 2018. This marks the first time that the Pixel has broken the top 5 for premium smartphone sales in the United States. OnePlus also hit a significant landmark breaking into the top 5 globally.
The latest OxygenOS Open Beta update for the OnePlus 5/5T, OnePlus 6/6T is now rolling out to those already enrolled on the beta program.
In recent weeks there have been a ton of rumors flying around that Huawei could be a potential modem provider for Apple’s first generation of 5G smartphones. That has now officially been addressed at the Huawei Analyst Summit, where Huawei confirmed there has been zero contact with Apple regarding 5G modems.
As Google Fiber is set to pull out of Louisville due to “fundamental network issues”, the cost to Alphabet is set to be somewhere around $4 million.
If rumors are to be believed, we could see the OnePlus 7 as soon as next month. That means we are in ripe leak territory, where any tidbit of information could be considered valuable. This new set of 5K renders of the supposed standard OnePlus 7 give us an indication of what we may see come the launch date.
Ahead of rumors and sketchy supposed leaks of the OnePlus 7, company CEO Pete Lau has spoken about potential foldable OnePlus devices and heavily rumored smart-TVs at the European Design Institute in Milan, as reported by Italian outlet Repubblica.
Honor, the affordable Huawei offshoot continues to grow in popularity, interest, and general device quality. That trend looks set to continue as the company has announced a May 21 launch date for its upcoming Honor 20 devices.
Microsoft’s brand new Chromium-based Edge browser might finally gain some ground in the battle to remain relevant in the web search space. The problem is that Microsoft seems to be cherry-picking features to remove, much to the disappointment of users.
Expand
Expanding
Close
The ultrasonic fingerprint reader on the Samsung Galaxy S10 was said to be the most accurate and fastest version of in-display scanners on the market, but that doesn’t seem to have been the case from day one.
Expand
Expanding
Close
As far as custom ROMs go, LineageOS is far and away one of the most popular and well-supported thanks to the active community and slimline experience. Support for Android Pie isn’t all-encompassing for every device, so the addition of nine new handsets and the Nvidia Shield Tablet will be welcome inclusions.
Skype might not be the most used or the most popular video calling service any longer, but that doesn’t mean it has dwindled in support and features. The Microsoft-owned video chat application is planning on adding screen sharing to upcoming releases and has already added support for the feature in its latest beta for Android and iOS.