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.
It has been a long time since our very own Stephen Hall went hands-on with Google’s Project Jacquard smart denim jacket. Now, it has added the ability to alert you if you get too far away from your phone.
Expand
Expanding
Close
The Samsung Galaxy S9+ is getting the latest December 2018 security patch, which is rolling out currently to Nordic Galaxy users according to SamMobile. Of course, this update is for Android Oreo, so don’t get your hopes up for an Android 9.0 Pie update for non-beta users.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Accessories for the Pixel 3 XL don’t come much pricier than the Whitestone Dome glass. We have spoken at length on the quality that they offer over traditional cheap tempered glass screen protectors, and their latest version is no different.
Expand
Expanding
Close
When you consider that many smartphone manufacturers are trying to do what Apple and Google are capable of with single and double camera setups, it stands to reason that we would compare two of the best single lens setups on the market.
Expand
Expanding
Close
While we’re eagerly awaiting the announcement of the OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition, we now have our first look at the device, scheduled to be unveiled on 11 December.
Expand
Expanding
Close
The OnePlus Product Awards give fans and community members the chance to vote for their favorite features — both software and hardware — with the final results presented via livestream on December 20th. Despite the full list being pretty well padded out, there was no room for the in-display fingerprint reader on any list.
It’s taken me a couple of years to achieve what I would call a complete Everyday Carry set up that includes just a little bit of everything to allow me to — potentially — be 100% mobile at a moment’s notice with these best Everyday Carry gifts.
Vine may have shut down in 2016, but the popularity of the platform still lives on through many a YouTube Vine compilation. The new Vine 2.0 known as Byte is set to launch in spring 2019 and now the platform is opening up for future creators who can register today.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Huawei has made some superb smartphones this year, with the Huawei Mate 20 Pro being one of the standout devices on the market. Smartwatches are another area the company has doubled down in, but not with our preferred Wear OS. Instead, the Huawei Watch GT has gone down the Samsung route, favoring its own LiteOS smartwatch operating system.
Expand
Expanding
Close
YouTube Kids — the stripped down, child-friendly version of the world’s most popular video service — is now available in a further six European nations as of today. As YouTube Kids expands in Europe even further, it means that the service is now available in 49 countries globally.
Expand
Expanding
Close
We’ve seen the leaked promo video for the Nokia 8.1 merely hours before the official launch, but if you want to tune in live, here’s where to watch the Nokia event livestream from Dubai.
After the surprising excellence — at least on my part — of the Nokia 7.1, we’ve been eagerly awaiting the next Nokia flagship. We haven’t had to wait too long as the Nokia 8.1 is set to launch in Dubai on December 5 with three devices expected to be unveiled. We’re just hours ahead of this global launch, and a promo video for the yet unannounced Nokia 8.1 has leaked.
The One UI beta for Samsung devices is now available to Galaxy Note 9 users in Germany and India, this comes just after we saw the registration process appear (then disappear) for owners in the United States.
Initially an exclusive to YouTube Premium subscribers for the past six months, “Autoplay on Home” is now rolling out to all free mobile users. This feature helps viewers decide what to watch before clicking on a video within the Home tab.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Arguably two of the very best night photography modes on any devices currently available are Google’s Night Sight and Huawei’s Night Mode. The people’s champion has to be Night Sight on the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, but that doesn’t mean the Huawei Mate 20 Pro’s camera is a slouch. Night Mode on the Mate 20 Pro is very impressive in its own right.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Fitness trackers come in a great range of shapes and sizes, with many offering a complete package at a much more complete price. Xiaomi is most definitely one of the brands that we associate with affordability and that continues with the Mi Band 3.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Google has enlisted the help of a whole host of prominent YouTube stars to highlight the benefits of the Google Assistant Routines feature. The videos include some of the biggest names on the website including Todrick Hall, TheSorryGirls, Jackie Aina, Lele Pons, Katrina Garcia, and The Action Lab.
Expand
Expanding
Close
According to sources that spoke exclusively to CNET and the Washington Post, Google CEO Sundar Pichai is headed to Washington to testify before Congress on December 5th. Pichai will speak directly and field questions from the House of Judiciary Committee about the reported political bias in Google search results.
Google Photos is arguably one of the most underrated services that Google offers. Now, the ability to make physical copies of your pictures is expanding to 14 further European nations (via Android Police).
That puts the total at 27 countries that can share a printed photo book directly from their Google Photos library with loved ones, friends and relatives.
In our review, we were full of praise for the Nokia 7.1. The Android One handset belies the price tag to offer a stellar build quality, whilst the lightweight OS means it flies through everyday tasks. That said, us European users were shortchanged somewhat with only the 3GB RAM, 32GB storage option available at retailers.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ users have already had the opportunity to get on the Samsung One UI with the Android Pie beta, but now Note 9 users can register to get involved in this limited testing phase. The download isn’t yet available, but the registration process is now open to US users.
Hailing themselves as the ‘King of Speed’ is one way in which OnePlus has marketed the OnePlus 6T devices in recent years. Well, now the brand has partnered with a real ‘King of Speed’ in the form of British supercar brand McLaren to bring a likely limited edition McLaren OnePlus 6T model to avid fans.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Originally spotted by Droid Life, the Moto G7 Play has essentially fully leaked courtesy of the FCC. The traditionally super-sized Moto G model includes that trademark Moto look and feel and comes in two colors, black and silver-blue. The bad news for the notch-fearing is that the Moto G7 Play looks set to feature a substantial display cutout.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Thanks to some enterprising developers over at XDA, a modded Google Camera .apk file can be sideloaded onto OnePlus 6 and OnePlus 6T devices to give you a rudimentary experience of the Pixel 3 XL Night Sight on Oxygen OS. So with that in mind, we headed out into the freezing cold streets to see just how two of the newest specialist night-time camera modes fare against one another.
Expand
Expanding
Close