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.
After we reported earlier this month that the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 could receive a beta program ahead of the official Android Pie rollout, we didn’t expect the program to open quite so soon. Even so, Note 8 users will be happy to hear that their handsets will get a taste of Pie and One UI at least in beta form — for now.
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The Android Pie update for the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 was scheduled for a January rollout but according to Samsung’s Turkish portal Guncelmiyiz, the update may have been pushed back to February 1 at the earliest.
Samsung Pay is causing some severe battery drain on some Samsung devices, with some users claiming battery usage as high as 60% in some cases. Samsung is yet to acknowledge these Samsung Pay issues officially.
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Whilst many of you will have never used WhatsApp, the Facebook-owned messaging platform is one of the biggest on the planet by some margin. To those of us who use the application daily, the upcoming addition of WhatsApp fingerprint authentication could be a welcome one. I can honestly say that I use nothing else and even all of my iPhone-using friends are the same here in the UK.
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Foldable smartphone tech was hot at CES, and whilst Samsung did not show off any folding display tech this year in the Nevada desert, they have dropped a massive hint that the February 20 Galaxy Unpacked event will prove to be the big reveal for the upcoming Samsung “Galaxy F” folding smartphone.
If you’re a Pixel 3 or Pixel 3 XL user and also a Netflix subscriber, then you might want to check your app to see the new HDR support for the Google handsets (via Android Police).
A rumored but very plausible OnePlus 7 leaked test device has appeared online courtesy of Slashleaks, where this unknown OnePlus unit is shown side-by-side with the superb OnePlus 6T.
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Smart home tech began for me with Wi-Fi controlled lighting, and there are a few companies that really shifted my own expectations of what I could do within my home with just a little bit of IoT tech. When the Google Home Mini entered my home over 18 months ago, I didn’t ever anticipate that I’d be spending upwards of $45 on a smart bulb but here we are with a thorough LIFX Mini review and it makes it a key addition to our Google Home Essentials series.
After rumors courtesy of the Korean Herald that Samsung would unveil the Samsung Galaxy S10 a week prior to Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the company has taken to Twitter to confirm the Galaxy Unpacked 2019 for the S10 event with a cryptic video.
In a recent post on the Samsung Newsroom, the company waxes lyrical about the company’s OneUI Android Pie overhaul. It seems they were so enthused that they forgot that the Samsung Galaxy S10 design crept into an image showcasing the new touch interface.
We’ve already had a glimpse of the Nokia 8.1 after being unveiled by HMD in Dubai last month, but the potential Nokia 8.1 Plus looks to have a few hardware tweaks not seen on the Nokia 8.1. We say potential as we are not quite certain what the device will actually be called. The most notable hardware change in the latest render is the very first punch-hole notch on a Nokia device.
It seems that the LG G5 and LG V20 are no longer in any company plans for support after XDA Developers team and forum members found that both devices are no longer listed on LG’s Security Bulletin webpages.
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There are plenty of Android features that will never head to iOS devices but that is by-the-by, today we are talking about the iPhone-to-Android path. Follow along for a look at the 5 iOS features we want to see in the next major Android release.
The official Android Pie update for the Nokia 8 Sirocco should now be rolling out to devices globally after being confirmed by HMD via press release.
OxygenOS is arguably one of the best third-party skins on any Android phone on the market. It fuses the speed, fluidity and aesthetic of stock and adds a layer of well-thought-out additions and tweaks. OnePlus has launched their 2018 OxygenOS Satisfaction Survey to see if it is living up to users’ expectations.
The rumored Samsung Galaxy Sport has been partially uncovered in renders courtesy of top-tier leakster @OnLeaks and show a much smoother, refined design when compared with previous Galaxy Sport models.
Google Chrome needs to have the RAM management issues addressed but it hasn’t really stopped it from being arguably the best browser, even more so when you factor in the power of Chrome Extensions.
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Bixby 2.0 (yes, Samsung is still persisting with the digital assistant) will bring back support for Google apps according to VentureBeat (via XDA).
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Users of the T-Mobile OnePlus 6T might want to skip the most recent update after reports that it seemingly disables key Google Pay and Play Protect functions.
There is so much to love about the Pocophone F1, it’s a superb budget smartphone that is only really let down (at least in the US) by a lack of carrier support. The price point makes it such an amazing package, and it seems it will get even more enticing. That will be thanks to the addition of Night mode for photos, 960FPS slow-mo, and 4K 60FPS video recording, all of which are heading to the Xiaomi Pocophone F1 over the next couple of months.
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Samsung is adding support for Google Assistant (and Amazon’s Alexa) to its newest smart TVs later this year. The only downside? These TVs won’t actually respond to any “Hey Google” commands via the TV directly, instead, relying on a Google Assistant-powered speaker to do so. But that won’t be a problem for anyone deeply ingrained into the Google Home ecosystem.
If you’re a Sony Android TV owner or are looking to get one in the very near future, then the apparent blocking of Kodi on newer Sony models might not be a welcome feature (via Android Police).
After the initial success and camera prowess of the Huawei P20 Pro and Huawei Mate 20 Pro, the next iteration from the brand is most definitely a hotly anticipated handset. Thanks to some leaked images and 360-degree video courtesy of 91Mobiles and @OnLeaks and case manufacturer Mobile Fun, we have our closest look yet at the upcoming Huawei P30.
When the Nvidia Shield was announced and subsequently released in 2015, it probably didn’t quite justify the initial high price-tag for a base Android TV streaming box — at least in my opinion. Despite that, the updated 2017 model proved to be a very different story thanks to a combination of exceptional hardware and updated Android TV software.