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.
A decent speaker and smart display combination might not have been top of many shopping lists before, but the Link View could be the showstopping addition to your automated home that you didn’t realize you were without. As I’ll explain in this review, it fuses quality sound with the power of Google Assistant and a second screen to make the best example of the new platform so far…
OnePlus 6 users can now get a piece of Android Pie thanks to the first open beta — which is available to all users simply by downloading the beta installation files. But first, let’s take a look at the host of new features, tweaks and updates this beta brings to users of the “flagship killer” phone…
The Note 8 proved to be great return to form for one of Samsung’s best-loved productivity-focused lines. Yes, it was let down in a few areas — battery life being the main sore point — but the camera was most definitely not one of those. Is a camera improvement alone enough to justify an upgrade? Probably not, but if it were, is the camera exponentially better on the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 vs the Samsung Galaxy Note 8?
You’ve spent over $1,000 on the Note 9, so you’ll probably want to prevent any harm coming to it. The official case lineup has improved more than ever, but they are a little bit pricey. Let’s work out if they are worth your hard earned money and I’ll give you some cheaper alternatives if you don’t quite feel like paying a premium for a good-quality case.
For years, consumers have complained, derided and disowned brands for not listening to their input. For years, we have chastised decisions to remove ports, adjust materials, reduce access and increase the costs associated. For years, we have criticized companies for not pushing the envelope and simply falling in line. But lately there has been one brand within the Android space that finally seems to be taking note of this user input: Samsung.
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Yet more announcements from IFA arrive on our lap, with Huawei announcing its mid-range Mate 20 Lite sometime before the official Mate 20 announcement — which is set to be revealed this October. This relatively affordable entry-level device will go on sale for £379 this September in the UK and selected European markets.
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Long since separated from creating hardware for Google, HTC’s ailing mobile business has flipped from the cutting-edge to the mid-range. Announced at IFA 2018, the HTC U12 Life drops a few of the now commonly seen design principles of the numerous iPhone-clones available on the market already. Strong specs and a pretty steady design make this a candidate for best mid-range smartphone out there.
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Glass backs and scratches go together like peanut butter and chocolate. The OnePlus 6 is a beautiful looking device that introduced and upped the potential scratch factor with a brand new glass back form factor. One drop or inadvertent key in your pocket could cause a blemish that won’t buff out, which is why you might want to rock a quality case.
Cases come in many shapes, colors, materials and forms. I’ve scoured the web to find what I think are 6 of the very best cases specifically designed for the OnePlus 6, all of which come in at under $20.
The OnePlus 5T really isn’t that old, but its was still overtaken recently by the latest addition to the family. Its shiny new sibling, the OnePlus 6, launched after just 6 months of 5T in the spotlight. It’s hard to believe that it’s still less than a year old, because it’s still one of the best Android handsets available.
Despite some refinement making the 6 model an easier sell, we think it’s still worth your hard earned dollars. Here are 5 reasons the OnePlus 5T is still well worth purchasing.
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OnePlus burst on to the scene with its so-called ‘flagship killer’ at a price that was meant to shake up the market. Since then, the self-proclaimed killer is becoming more like one of the crowd — with a steadily increasing entry cost. They’ve invested heavily in hardware driving the devices, but the camera has almost always taken a back seat.
After much anticipation, Epic Games has finally announced Fortnite for Android, which is exclusively available for a handful of Samsung devices for the next 3 days. This is definitely shorter than the 30 days that we expected prior to the Note 9 launch, but if you have a compatible Samsung smartphone then you can now play the world biggest game from anywhere.
Mid-range smartphones aren’t what they used to be — the gap between middling performance and affordable price-tag is now closer than it ever has been.
Unless you plan on keeping a phone for a seriously extended period of time, or want the highest end specifications or camera, then you seriously might be better off towards the true middle market of the smartphone arena.
HTC’s recent releases, the Desire 12 and 12+, hit that ‘budget’ price point. Personally, I’m unsure if they can stake a claim for the crown of best budget smartphone with the HTC Desire 12.
Five years after it was first released, the Chromecast is one of the finest pieces of hardware that has come out of Google. There, I’ve said it and you bet I stand by it.
Let’s examine just how Google made the Chromecast such a runaway success and better understand what this means for devices such as the Home and Home Mini.
Mobvoi recently released one of the very few dual-screen smartwatches onto the marketplace — which we gave a glowing review — packed with features that made their previous, more affordable, models slightly short of the complete package.
With that in mind, here’s five reasons why the Ticwatch Pro should be top of your smartwatch shopping list.
The transition from music streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora and even Google Play Music to YouTube Music might seem confusing and daunting, but it’s actually pretty straightforward once you understand just how the system works.
We just spent a month with YouTube Music — comparing it directly with rivals Spotify and Pandora — and here are the five things we did to get the most out of Google’s latest streaming offering. For the love of lyric videos, make sure you do these things once you’ve signed up.
Google has been ordered to pay a record-breaking fine by the EU regulators over anti-trust violations relating to the pre-installation of the Chrome browser and associated Google Play Services on devices running Android. The fine may not even be the biggest punishment doled out by the EU today however…
(Red) hot on the heels of the standard OnePlus 6 comes the limited ‘Red’ edition. Beyond this new colorway, the internals and performance remain the same, but that color is just something special. We’ve already given our verdict of the outstanding original, so this is just a few quick thoughts on the updated lick of paint.
Google is late to the podcast party having only released their first official Podcast app just under 3 weeks ago. But despite its tardiness, Google hopes to win over the audio listening crowd with a sleek interface, a massive indexed library, and core integration with your smart home devices…
Looking back at Samsung’s return to form with the Note 8 last year, it’s clear that cost was a significant reason it was unable to receive our unhindered recommendation in our initial review.
In this week’s Friday 5, we’re going to take a look at why the Note 8 is now a more compelling option for the budget-conscious tech enthusiast even with the flagship field being a packed one.