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.
Samsung’s efforts in the budget space don’t really garner enough respect as the A-series has developed and progressed. Thanks to new renders, we’re getting a glimpse of another upcoming affordable Android – this time the Galaxy A33.
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OnePlus has launched a closed beta program for 8 and 8T series owners willing to run the early phases of Android 12 and OxygenOS 12 on their devices.
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Despite the polarizing UI changes and merging with Oppo’s ColorOS, the preview phase for Android 12 on OnePlus devices continues to roll out with OxygenOS 12 Open Beta 2.
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A new report alleges that Google is highly unlikely to launch a new version of the Pixelbook in 2022, meaning we could be in for a long wait to see a Pixelbook Go follow-up.
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The very first custom kernel is now available for the recently released Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro for tinkerers wanting a little extra control over their new purchase.
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Sadly, the Pixel 2 and 2 XL will never officially receive Android 12 from Google. However, thanks to the wild world of custom ROM development, you’re now able to get the very latest OS update on 2017’s premier Pixel.
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You might not have known that 2019’s Pixel is actually the second most powerful in the Made by Google smartphone series. Yes, the Pixel 4 is only surpassed by the recently released Pixel 6 in terms of raw power.
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Xiaomi sub-brand Poco has launched yet another enticing affordable Android phone with the release of the M4 Pro 5G.
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It seems as though Pixel 6 devices are now getting access to the Adaptive Sound feature that was once exclusive to the Google Pixel 5.
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One of the most obvious changes, when you boot your Pixel device into Android 12, is the brand-new AOD clock and associated layout. Thanks to a new in-app project courtesy of Tasker’s developer João Dias, you’re now able to force resize the clock to the more compact smaller layout.
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A core component within Android is now part of an exclusive club as Speech Service by Google has surpassed 10 billion downloads on the Play Store.
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Over the course of the Android 12 Beta phase, we celebrated by creating some exclusive wallpapers, and in a similar manner we’re celebrating the launch of the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro.
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The upcoming Galaxy A53 5G has been uncovered courtesy of 3D renders with the supposed mid-ranger looking very familiar to previous affordable Samsung Galaxy A-series smartphones.
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Stock of the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro is getting quite hard to come by at the moment, which means that you might have to compromise to get the color that you want.
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Phone personalization is one of the main reasons we all love Android, and one of the most popular ways to tweak your on-device ambiance is with a neat wallpaper. People love tweaking their phone setup as Google Wallpapers has now amassed 500 million downloads over on the Play Store.
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Undoubtedly the gold standard in the navigation and cemented in the No. 1 position on the mapping charts, Google Maps has now reached the 10 billion download milestone on the Play Store.
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Thanks to leaks, we had a fairly solid indication of what to expect prior to Google’s “official” unveiling of the Pixel 6 series including all the color options.
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The recent release of an excellent Made by Google smartphone is not only great for Pixel fans, it might actually pique the interest of OnePlus and OxygenOS stalwarts looking at the “Oppo-ification” of their favorite OEM in confusion.
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The Pixel 5 didn’t live up to some expectations, but even so, it seems ridiculous to be even suggesting that after 12 months, someone “should” upgrade from the Pixel 5 to the Pixel 6. We’re here to examine whether this is a thought you might or should have at this stage of 2021.
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Google Stadia support is the only thing standing in the way of being able to play triple-A videogame titles no matter where you are — provided you have an active Wi-Fi or data connection.
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While an emulator is never the best way to experience software, the newly released Android 12L is one that we simply had to get a closer look at.
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YouTube has announced that another slew of Twitch-like features are set to help tempt streamers to the video platform including Gifted Memberships and Live Redirect.
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OnePlus promises to deliver regular system updates for its wide array of smartphones for at least two years and in some cases longer for flagships, so let’s see how they’re handling the October 2021 security update.
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While Android has its fair share of solid video editing apps, Chrome OS has to make do with some fairly basic and substandard options. That is set to change as the team behind the excellent iOS and iPad-only LumaFusion has confirmed that development has started on dedicated Android and ChromeOS versions of the app.
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