Paul Lilly
Paul is a seasoned geek who was first seduced into the world of computers and technology by the Commodore 64, and through the years he’s courted a number of OSes and platforms from DOS on up to the latest version of Windows. Having joined the HotHardware team in 2011, Paul is now a mainstay of the site covering the news beat and reviews, and resident wiseguy who keeps the mood light. He’s also an experienced freelance technology writer whose work has appeared in a number of online and print publications.
Opinions and content posted by HotHardware contributors are their own.
Recent posts
Some things are better late than never, and Google Play Music moseying on over to Apple's iOS platform is one of them. The Google Play Music All Access streaming service has been available for a little over 6 months, but up until now, the only (official) mobile app that existed was for Android. Users on other platforms were forced to load...
Read more...
After seven long years, Sony today finally launched to retail another flagship game console. We're of course talking about the PlayStation 4, a $399 system with a x86 foundation that further blurs the lines between what constitutes a console for a PC (we're not saying they're one-in-the-same, just more similar than...
Read more...
The smartphone market isn't getting any less competitive. Just the opposite, there exists plenty of market research data to suggest that this already busy segment is only going to get much bigger over the coming years. That being the case, smartphone makers would be wise to look at ways to differentiate their products...
Read more...
Forget about all the patches and updates Rockstar Games has rolled out to date in order to get Grand Theft Auto Online up to snuff. The first real update -- one that's not intended to fix broken content, but introduce new gameplay -- is scheduled to arrive next week on Tuesday, November 19th, the developer announced...
Read more...
"Two screens this phone has, buy it you will." If we were in charge of YotaPhone's marketing, that 's the tagline we'd use, provided Disney didn't give us grief for imitating the other Yoda. Either way, Russian company Yota Devices is offering up something interesting and unique here. In an attempt to merge the best...
Read more...
Here's a heads up if you're in the market for Chromebook. Google and HP have put a temporarily hold on sales of the HP Chromebook 11 after a "small number" of users complained about an overheating issue with the stock charger that comes included with the laptop. In a statement on its Google Chrome Blog, the sultan of...
Read more...
Snapchat's founders evidently have some big things planned for their startup, and it doesn't involve selling to Facebook for $1 billion. It takes some mighty big you-know-what to scoff at that kind of cash, especially when you're in your early twenties as co-founders Evan Spiegal (23 years old) and Bobby Murphy (25...
Read more...
If you're a fan of the HTC One but wish it had a bigger, phablet-sized display, you're in luck. HTC's enlarged One Max is gearing up for a retail launch. You can already pre-order the device on Best Buy's website for $250 with a two-year service contract, and according to the electronics chain, it's scheduled to...
Read more...
Apple may have chosen to quietly launch its second generation iPad mini tablet with an upgraded "Retina" class display, but that didn't stop the folks at iFixIt from snagging a sample for their operating tablet. They made quick work of tearing into the newest iPad mini, which sports a panel that still measures 7.9 inches like before, but with...
Read more...
Microsoft can take pause for a moment and celebrate the fact that its Windows Phone platform experienced an impressive 156 percent year-on-year growth rate in the global smartphone market, according to data released by International Data Corporation (IDC). It did it by shipping 9.5 million Windows Phone devices in the...
Read more...
Hulu may have made some of its fans sweat by waiting until nearly the last minute to confirm its Hulu Plus service will indeed be offered on Sony's upcoming PlayStation 4 console on day of release (which, if you weren't aware, is this Friday, November 15th). The Hulu Plus app will actually launch to PS4 a couple of days early on November 13th...
Read more...
You can debate all day long how much of a threat malware truly poses to Google's Android platform, but if you want to err on the side of caution, there are antivirus solutions available to you. The most popular appears to be AVG's free AV app, which just leapfrogged over 100 million downloads on Google Play. That's an...
Read more...
Everyone wants a vacuum that sucks, though some suck more than others. Such is the claim iRobot makes with its new Roomba 800 Series, the next generation Roomba cleaning system that really, really sucks (in a good way, of course!). In fact, iRobot claims its newest self-propelled vacuum is up to 50 percent better at...
Read more...
Apple's second generation iPad mini tablet (now with a "Retina" class display) is finally available to order, though you know how the drill goes. As with most Apple product launches to retail, you either act fast or get in line and wait for inventory to catch up with demand. Things on Apple's end have gotten better...
Read more...
Gamers aren't supposed to be able to get their mitts on Microsoft's upcoming Xbox One console until it launches to retail on November 22, 2013, a week from this Friday, however some lucky individuals received an early surprise. Due to a retail glitch, some Xbox One consoles landed on doorsteps two weeks ahead of...
Read more...
Patch Tuesday is right around the corner (tomorrow, in fact), and in advance of its monthly update package, Microsoft is giving a heads up that this month's will contain three "Critical" patches and five labeled as "Important." A Critical rating is the most severe and indicates a vulnerability whose exploitation could allow code execution...
Read more...
Initial reports suggest a brand new iPad Air suddenly caught fire in an Australian mobile phone store, prompting the brick-and-mortar establishment to summon the fire brigade. The new iPad Air was being used as a demo model when it started sparking and ultimately burst into flames, filling the store with smoke and...
Read more...
Remember when pagers were all the rage? Times have changed since then, and in place of pagers, most people now own smartphones. According to data presented in the most recent Ericcson Mobility Report, the number of mobile subscriptions worldwide has grown by about 7 percent year-over-year to 6 billion in the third...
Read more...
If you've held off on updating your operating system to Windows 8.1 (free for Windows 8 users) because of reports of mouse problems following the upgrade (specifically, issues with lag, stutter, and freezing), you'll be happy to know that Microsoft has issued a fix, just as the Redmond company promised it would...
Read more...
Most of Apple's product releases feature at least one stand out technology that steals the spotlight, such as the bigger display on the iPhone 5 and the Touch ID sensor on the iPhone 5S. What comes next? Web chatter suggests Apple's next iPhone announcement may center heavily on its curved glass display. Citing an unnamed "person familiar...
Read more...
Show of hands, how many of you care about 3D Blu-ray content? It's a question worth asking because with both Microsoft and Sony getting ready to release next-generation consoles to retail, only one has confirmed it won't support the format. No need to try and guess which one -- if you read the title, you know the Xbox One won't support playback...
Read more...
There probably won't be a cameo by Michael J. Fox, nor should you expect to man the DeLorean in Blizzard's "Warlords of Draenor" expansion pack for World of Warcraft, but if you jump on board, you will experience time travel. Announced at BlizzCon 2013, the fifth expansion to Blizzard's incredibly popular WoW game...
Read more...
