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
What a difference a generation makes. Back when the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 came out, Microsoft had the pricing advantage over Sony primarily because the PS3 featured an integrated Blu-ray drive, and at the time, Blu-ray was still expensive. Since then, both companies have had their share of negative media...
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Remember when the cloud was primarily for productivity? These days, the cloud is becoming an increasingly important part of gaming culture, and in keeping with that trend, LG Electronics is teaming with Ubitus, a cloud gaming solutions provider, to integrate the GameNow cloud gaming service into its TVs. At the...
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You know that gauntlet thing? Well, it's just been thrown down by Sony, which finally revealed what the PlayStation 4 looks like, how it will handle used games, how much it will cost, and clarified some system specs. Not only that, but Sony chose to reveal all this just hours after Microsoft held its own Xbox One...
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Apple is officially a player in the streaming radio sweepstakes (sorry, Pandora). Not that this comes as any surprise, mind you, what with months of rumors and leaked information suggesting that Apple was finalizing deals with the three major music labels -- Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and Sony -- all of which will get a cut....
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The mobile device market is growing at a frantic pace and it won't be long before these digital gadgets outnumber the human population. By the end of 2013, there will be 5.9 billion mobile phones and tablets in use, according to CCS Insight's new market forecast. That's not enough to eclipse the human race, which currently sits at about 7.09...
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When it comes to used games on the Xbox One, Microsoft put all the power in the hands of publishers. They're the ones who will decide if you can lend games out to friends, if services like GameFly will be allowed to rent titles, if outlets like GameStop can purchase and re-sell used games, and whether or not to take a...
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Few things are unavoidable in life, such as death, taxes, and the fact that as soon as you buy a flagship smartphone, something newer, shinier, and better inevitably comes out. There's no way possible to stay ahead of the curve, but at least on AT&T, you would qualify for a subsidized phone upgrade after 20 months...
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Samsung has done well serving the high-end smartphone and tablet markets, but not everyone is interested in a top-tier device like the Galaxy S4. That's okay, because contrary to popular belief, not everything Samsung builds is a new flagship product. Enter the Galaxy Ace 3, a rather pedestrian smartphone with a...
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The streaming revolution will be televised, but will Google TV be the star of the show? Companies haven't given up on the ambitious platform, and in fact Sony just announced its latest Google TV product, a sleek-looking set-top box (NSZ-GS8) with voice search support and a nifty remote control, combing both new school...
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It seems we're constantly hearing about breakthroughs in battery technology, and though some of today's laptops and tablets boast all-day battery life, we're still waiting for the killer technology that will enable days, if not weeks and months of run time. A new lithium-ion battery developed by German scientists...
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Low cost game consoles capable of running Android apps will soon be jockeying for position next to the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in your living room, but which, if any, will emerge as the fan favorite? It's too early to tell, though BlueStacks has a few tricks up its sleeve that could give its GamePop console an advantage over the competition....
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It's official, Lenovo now has an operational PC manufacturing plant in the U.S. Sure, the majority of its operations are still taking place overseas, but that's of little consequence to the people employed at the new facility in Whitsett, North Carolina. The grand opening was also a big deal for the locals, with North...
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Imagine whipping out your Android phone and getting past the lock screen by making a funny face rather than connecting a series of dots with your finger. Facial recognition is the key to making that happen, and it appears Google is on it, as evidenced by the fact that it filed a patent for detecting facial gestures when determining whether...
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Would-be mayors gaming on an Apple Mac were promised a version of SimCity for their platform of choice on June 11, though as it goes with politics (and game release dates), you can't always believe what you hear. If you had hopes of spending your summer vacation playing SimCity on your Mac, you'll have to resort to...
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As we've seen time and again, investors are a fickle bunch, and skittish too. Lest we need reminding of that, it's being reported that shares of Samsung in Seoul have fallen more than they have in the past nine months, and it's all because JPMorgan Chase & Co. noticed a slowdown in Galaxy S4 sales. So began the...
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Apple's Tim Cook is tasked with finding the next big money maker, and for a time, it looked like an Apple brand television or smart watch might be the company's golden ticket. Not anymore. Forget about those products, because if all goes to plan, streaming music will be the thing that keeps the money flowing through...
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Millions of music lovers have discovered Pandora, the streaming music service that serves up tunes it thinks you'll dig based on your listening preferences. Having found a home on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, Pandora now wants to take residence on your big screen television, hence the launch of...
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Ouya turned more than a few heads when its self-titled Android game console took Kickstarter by storm and raised nearly $8.6 in funding (plus a lot more from investors), which is well above the $950,000 Ouya's developers originally sought. Since then, there's been rising interest in the Android console market, a...
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A lot of work went into designing the new controller for Microsoft's upcoming Xbox One console. Though it looks similar the Xbox 360's controller, there are subtle differences that are the result of 20 research studies around the world with more than 500 participants of varying age, gender, and gaming proficiency, Microsoft says. After going...
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We've hit a turning point in technology, one in which the old ways are, well, old and outdated. Traditional desktops still exist, sure, but bulky towers are fading right before our eyes just like that scene in Back to the Future where the people in Marty's photograph slowly disappear. In place of medium and large-size rectangular boxes are...
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Is that a phone in your pocket that can take pictures, or a camera that can make phone calls? The line between a smartphone and a dedicated point-n-shoot camera continues to blue with each new generation of integrated optics, but looking to set the bar in a big way is Nokia, which is rumored to be releasing an EOS...
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Be careful what you click on, Facebook users. According to security outfit Trend Micro, variants of the info-stealing Zeus malware are "reemerging with a vengeance" and targeting Facebook users with increased tenacity in recent months. A surge of activity was noted in the beginning of February, but instead of leveling off, it continues to...
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