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
There have been a lot tablets and smartphones to receive the teardown treatment, so it's nice to see a different kind of product get taken apart. This time it's the Amazon Echo in-home personal assistant thingamabob -- essentially a...
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BMW is hard at work trying to end parking lot mishaps. The answer, of course, lies in sensors that will be able to detect when you're about to make a terrible mistake; like trying to squeeze in between another car and a concrete beam or...
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There's an interesting competitive dynamic forming between Bose and Apple, two companies that suddenly became rivals when the latter acquired Beats by Dr. Dre. It's been a bit of a contentious relationship so far, with Bose suing Apple for patent infringement and then re-upping its deal with...
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Though the holiday sales are tempting, you may want to hold off on purchasing a new 4K Ultra HD TV for a month or so. For one, the Super Bowl is fast approaching (go Patriots!), and there are always sales on large screen TVs leading up to...
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I find it interesting at the end of each year when Google reveals the top search queries of the past 12 months. It's like taking a condensed trip back in memory lane, and for better or worse, it's also a reflection of society as a whole...
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While Sony Entertainment Pictures is still reeling from a security breach that caught the company with its pants down, the organization that is claiming responsibility is threatening more virtual wedgies. Known as Guardians of Peace...
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BlackBerry, or the company formerly known as Research In Motion (RIM), if you prefer, is banking on its BlackBerry Classic handset being a hit as the Canadian company looks to regain solid footing in the mobile space. So far, so good --...
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Sony has unleashed its legal beagles following a massive ransomware attack that resulted in scores of stolen data, including movie scripts, marketing materials, social security numbers and passport information for high profile actors and...
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As a consumer, you have to love Microsoft's strategy in the new generation console wars -- price cuts! Here in the U.S., game bundles and promotional discounts bringing the Xbox One to as low as $329 at times have given the system the...
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U.S. businesses have been advised to be on high alert as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warns of a highly sophisticated Iranian hacking operation targeting various firms around the world. It's the same operation that cyber...
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Google's efforts to thwart piracy and appease organizations like the Motion Pictures Association of America (MPAA) are pretty much non-stop. It involves removing millions of infringing links from search on a weekly basis, and more...
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It turns out that it's incredibly difficult to keep an online pirate ship down, even after you've sunk one. Say what? Bear with us while we explain what we mean by that. As you know, the world's most popular torrent site, The Pirate Bay (TPB), was taken offline last week following a raid by...
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It appears Nintendo has a surprise hit on its hands, which would explain why the company's Amiibo toy figures are so darn hard to find. Turns out they're selling like hotcakes. Or to be more specific, sales of Amiibo toys are approximately...
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We're fast approaching the finish line for 2014, and with less than three weeks remaining before it's time to pin up a new calendar, it's a good time to reflect on the past 12 months. Google made it easy for Android users to do exactly...
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Rather than debate what's good or bad about Windows 8, let's just all agree that it failed to capture the collective audience that Microsoft hoped it would. Despite big ambitions, it was just last month that Windows 8 and 8.1 combined finally overtook Windows XP in market share, though it...
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Have you ever sat down and thought to yourself, "Self, what the Internet really needs are more animated GIFs!" Probably not, but brace yourself for a deluge of GIFs in the coming months anyway as YouTube rolls out a new feature that will...
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Facebook has over 300 million reasons why it can justify acquiring Instagram, the photo and video sharing app that now has more users than Twitter. That's an impressive feat, but if you're thinking Twitter co-founder Evan Williams is...
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Want to hear something slightly shocking and downright fowl? Today marks the fifth anniversary of Angry Birds, the mobile game that brought Rovio to fame and stole hours of your life in the process. It's hard to believe it's been five...
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We're willing to concede that size matters, but too often in tech manufacturers take advantage of that notion by offering multiple size options of the same product without upping the ante in any other way. Without shaming specific manufacturers by pointing out some examples, let's just say that we've seen both knock-off and name-brand laptop...
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Amazon's same-day delivery service helps to offset one of the advantages that brick-and-mortar stores have over the online shopping experience. However, it's only available in a select few areas, all of which are big cities like Atlanta...
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If you're new to the nomenclature, "VoLTE" may look like something you'd expect to see on the label of an energy drink. In actuality, VoLTE stands for Voice over LTE, a feature that allows mobile users to talk and surf the web at the same time. That's something AT&T subscribers have been able...
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Instagram started off as a simple idea, and though it's grown in capabilities over time, it still at heart a photo (and video) sharing app. There's a certain charm in its simplicity, which is why it's not hard to believe that there are now more than 300 million people using Instagram who...
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