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
Twitter has filed paperwork for an Initial Public Offering (IPO) and there are some staggering numbers for potential investors to consider. The ones Twitter hopes they'll focus on the most are the figures detailing its revenue growth over the past few years. For example, Twitter's revenue in 2012 was $316.9 million...
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Egads, talk about a tale of two different tech firms moving in completely opposite directions. Let's start with Samsung, the South Korean handset maker that's becoming the face of Android in the smartphone space. For the second year in a row, Samsung posted record earnings with an operating profit of 38.5 trillion...
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Adobe is trying to downplay a recent security breach by saying that "cyber attacks are one of the unfortunate realities of doing business today," and even though that might be true, it's unlikely to provide comfort to the 2.9 million customers whose data was compromised. Hackers made off with Adobe customer IDs...
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Rockstar Games on Friday announced that the latest title update for the online component of Grand Theft Auto V is live for PlayStation 3, while the developer is working to have another patch available for Xbox 360 gamers "as soon as possible today." The second patch is intended to address a "variety of technical...
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If you have a teenage son or daughter, you've probably spotted them making weird and contorted faces at their smartphone's front-facing camera. They're using Snapchat, a wildly popular photo and video sharing application in which users can send each other snapshots or short recordings that are viewable for anywhere...
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Google is apparently getting really serious about gesture control. In addition to acquiring Flutter, a San Francisco-based startup that develops gesture recognition technology, the sultan of search filed a patent application for using gestures in vehicles to perform a number of functions, such as changing the volume of music, raising or lowering...
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It's been a little over a year since Google's original Nexus 7 tablet introduced Jelly Bean to the market, and though it was initially slow to roll out to more device, it's now found on nearly half of all Android devices around the world, according to Google's Developers Dashboard. Unfortunately, the bulk of those...
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The future of computing may very well lie in gesture control, hence the popularity of platforms like Microsoft's Kinect sensor and growing interest in devices like the Leap Motion controller. Not to be left behind, search giant Google has gone and scooped up Flutter, a San Francisco-based startup that develops hand gesture recognition technology....
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There was already a lot to like about Google's Chromecast device (check out our review), a $35 dongle that you plug into your big screen TV's HDMI port for streaming fun, and now it's even better. That's because Google and Hulu have been working together to build a Hulu Plus app for Chromecast, and that app is now...
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We were on hand at Microsoft's unveiling of its Surface 2 and Surface 2 Pro, and having seen and played with these second generation devices in person, we can say we're much more enthused with these products than their first generation siblings. They're fast, well configured, and sport several improvements for a...
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The drama surrounding Apple's second generation iPad mini tablet and whether or not it will sport a Retina-class display continues as rumors of a supply shortage come to light. Plan and simple, people working in Apple's supply chain are saying that it's not feasible to introduce an iPad mini with a high resolution...
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Since Steve Ballmer is stepping down from his role as Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft, the Redmond software giant is getting a bit of a fresh start, and depending on who takes his place, the company will get a fresh new perspective, as well. However, some feel that Ballmer's departure isn't enough; they want...
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It's widely expected that Apple plans to follow up the launch of its iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C handets with new iPad and iPad mini tablets, though it's still a bit of a mystery as to when those products will be announced. Based on leaked info and rumor mill chatter, most analysts believe Apple is on pace to announce a...
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Looking for a job this holiday shopping season? It's one of the busiest times of the year for hiring employees, and that includes for companies that are primarily based online. To wit, Amazon is planning to hire an astounding 70,000 full-time seasonal employees across its various order fulfillment centers in the U.S...
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Some people get all the luck. As you're probably aware, Verizon Wireless nixed its unlimited data plan over a year ago in favor of a tiered data packages that can be shared among family members on the same account. If you were an existing unlimited data subscriber at the time of the change, you could keep your plan...
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Dropbox helped popularize the idea of saving everything to the cloud, and by being one of the first services to offer seamless integration with the desktop and mobile devices, it has a distinct advantage in name recognition. It also faces stiff competition these days from a number of competitors like SkyDrive...
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Today is a big day for Rockstar Games and its super popular Grand Theft Auto franchise. Grand Theft Auto Online goes live today, marking the first time the franchise will have an online multiplayer component. Hours before the launch, Rockstar Games decided to post several more details about online gameplay and what...
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AT&T dropped us a note today to let us know it's planning to carry Samsung's Galaxy Note 3 phablet and Galaxy Gear smartwatch online and in stores beginning October 4. The Galaxy Note 3 will be available for $299.99 with a two-year service agreement, or $35 per month if you opt for AT&T Next. As for the Galaxy...
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Video games often times get a bad rap. If they're not being blamed for real world violence and carnage, there's the stereotypical view of the diehard gamer who's overweight, under-groomed, and lacks social skills. Like anything else, it all boils down to how you use something, and with the introduction of Xbox Fitness...
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As much as Apple would love it if every iPad owner purchased a new model every time it came out with a new version, not everyone has that kind of disposable income. That means there are people out there who are still using the original iPad launched back in 2010, and those who opted for the 3G model may be getting...
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Microsoft is bringing the Start back to Windows with the introduction of Windows 8.1, a free update that will ship to the masses on October 18th. Unfortunately, the Start menu isn't making the return trip, though at least you'll be able to switch between the Desktop and Windows 8.1 Start screen with the click or tap...
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For the past 13 years,Coca-Cola has sat at the top spot of Interbrand's annual Best Global Brands report, which recognizes the 100 most valuable brands around the world. Coca-Cola's time at the top has finally fizzled as Apple rose to No. 1 on the list in its 14th year, followed by Google in second place, pushing the...
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