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
If you're looking to get the kids a low-cost Android tablet, your options are quickly opening up. Just ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Polaroid today unveiled its Q Series of sleek and affordable tablets running Android 4.4 KitKat, all of which are also powered by a quad-core processing...
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We can say with 100 percent certainty that there's no way in Hades Samsung is going to suddenly discontinue its super popular Galaxy S line of smartphones. That means you can bank on there being a Galaxy S5 at some point, but what we don't know are the details surrounding the next Galaxy S release, though Samsung Vice...
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There will be lots of exciting products and technologies being shown off at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas next month (stay tuned -- we'll have lots of coverage), some of which is spilling out to the media ahead of time. Such is the case with YouTube, which announced plans to showcase 4K ultra...
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The only thing remotely surprising about that fact we're already hearing rumors about Apple's iPhone 6 is that there isn't yet chatter about the iPhone 7 and beyond. There's a consumer obsession with Apple products and what the Cupertino firm will come out with next, and the latest rumors point to the iPhone 6 being offered in two different...
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Snapchat has become a sort of cultural phenomenon in the online community, one that has skyrocketed in popularity, especially among teens and young adults. Facebook is among those who believe Snapchat is more than just a passing fad, hence why the world's largest social network reportedly tried to acquire the picture...
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When Microsoft launched Windows 8, the company gambled on consumers welcoming touch on the desktop, just as they had on mobile handheld devices, namely tablets and smartphones. It remains to be seen if that gamble will pay off, but in the meantime, peripheral makers and other hardware partners have stepped up with products built...
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Phew, talk about a close call! Winamp's days of whipping the llama's ass came this close (place your index finger and thumb really close to each other) to being over after AOL decided to pull the plug on the media player it acquired in 1999 for $80 million. AOL announced its intentions in November, saying it would...
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Hackers claiming to represent the Syrian Electronic Army (SEA) decided to deface Skype's social media pages with disparaging messages about Microsoft and its digital properties. On Skype's Twitter page, for example, the hackers posted a status update telling followers not to use Microsoft's email services (Hotmail and...
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Google apparently feels it's done all it can do with Bump, a picture sharing app for smartphones it acquired three and a half months ago for between $30-$60 million, and will slam the door shut on the service at the end of the month. Bump's chief and co-founder David Lieb announced the news in a blog post, saying that his team will shift focus...
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Maybe 2014 will be the year of affordable, off-contract smartphones. If not, it won't be for a lack of trying from Motorola, which just announced that its unlocked Moto X (see our review) is now $399.99 going forward. Anyone and everyone can snag an off-contract Moto X for the newly reduced price, regardless of wireless carrier and whether...
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Microsoft said its goal in updating OneNote for Android devices was to allow users to get more things done in less time. Towards that end, the latest version of OneNote for Android now includes an "Add to OneNote" feature, which allows users to add important things from any application on their Android device. "Just look for the Share button...
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Analysts aren't convinced that Sprint will be able to clear the regulatory hurdles required to acquire T-Mobile, especially after AT&T already tried before falling flat on its face. Despite the skepticism, investors are apparently optimistic a deal will get done -- share prices of both wireless carriers shot up more than 30 percent since...
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Microsoft and Sony might be out for blood in the console wars (Xbox One versus PlayStation 4), but on a different battlefield, the two could end up on fighting on the same side. That battlefield is mobile, and word on the web is that these two rivals are in discussions about the possibility of Sony releasing a Windows...
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It's been a tough year for PC makers in general (Lenovo notwithstanding), some of which were caught off guard by the mainstream market's infatuation with mobile devices. There have been signs that traditional computer sales may rebound a bit in 2014, but in the meantime, at least one PC maker is looking at cutting...
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Social networking has become one of the hottest online activities with 73 percent of adults using a social networking site of some kind, according to data compiled by Pew Internet. Around 4 out of 10 online adults get their social groove going with multiple sites, but which are the most popular? Facebook is the...
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You're not bringing home a Mac Pro for less than three large, and when spending that much on a computer, the expectation is that it will work and work well for a long time to come. Fair enough, but eventually you'll either want or need to dive in; it could be out of sheer curiosity or because a stick of RAM went bad...
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If any of our loyal readers are looking for any end of the year gift ideas for HotHardware's hard working writers, might this editor suggest Samsung's newly minted 110-inch television (Model 110S9)? At 110 inches, it's the world's largest consumer television, and you better believe it's rocking a 4K Ultra HD...
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The war in mobile is being fought on many different battlegrounds, even your wrist, assuming the whole smart watch movement gains any traction. However, one of the most important battlegrounds could be your car. In response to an initiative launched this past summer by Apple to integrate iPhones and other iOS devices...
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Trucks, tractors, and airplanes are all examples of things that can leak oil. There are dozens of other things we can think of, but up until today, game consoles wouldn't have made the list. Be that as it may, there are limited reports of some Xbox One consoles leaking an oily white liquid leaving behind stains...
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It's good to be king, especially when your kingdom is the land of Apple. Right now Tim Cook is the one who wears the crown and he's compensated generously for his time on the throne. According to a recent regulatory filing, Apple compensated King Cook $4.25 million in 2013, representative of a 1.9 percent bump in pay...
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In just a few days, Netflix will reportedly purge around 90 movies and TV shows from its streaming library. Without a time machine, it would be impossible to watch all of them between now and then, though there are some notable flicks worth queuing up while you still have the chance. James Cameron's 1997 movie...
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Apple iPhone and iPad users can no longer download Nokia's HERE mapping application from the App Store. The Finnish phone maker voluntarily removed the app because of compatibility issues with the iOS 7 update that could ultimately "harm the user experience." Nokia said it's not blaming Apple or iOS 7, but this is a...
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