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's that, you've never heard of Torment: Tides of Numenera? That's okay, because even without your knowledge, and therefore your support, developer inXile Entertainment was still able to raise nearly $4.2 million on Kickstarter, attracting pledges from 74,405 backers. That feat qualifies it as Kickstarter's most...
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More than 6 million domain names were added to the Internet just in the fourth quarter of 2012, bringing the total number of registered domain names to more than 252 million worldwide across all top-level domains (TLDs), according to VeriSign. The latest quarterly additions equates to a 2.5 percent sequential growth rate, marking the eighth...
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Windows XP is a dead operating system (OS) walking. In exactly one year from today, Microsoft will cease supporting the legacy OS, which translates into no more security updates. Naturally the suits in Redmond would love it if every XP user -- legitimate or otherwise -- would make the switch to Windows 8, and if they...
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One of the reasons to considering upgrading to Windows 8 is the improved security Microsoft baked into its latest operating system. This is especially true if you pair the touch-friendly OS with an antivirus or Internet security suite program, a point that's underscored by the latest results published by AV-Test.org...
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Audi and T-Mobile are introducing new and affordable data plans that will give drivers access to in-vehicle Wi-Fi starting as low as $15 per month. Using the Audi connect infotainment and navigation system, drivers and passengers can obtain real-time news, weather and fuel price info, access to Google Earth, and use Google Voice Local Search...
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It wasn't all that long ago that mainstream gaming on Linux was virtually unheard of. Sure, solutions like WINE have been around for awhile now, but it's only recently that developers and gamers alike have truly started to embrace Linux as a viable platform. Even Dell is getting in on the action by announcing a lower priced version of its...
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You may have noticed that RockBand.com, DanceCentral.com, and Creators.RockBand.com are all down. That's because Harmonix pulled the plug on each of the three websites in order to investigate what it believes is a hacker attack. As a precaution, Harmonix passwords have been disabled, and users who have accounts on any of the affected sites...
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Electronic Arts beat out AT&T, Ticketmaster, and several other companies to advance to the semifinals in the Consumerist's annual "Worst Company in America" award, as voted by the people (an anti-popularity contest, if you will). If EA pulls out a victory, it will repeat as Grand Champion of the not-so-prestigious...
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Windows 8 devices haven't been able to reinvigorate a slumping PC market to this point, but if Microsoft keeps slashing prices, perhaps things will change. If you pop your head into the Microsoft Store online, you'll discover several recently discounted tablets and convertibles, including one that's been marked down...
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Hewlett-Packard announced some changes to its Board of Directors, beginning with Raymond J. Lane relinquishing his role as Chairman. Ralph V. Whitworth will step into the role on an interim basis as the board searches for a permanent replacement. In addition, the two longest serving members of the board -- John H. Hammergren and G. Kennedy...
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When it comes to the U.S. market, Apple's iPhone line is the single most popular category of handsets. During the three-month period ending in February 2013, there were 133.7 million smartphone owners in the U.S., 38.9 percent of which were toting an iPhone, according to data provided by the comScore MobiLens service...
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After successfully launching in South Korea last month, the LG Optimus G Pro has found its way to Japan through NTT DoCoMo, though it wields a smaller screen. For whatever reason, LG decided to implement a 5-inch display in Japan versus the 5.5-inch panel used in the South Korean market. LG didn't say why it went with a smaller form factor,...
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Considering how long it took T-Mobile to crash the iPhone party where all of its wireless peers have been hanging out for quite some time now, you'd think the Dutch-owned carrier would spring for balloons and streamers to announce it's now accepting pre-orders for the iPhone 5. You'd also be wrong. Without any fanfare or a fancy press release,...
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We won't go so far as to call this a fire sale, but holy moly, Best Buy is offering some deep discounts on Apple's 3rd generation iPad tablets. We're talking price savings up to 30 percent with prices starting as low as $315 for a 16GB iPad with Wi-Fi, down from its normal selling price of $450. That's a savings of...
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Rovio, creator of the wildly popular Angry Birds franchise, has every reason to smile. The developer announced its financial results for the company's full calendar year for 2012, noting that total consolidated full year revenue ballooned to €152.2 million (around $195 million), up more than 100 percent compared...
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Traditional phone companies are faced with the reality that it's cheaper to make calls over the Internet, and also relatively easy, even for novices. It shouldn't be all that shocking, then, to learn that Skype users are spending 2 billion collective minutes daily using Microsoft's VoIP software. To put that into perspective, 2 billion minutes...
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Blizzard was very forthcoming in admitting that Diablo III is "not living up to its full potential" in terms of the co-op experience, adding that "it can often feel not worth the effort" to jump into multiplayer when playing solo "can often feel easier and more efficient." If you feel the same way, you'll be happy to know that co-op was a...
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In some ways, the PC market is a lot like a chess battle, only with more players involved. You have to know when to strike your opponent, where to hit them, and what pieces to use when making your move. There's a ton of strategy involved, and things don't always work out as planned. For Google, the time might be ripe...
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It's fair to say that the majority of PC gamers wield Windows-based boxes, but that doesn't mean you can't frag on a Mac. There's some high end gaming hardware available, including EVGA's new GeForce GTX 680 Mac Edition graphics card. The card is exactly what it sounds like -- a GTX 680 intended for Macs. EVGA's card...
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Cisco's stock is up slightly today following an announcement that it plans to acquire Ubiquisys, a privately held firm based in the U.K., for approximately $310 million in cash and retention-based incentives. Ubiquisys is a leading provider of intelligent 3G and long-term evolution (LTE) small-cell technologies, and...
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Apple's annual Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) is right around the corner and the question remains, will the Cupertino outfit unveil a new iPhone? Furthermore, will Apple announce multiple iPhone models, as previously rumored? We'll have to wait another two months to find out, but in the meantime, the latest rumor is that Apple will...
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While Apple works feverishly to squash bugs in its 6-month-old iOS 6 software, rumors are already starting to spread about iOS 7, including talk of a delay. Take that with a grain of salt since Apple hasn't announced development of iOS 7 or provided a release date of any kind, but nevertheless it appears development...
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