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
Following an eight-year stint as the man in charge of the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), Army General Keith Alexander has decided to step down effective next March or April. So will his civilian deputy, John "Chris" Inglis, who is planning to retire by the end of the year. The NSA came under heavy media and public scrutiny after former...
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Looking for a change of scenery on your desktop? Want to see what all the fuss is over Linux? New and seasoned vets alike are invited to download and install Ubuntu 13.10 for desktop (and smartphone), Canonical's latest version of its open source operating system. According to Canonical, Ubuntu 13.10, or Saucy Salamander, is Ubuntu's first...
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Just as Android tablets really started to take off once smaller size (and lower cost) models were introduced, the same may be true of Windows 8.1 slates. We'll soon find out. Yesterday Lenovo announced its Miix2, an 8-inch Windows 8.1 tablet starting at $300, and today Acer followed suit by unveiling its Iconia W4...
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Product manufacturers far and wide and trying to bring the wrist watch back into style by integrating smart features into them and charging a premium. We have the usual candidates, like Sony and Samsung, and then some unusual participants, including Adidas, which is best known for its line of athletic apparel. Adidas announced a new smartwatch...
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Investors didn't react kindly to Ubisoft's profit warning, sending shares of the games publisher down by as much as 32 percent, the largest decline the company has ever seen. The stock plummeted after Ubisoft said it now expects an operating loss of 40 million euros (around $54 million) to 70 million euros (around $95...
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Samsung Galaxy S4 owners have been hearing for weeks that an Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update is headed to their device, but so far all is pretty quiet in terms of official releases. If, however, you're willing to play with leaked code that may or may not be feature-complete, you have options. Nearly two weeks after the first Android 4.3 build...
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What happens when the world's largest online retailer teams up with the smartphone maker that helped pioneer Android as viable alternative to iOS in the smartphone space? We may soon find out. Word on the web is that Amazon and HTC are in discussions about building a handset for users of Amazon's Prime service. There have been several rumors...
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Barring some kind of major surprise, Apple will unveil its next generation of iPad and iPad mini devices a week from today on October 22, 2013. That's the date that appears on invitations Apple has begun sending out to members of the press with a heads up that the media event will take place at Yerba Buena Center for...
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Showtime's popular Dexter series might have come to an end (don't worry, no spoilers here), but if you're still interested in seeing things gutted, iFixIt is your go-to place for the same level of carnage, albeit in the realm of electronics. The newest candidate to fall on iFixIt's operating table is Amazon's recently...
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We're being bombarded by gadgets and mobile electronic devices that offer persistent online connectivity, and if you're a parent, that means having to decide when to allow your child to have access to certain gear, like computers, tablets, smartphones, handheld gaming devices, and so forth. Every family is different...
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When it comes to picking out a storage scheme, businesses face the same dilemma as home users. The decision at hand is whether to spend a premium on high performance solid state storage, or stretch those dollars on higher capacity and slower performing mechanical hard drives. It's not unusual for a home user to opt...
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The initial roll out of Grand Theft Auto V's online multiplayer mode wasn't as rocky as, say, SimCity's from earlier this year, though several "technical issues" did crop up that prevented players from enjoying the experience on the first day, and even a little while longer. Even though Rockstar Games warned that...
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Activision Blizzard, Inc. has finally managed to buy back billions of dollars of shares from parent company Vivendi Universal as part of a deal that first announced back in July. That deal hit a snag after several shareholders filed a lawsuit, prompting a U.S. court to halt the transaction in September. On Friday, however, a Delaware court...
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After all the hype surrounding flexible, unbreakable, and curved displays, we're finally seeing a portion of those promises headed to retail. Last week, for example, Samsung announced the Galaxy Round with a 5.7-inch Full HD Super AMOLED curved display. Not to be outdone, press photos of LG's upcoming Flex G with a...
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Futuremark has made available its 3DMark benchmark for Windows RT a little over a week before Microsoft is scheduled to release Surface 2 on October 22, 2013, the company announced today. Surface 2 boasts several improvements over its predecessor, both inside and out, but if you're wondering how its performance...
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It used to be laughable to think of Linux as a preferred gaming platform. Sure, emulators like Wine made a gamer's life a little easier on Linus, but things like driver issues and lack of native titles have always prevented Linux from stepping into the gaming limelight, at least until now. We're not sure if a tectonic...
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Lenovo, the top PC manufacturer in the world in terms of shipment numbers and market share, may be looking to rise in the ranks of mobile handsets, as well. There's a rumor going around claiming Lenovo is in hush-hush talks with HTC about taking over its smartphone business. The two firms have reportedly been meeting...
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Google had ginormous plans for Google TV when it launched three years ago, and when the history books are written about this era, perhaps it will say that it was a concept slightly ahead of its time. In any event, Google isn't giving up on its core dream of dominating the living room with Android, though it is planning to officially retire...
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Now that Steve Ballmer has announced his impending retirement, Microsoft is in search mode as it looks to hire a replacement Chief Executive Officer. It's the biggest decision facing Microsoft right now, followed by what comes next after hiring a new chief, a decision the incoming CEO will have significant input over...
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It's been a long time since we've seen a dreaded "blue screen of death" (BSoD), but it's back and in the in the unlikeliest of places. Oddly enough, some Apple iPhone 5S owners are reporting BSoD errors, though they're a little different from the ones you may remember seeing on Windows desktops. Rather than spit out an obscure error code with...
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Iron Man may be a fictional character in the land of comic books and Hollywood adaptations, but is such a suit out of the real of possibility? Apparently the U.S. Special Operations Command is determined to find out. They've teamed up with some of the brightest minds and researchers from various universities and laboratories to see if an Iron...
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In the famous words of a canine scholar best known for his research into unexplainable phenomenon, "Ruh roh!" That about sums up our reaction to the discovery that Google's popular Chrome browser may be storing sensitive data in such a way that it would be relatively easy for a malicious third party to dig it up and...
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