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
Look, we all know how the game is played. Whenever there's a new console launch, there's a mad dash to gobble up what's traditionally been limited inventory at the outset, and then flip it on eBay or CraigsList for an obscene profit. It sucks for people who just want to grab a console in time for the holidays without...
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In an effort to make sharing data and unlimited talk and texting "more affordable than ever," AT&T today dropped us a note to let us know about the launch of two new Mobile Share plans. Beginning July 26 (this Friday), new and existing customers will have access to new 300MB and 2GB shared data plans with unlimited talk and text. The 300MB...
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Cyber criminals are always on the hunt for ways to disrupt your digital life, and with mobile devices playing an increasingly important role in our day-to-day operations, you can bet they'll be paying attention to your tablet and smartphone. Speaking to the latter, a German security guru discovered a frightening flaw...
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It's no secret there's going to be another Nexus 7 device. Google's Nexus 7, built by ASUS, is arguably the best Android tablet on the market, delivering a stock OS experience without carrier bloat or third-party skins that are often found on non-Google brand devices. Not only are we confident Google will launch...
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Rumors have been swirling about Apple tinkering with the size of its next generation iPhone, some suggesting it will go bigger to compete with Samsung's Galaxy products, and others saying there will be different size models to choose from. But what about the iPad? Will the next generation iPad tablet feature the same 9.7-inch display that's...
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There was no better selling console in the U.S. last month than the Xbox 360. Microsoft sold 140,000 Xbox 360 consoles in June, outpacing Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii and Wii U platforms to take pole position. Of course, this is nothing new for the Xbox 360, which has been outselling the competition for 30...
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One of the things that helped Mozilla's Firefox browser gain a following is that it's constantly updated. While Internet Explorer (IE) remained stagnant for years on end, here came Firefox with a bunch of new features, and these days Mozilla rolls out new releases at a breakneck pace as part of its rapid release...
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Your eyeballs are valuable commodities. No, we're not talking about scooping them out and selling them on the black market -- please don't do that -- but for advertisers, their goal is to get their goods and services in front of your face however possible. A new app called Locket wants to help them do that by beaming...
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If you believe everything that took place in the docudrama The Social Network, then Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was originally opposed to the idea of implementing ads into his social network, claiming they're not cool. Today, Facebook has ads, supposedly targeted ones, though we often we run into sponsored posts...
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There's no better time to shop for a Mac than during the back-to-school shopping season. As we recently reported, Apple is offering college students up to $200 off select Mac systems plus a $100 App Store gift card, however you don't have to go through Apple to get a discount, nor do you need to be a student. Best Buy...
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There are no boundaries to technology, which continues to reach into all facets of our daily regimen. The world will look and function decidedly different in 10 years compared to today, and while we don't know exactly what life will be like, we know that banking at ATMs is one area that will see plenty of change...
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Things are going well for Google, if you'll allow us the understatement of the year. As we reported yesterday, Google might as well have a license to print money, having earned over $14 billion in the second quarter, up 19 percent from a year ago. Google-owned sites generated over half of that, contributing $8.87...
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Panasonic and its subsidiary Sanyo (by way of a 50.2 percent stake in the company) both pleaded guilty in separate price fixing allegations involving automotive parts and battery cells, the United States Department of Justice announced this week. The two firms will pay a total of $56.5 million in criminal fines, while...
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With just a handful of exceptions, all-in-one (AIO) systems aren't exactly known for being easy to service and/or upgrade. We've seen a few AIOs that buck the unfortunate anti-DIY trend, and it appears Acer's new Veriton Z Series 20-inch class AIOs will fall into the user-friendly category as well. Acer's new AIOs...
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It might still be summertime, but that isn't stopping LG Electronics from doing a bit of spring cleaning. Specifically, the South Korean handset maker said it's tossing out its "Optimus" nomenclature for high-end smartphones, and instead will forge ahead with a tidier "G" to represent its premium brand. The first of...
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After all the rumors, speculation, and leaked info, HTC finally decided to make its One mini smartphone official. The handset maker announced the compact version of the One today, though it's only compact by Android standards. It has a 4.3-inch HD 720p display (341 pixels per inch), which is 0.3 inches larger than the iPhone 5's display, though...
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The main reason to choose a solid state drive (SSD) over a mechanical hard disk drive (HDD) is speed. With few exceptions, SSDs are simply faster, and in many cases, they can run circles around even the speediest HDDs. They're also more expensive and usually smaller in capacity, though advances in technology are...
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It wasn't that long ago when netbooks ruled the low-cost laptop market. For the most part, that fad has fizzled out, though not before passing the torch to Chromebooks, which are low-cost laptops running Google's cloud-oriented Chrome operating system. Acer has been riding the Chromebook bandwagon ever since it came...
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Investors who own stock in Verizon should feel tickled green today, the color of cash, which Big Red finds itself swimming in. The wireless carrier reported second quarter financial results, revealing it collected $29.8 billion in total operating revenues, representing a 4.3 increase compared with the same quarter a...
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It's true that Chrome 28 was only recently released, but with Google's rapid release schedule in full effect, there's always a new version of its spiffy browser right around the corner. So, what can you expect from Chrome 29? Available now in Google's beta channel, one of the things Chrome 29 brings to the browser...
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Apparently Intel has joined a growing list of companies interested in motion sensing and gesture control technology. More than just a passing fancy, the Santa Clara chip maker acquired Omek Interactive, a venture-backed technology firm that develops advanced motion sensing software for human-computer interaction. Omek...
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It's fair to say that the smartphone market has grown too large to ignore, and with PC sales in a slump, expect to see some OEMs get more involved in the mobile market. One of those OEMs is Hewlett-Packard, the second biggest supplier of PCs in the world behind only Lenovo. While nothing is yet written in stone, a...
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