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 thought the tablet market was popular now, just wait until 2017. According to data released by market research firm DisplaySearch, tablet PC shipments are expected to balloon from 81.6 million units in 2011 to 424.9 million units in 2017. What's more, DisplaySearch increased its shipment forecast for next year...
Read more...
Owning a high performance solid state drive with lots of storage space would be like having your cake and eating it too, which, by the way, is really the only the way to enjoy a cake. Regardless, it doesn't have to be a pipe dream, provided you're willing to drop a small fortune on a big size SSD with performance...
Read more...
They say that patience is a virtue, but sometimes the excitement of a new system proves too tempting to wait a week or two for new technology that might be just around the corner. That was a case prior to Intel's Ivy Bridge launch, though there's no reason to kick yourself if you jumped the gun and ordered a rig from Origin PC. Why? The boutique...
Read more...
Perhaps looking to separate itself from the pack, TUL Corporation today announced newly designed Radeon HD 7870 and 7850 graphics cards in the PowerColor family. In addition to a few aesthetic enhancements, the new PowerColor cards are apparently "packed" with higher quality components for improved cooling, better stability, and more overclocking...
Read more...
The smartphone market has exploded in recent years, particularly in the last 12 months, and by the end of 2017, smartphone shipments will reach 1.7 billion units, research firm Ovum predicts. That would represent a staggering compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of just under 25 percent for the period of 2011 to 2017...
Read more...
If you're thinking about purchasing Nokia's Lumia 900 smartphone directly from Nokia or through AT&T's website, or even at your local Best Buy, do yourself a favor and shop around. It's not that the Lumia 900 is expensive by any stretch -- just $99 with a 2-year service agreement -- but if you look around, you can...
Read more...
Lian Li is a luxury case maker with a serious fetish for brushed aluminum, and you can see that with the company's newly announced PC-Q09FN, a mini-ITX enclosure intended for home theater PC (HTPC) chores. If you're familiar with Lian Li's HTPC line, you can think of the PC-Q09FN as a more roomier version of the...
Read more...
Some people would have you believe that PC gaming is all but dead, nothing more than a decrepit reminder of the early days of videogames, and one that's on life support as publishers and developers switch their focus to dedicated consoles and mobile platforms. They are, of course, dead wrong. So wrong, in fact, that...
Read more...
Something strange is happening the world of browsers. It wasn't all that long ago when it was conceivable to think that Internet Explorer would no longer be the most used browser on the planet in 2012, and certainly not by the second quarter. But lo and behold, not only is IE in command of the browser wars with a...
Read more...
You know we're always looking out for you guys and gals, right? Good, because it's in that vein that we want to give you a heads up on a semi-killer deal for an Ultrabook. Daily Steals, a site we've ordered from before, is selling a refurbished Samsung Series 5 Ultrabook for a low $600. Ignoring the fact that this is...
Read more...
Don't tell overclockers that running a graphics card beyond its rated specs only results in a nominal performance gain, and while you're at it, don't tell MSI, either. While in some cases overclocking a GPU might not translate into a big fps bump, those who embrace the art are equally interested in squeezing every...
Read more...
AOC today dropped us a note to let us know that its new 22-inch high-definition USB-powered display (model e2251Fwu) is now available nationwide. The e2251Fwu is a nifty 22-inch monitor that has the potential to transform your laptop into a dual-display machine, so long as you have a free USB port to plug it into. And...
Read more...
People have a tendency to resist change, that's just the way it is. Underscoring this point is the fact that Windows XP is still the most dominant operating system on the desktop despite being released more than a decade ago. Maybe that wouldn't be the case if Microsoft jumped straight to Windows 7 instead of Vista, or perhaps human nature...
Read more...
Boutique system builder CyberPowerPC today joins a growing number of vendors offering desktops built around Intel's newly released Ivy Bridge platform. Where CyberPowerPC tries to set itself apart is in price. Systems infused with 3rd generation Intel Core processors start at just $749, though you can drop much, much more if your budget allows....
Read more...
There are thin monitors, and then there's the new VX2460h-LED from ViewSonic, a panel so skinny that other LCDs make snide comments behind its back. While others are talking the talk, the VX2460h-LED is walking the walk with a svelte frame that measures a scant quarter of an inch thin, or 6.8mm if you're into the metric system. According to...
Read more...
Dell has trouble envisioning a long-term market for 11.6-inch gaming PCs and is apparently discontinuing its Alienware-brand M11x laptop, but when it comes to Ultrabooks, the OEM needs no further convincing than its XPS 13. The Dell XPS 13 (our full detailed review with video demo) is supposedly selling so well that Dell is can't build...
Read more...
A translated press release revealed that Samsung was busy readying an upgraded Series 7 notebook with Ivy Bridge internals for the Korean market, but lo and behold, a product page just popped up in the U.S. We don't know when the new models will start shipping -- and perhaps some stores are already carrying them -- but we do have the skinny...
Read more...
Product launches are a funny thing. Companies often hoot and holler and celebrate the 'launch' of new products days in advance of when you can actually hop online and order the darn thing, which is exactly what happened with Ivy Bridge. These are known as 'paper launches' and they're not unique to Intel. Try shopping...
Read more...
Beepa's handy-dandy real-time video capture and benchmarking program known as Fraps has just been updated to version 3.5.0. Updates to Fraps are few and far between; the last time the folks at Beepa tweaked their popular utility was six months ago in October 2011. First and foremost, there are new system requirements...
Read more...
Intel's Ivy Bridge train is rolling down the tracks at full speed and all the big name boutique system builders are jumping on board. Count Velocity Micro among them. As of early this morning, Velocity Micro began selling three desktop lines infused with Ivy Bridge: Raptor Z90, Edge Z40, and Vector Z20. "Intel’s...
Read more...
Every system builder that wants to stay in business is rolling out new rigs built around Intel's awesome Ivy Bridge architecture, but Maingear's taking it one step further by using Ivy Bridge as a launching pad for its vertical heat desktops in smaller form factors. This is something Maingear was already doing with...
Read more...
Kenny Rogers says you have to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away and know when to run. His song, The Gambler, was a metaphor for life, but it could also be the theme song for Club 3D's new PokerSeries graphics cards. What does poker have to do with GPUs, you ask? Well, both are played with 'cards', so to speak...
Read more...
