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
Hey, you there, out from under that rock. Have you heard? Verizon's going to carry Apple's iPhone 4 starting February 10, 2011. Oh, you have heard? Alright then, here's something you probably haven't seen just yet. It's Verizon's first commercial promoting the new partnership with Steve Jobs and Co., a 30-second spot the wireless carrier tossed...
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You can debate the so-called "Apple Tax" all you want and whether or not it actually exists (and, in fact, we did just that -- see here), one thing we should all be able to agree on is that few other companies go the same lengths as Apple in keeping its users from poking around inside its devices. Non-replaceable batteries are the norm, and
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Let's forget for a moment that Apple's iPad has been on the market since April of last year and still has yet to really be challenged. Despite the lack of competition, market research firm IDC says the media tablet market still managed to grow 45.1 percent in the third of 2010. Much of that credit goes to the aforementioned iPad, but it's...
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Ever the crafty (and malicious) bunch, malware writers added a new trick to an old scam, and it appears to be working. According to the Internet Crime Complain Center (IC3), a recent FBI analysis reveals that cyber crooks are targeting employers with fake job applications capable of wreaking havoc. "Recently, more than $150,000 was stolen...
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Listen up tightwads, if you view paying for antivirus software only slightly more appealing than shoving bamboo under your fingernails, then we have good news for you. ClamAV recently announced the public beta for ClamAV 3.0 for Windows, which the company says "includes full integration of the ClamAV engine into the Immunet Protect product."...
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Uh oh big fella, did you jump the gun on a smartphone this past holiday shopping season thinking that the Verizon iPhone 4 rumors would never come true? If you did, and assuming you were interested in the iPhone 4 to begin with, then you're probably left with a serious case of buyer's remorse. Bummer. Don't despair. If you really, REALLY must...
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Oh the horror! The inhumanity! The injustice! Say it isn't so! What are we bellyaching about? Not much, really, but plenty of Netflix users are none too happy with the online DVD rental streaming service's decision to remove the 'Add to DVD Queue' from streaming devices. "We're doing this so we can concentrate on offering you the titles that...
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Ruh roh Shaggy, get ready to fork over an extra $10/month to Sprint to cover the wireless service provider's "Premium Data add-on charge to activations of smartphones." But don't worry, the additional funds coming out of your pocket is how Sprint shows it's "committed to providing its customers a great wireless experience now and in the future."...
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Even those of you who really have been living under a rock or in a cave are undoubtedly aware that Apple's iPhone is coming to Verizon. Some of you already have February 10, 2011 circled on your calendar, the day this long-anticipated partnership between Apple and Verizon will finally take place (existing Verizon customers can get their preorder...
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Taking aim at serious photography buffs and enthusiasts who "need to shoot like the pros," SanDisk today introduced its new Extreme Pro SDHC UHS-I card. What is UHS-I, you ask? For those of you not savvy to the newly released SD 3.0 specification, that's the new Ultra High Speed technology, and with it, SanDisk says its card can achieve up...
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The British Recorded Music Industry (BPI) released figures for music sales in 2010, sparking a debate over whether or not piracy is playing a role, or at least a significant one. According to BPI, combined 2010 digital and physical album sales declined 7 percent overall in volume to 119.9 million. This, the organization says, is due to illegal...
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Zotac today announced its first Zbox series of mini-PCs equipped with USB 3.0 technology -- the Zbox ID41 series. The boring name belies what's a fairly sexy nettop, made even more so with the addition of SuperSpeed ports (two on the back panel). There's also four USB 2.0 ports (two on the back, one on the front, and one on the top panel)....
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Before we get bombarded with emails and angry comments, let's clear the air real quick. We're well aware that by a technical definition, a Mac is a PC (personal computer). But when we use the term, we're generally referring to Windows-based PCs (and sometimes Linux). Clear? Awesome. That said, according to IDC's latest figures, Mac sales posted...
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To the best of our knowledge, ECS just did something no other motherboard maker has yet done. What is it, you ask? They jumped on the 3D bandwagon by releasing a new motherboard "specially designed for 3D home theater" setups. ECS brings a bunch of buzzwords to the table to promote its latest micro-ATX motherboard. In terms of 3D, the ECS...
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Google has decided to renege on its promise to support both H.264 and open source codecs in its Chrome browser, dropping support for the former and vowing to completely back the latter. This change will take place in the next couple of months, the search giant said in Chromium blog post. "We expect even more rapid innovation in the web media...
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Let's say you pick up an iPod touch with 8GB of storage. A few days go by and you realize with all the movies and music you're shuttling to and fro, you probably should have shelled out for the 32GB version. Just return and exchange, right? Sure, so long as you're cool with paying a 10 percent restocking fee. Ouch. According to 9to5Mac, Apple...
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At the end of February, Nintendo will finally launch its 3DS handheld console in Japan, followed by a worldwide release in March. As those release dates near, Nintendo has begun serving up additional details about its 3D-capable gaming device, including battery life. According to Nintendo's recently updated product...
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Talk about stretching a dollar. In a regulatory filing, Apple announced that its Chief Executive Officer, Steve Jobs, was again compensated just $1 in annual salary for 2010, which is something he has been doing for over a decade now. "In 2010, Mr. Jobs’s compensation consisted of a $1 annual salary," Apple said in the filing. "Mr. Jobs...
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Thin is in, playa, or at least that's the message Sony Ericsson sent at this year's CES convention in Las Vegas. Unveiled at the show was the company's new Xperia arc smartphone, a slim and lightweight device measuring a scant 8.7mm at its thinnest part, yet boasting an extra wide 4.2-inch multi-touch screen. Sony says the Xperia arc (are...
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It only took 24 hours for Apple's newly opened Mac App Store to record over one million downloaded applications. That's impressive, not only because Apple just opened the doors yesterday, but also because it was achieved with a mere 1,000 apps. "We're amazed at the incredible response the Mac App Store is getting,"...
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Call if a Fusion frenzy if you want (just don't confuse it with the launch title for the Xbox), because Acer's new Aspire One 522 is equipped with an AMD Fusion Accelerated Processing Unit (APU). As a result, Acer says the Aspire One 522 is "ready for a next generation user experience and amazing HD Internet multimedia performance." Sounds...
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Apple doesn't attend trade shows like CES, instead holding its own press events from time to time, but that doesn't mean the Cupertino company is oblivious to the buzz in the tech world being generated from Las Vegas. Capitalizing on the hoopla and excitement that always comes around this time of the year, Apple today announced that the Mac...
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