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
Today's Presidential election figures to be an extremely tight race between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, and whoever wins -- Mitt Romney, according to AVAST Software's mega-poll -- will likely claim victory by a small margin. But will it be an honest election? We're not making a facetious statement about politics...
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Microsoft's theme for the year might as well be "Out with the old and in with the new." That philosophy accurately describes the launch of Windows 8, which dispenses with the old way of doing things (like with a dedicated Start menu, for example) in favor of a touch-friendly future, and it also applies to Microsoft's instant messaging strategy....
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There have been countless polls that have tried to predict who is ahead in the Presidential race, Barack Obama or Mitt Romney, but AVAST Software thinks it has them all beat. Yes, that AVAST Software, the same one that makes security software, including a popular free antivirus program named after itself. What's AVAST...
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You would expect the head of Microsoft to ooze confidence when it comes to the company's Windows Phone platform, and you'd be right. Make no mistake, Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer wholeheartedly believes Windows Phone 8 will finally challenge Android and iOS in the mobile space, and he sees it happening at a faster...
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Korean electronics maker Samsung is reportedly in the midst of a "radical brand makeover," one that will give the company a brand new look. Details are mostly vague, though it will all become clear at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, which is when and where Samsung is said to be unveiling its brand makeover. Australia's...
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The software engineers at Apple have been busy updating programs the past several days, including a bug stomping update to iOS 6 that's available to Developers (beta) and, more recently, tweaks to the Safari browser. Safari 6.0.2, available for OS X Lion v10.7.5, OS X Lion Server v10.7.5, and OS X Mountain Lion v10.8.2, addresses a handful...
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The next generation console wars will officially begin on November 18, 2012, which is when Nintendo's upcoming Wii U console will be available to purchase. Leading up the launch, Nintendo of America has begun its marketing blitz with its first Wii U commercial, a one-minute ad-spot that appears on YouTube and Facebook ahead of its TV debut....
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A new report by network security provider Kindsight suggests that 13 percent of all home networks in North America are infected with malware, which is slightly less than the infection rate of the previous quarter (14 percent). That works out to one in seven home networks. In addition, some 6.5 percent of broadband...
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In the fiercely competitive 7-inch tablet category, it's not unusual for companies to sell their slates at cost or even at a slight loss. The idea is to get the hardware into consumers' hands, and then flip a profit on content consumption sales, like ebooks, music downloads, apps, and so forth. A recent teardown analysis of the iPad mini reveals...
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Don't go pulling the trigger on a Nook Color or Nook Tablet just yet, lest you want to kick yourself in the rump 24 hours from now for jumping the gun on a round of price cuts. Barnes & Noble is shaving $10 off the price of the former and $20 off the latter, so that beginning tomorrow, November 4, 2012, you'll be able to purchase the Nook...
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The social networking scene isn't just about telling friends and family what you ate for lunch, it can also prove vital in emergency situations. To wit, microblogging service Twitter stood strong during Hurricane Sandy's brutal run across the Eastern U.S. Seaboard and delivered over 20 million tweets related to the...
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Korean smartphone maker Samsung announced that it has sold more than 30 million Galaxy S III devices around the globe to date. Samsung's Polish division posted the announcement on Twitter and Facebook, along with a pic of what looks to be staff members celebrating the achievement, but has since pulled both posts offline, perhaps because it's...
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Following the expiration on insider trading restrictions, Facebook's Chief Operating Officer (COO) Sheryl Sandberg unloaded around 353,000 shares of the social networking site worth about $7.44 million, she disclosed in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Friday. That represents the majority...
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You might as well go find a pile of sand to pound if you were hoping to be the first person on the planet to install an iPad mini into a car dash. It's already been done, just hours after Apple's newest tablet went on sale, by the folks at Soundwaves of Tampa, and they have a handful of pictures and a 3-minute YouTube video (embedded below)...
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Hurricane Sandy left a path of destruction in its wake after wreaking havoc on the East Coast, but one thing it didn't do is dampen demand for Apple's iPad mini, at least not by as much as you might think. Long lines reportedly formed at Apple's 5th Avenue store in New York this morning in anticipation of the 7.85-inch tablet's launch, which...
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Microsoft already has a BFF in the smartphone space in Nokia (plus other partners willing to dance to the tune of Microsoft's Windows Phone platform), but don't rule out the possibility of the Redmond outfit launching its own branded smartphone. It's a strategy that's been working for both Apple and Google, and Microsoft could be next. According...
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Wielding a smartphone makes you a walking target. That's especially true of iPhone owners, and unfortunately, smartphone mugging has become the new trend in criminal circles. In fact, it was previously reported that half of all robberies in San Francisco so far in 2012 have been cell phone related, many of which took...
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Hot on the heels of issuing a bug-fixing iOS 6.0.1 over-the-air (OTA) update to iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch owners, Apple has just released iOS 6.1 (in beta form) to developers for testing. The new version of iOS is set to introduce a small update to Apple Maps (don't get too excited, it's nothing major), revamped lockscreen music controls,...
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Apple today released an over-the-air (OTA) iOS update for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users that, among other things, squashes a bug that prevents the iPhone 5 from installing software wirelessly. That presents a bit of a catch-22, so if you're rocking an iPhone 5 that isn't able to update on your Wi-Fi connection, you'll need to install...
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Mobile devices like smartphones and tablets aren't exactly known for being user friendly when it comes to do-it-yourself (DIY) repairs, but Apple appears to have gone below the call of doodie, if you will. The fine folks at iFixIt got their mittens on Apple's new iPad mini tablet, tore it open, and rated the device on its Repairability scale,...
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Another month is in the books, and once again, Internet Explorer is the browser to beat, in terms of market share. IE closed out October with a majority share of 54.13 percent, well ahead of Firefox at 19.99 percent and Chrome at 18.55 percent, but a closer look at the numbers reveals some interesting trends. For one...
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Purchased a new television lately? Unfortunately for Sharp, most people aren't upgrading their TVs, hence part of the reason why the struggling electronics maker doubled its full-year net loss forecast to $5.6 billion. Speaking to its second quarter financial results, Sharp noted a "worse than expected drop" in LCD TV sales in Japan and China....
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