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
Research In Motion (RIM) has its fair share of problems to sort out, including poor financial results and strategic woes in competing with the likes of Android and iOS, but when it comes to small victories, RIM can take solace in the fact that it's starting to put up big app download numbers. As in, three billion and...
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Microsoft made a lot of Windows campers happy when it unveiled a limited time $40 upgrade offer to Windows 8 Pro for users coming from Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7. As it turns out, the low-cost upgrade promotion also applies to users of Windows 8 Release Preview, which is a free download. The revelation...
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Summertime is a perfect opportunity for school age kids to take their backsides outside and enjoy the sun, running through the neighborhood to do all the they things they can't when stuck in a classroom. But who are we kidding -- today's generation prefers to lock themselves inside and play marathon game sessions, and...
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Samsung has some great news for Galaxy SIII smartphone owners. As it turns out, your mobile device isn't at risk of overheating to the point where it catches on fire and burns through its casing, as a forum member at Boards.ie claimed was the case with his Galaxy SIII a couple of weeks ago. At the time, Samsung said...
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The American Civil Liberties Union (ALCU) of New Jersey released an Android app called 'Police Tape' for smartphones that it hopes will help citizens "hold police accountable" by securely and discreetly recording conversations and interactions with Johnny Law. If you happen to walk by an arrest in progress or witness...
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You would think that the processor, graphics chip, and battery would be the biggest sources of heat in any mobile gadget, including tablets, so it might seem a little odd that Apple is (reportedly) focusing on the LED backlight in new revision third generation iPad models to tackle potential overheating problems. It's not as far fetched as...
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The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has given its stamp of approval for a system based on the Select iBall, the world's first intelligent soccer ball that detects when it crosses the goal line and then communicates that information to scorekeepers and referees. FIFA has been testing the iBall for the...
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For those new to the tech scene, it might be hard to imagine, but there was a time when Apple barely registered a blip on the radar compared to today. Long before iPads and iPhones and iPod touch devices and MacBook Air models, the IBM PC was the top dog (IBM has since sold its PC division to Lenovo). It once ran MS-DOS, the dominant operating...
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It's kind of a curious thing that Nintendo is the only console maker out of the big 3 to have announced a new generation model, the Wii U, which will be released in the fourth quarter of this year. Microsoft and Sony so far have preferred to keep their next-gen console plans close to their respective chests while they squeeze out a few more...
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There's something funky going on in Apple's App Store that's corrupting several iOS apps, causing them to crash immediately on launch. The issue reportedly affects over 70 apps, including some high profile ones like Instapaper and Angry Birds Space (free edition). Instapaper creator Marco Arment first noted the issue...
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What do you do when you have a need for speed? You could tattoo "Top Gun" on your biceps or buy a motorcycle, but neither of those will help your boot times or increase overall system performance. Corsair's newly unveiled Force Series GS solid state drives (SSDs) might, however, as they offer the fastest performance...
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Today is July 4th, otherwise known as Independence Day in the United States, which means good friends, good food on the grill, good beer, and of course fireworks! On the topic of fireworks and all the wonderful pyrotechnics that will ignite the skies tonight, have you ever wondered how they're made? It's a little more involved than packing...
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You either have to be really pissed off or a little bit nuts to shoot your computer case with a 12-gauge shotgun. Alternately, you could work for Fractal Design, a Swedish case and power supply maker that was dead set on proving its Define XL case isn't just great at absorbing noise, it can also swallow a shotgun blast to the chest, up to...
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For as brilliant as Steve Jobs was at assessing the market place, he flat out missed the fact there exists a market for 7-inch tablets, so-called "tweener" devices, as he referred to them. Much of the appeal in the 7-inch category has to do with price, and if you're willing to shop recertified models, it gets even better. We stumbled upon...
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The way things go in the tech industry, it seems you can't so much as release a fart without the flatulence police claiming a patent violation. It stinks, but it's the way it is, so does it really come as a surprise that a company is crying foul over Google's Nexus 7 tablet? That company is Nokia, which claims the Asus-built tablet Google...
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If giving Buffalo the ultimatum to 'go big or go home,' don't bother setting out a dinner plate, it may be out on the range for awhile. The Texas-based network and storage solutions provider announced it is now stuffing 4TB hard drive drives into select storage devices, including the TeraStation 5000 series of...
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Lest anyone forget that Samsung dabbles in more areas than just displays, the technology guru has just begun sampling what it claims is the world's first 16GB double data rate-4 (DDR4), registered dual inline memory modules (RDIMMs), which at the outset are designed for use in enterprise class servers. Samsung said...
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We understand not everyone is as excited about Windows 8 as Microsoft is. Whether it's the Metro UI, Start button shenanigans, or the fact that Windows 7 works just fine, thank you very much (or a combination of all three), Microsoft hopes its discounted upgrade offer will convince hesitant upgraders to take a leap of...
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Micron Technology, founded in 1978 in Boise, Idaho and one of the state's largest employers, announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire struggling Elpida Memory in a deal worth $2.5 billion. Under terms of the agreement, Micron will acquire a 100 percent stake in Elpida in exchange for a lump sum cash...
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Another month is in the books, and as usual, Internet Explorer remains the most used browser on the planet with a 54.02 percent share of the market, according to NetMarketShare. That's down only slightly from one month prior, when IE's share totaled 54.05 percent. After sliding consistently for the past couple of...
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Samsung may be losing the patent war with Apple, but it's winning the display market in convincing fashion. In fact, now that Samsung has begun doing business as a newly merged corporation with Samsung Mobile Display and S-LCD corporation, the company claims it's the world's largest display maker. "Samsung Display is destined to attain virtually...
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A lawsuit that could have prevented Apple from selling its popular iPad tablet in China has been settled for $60 million, the amount the Cupertino company paid Shenzhen Proview Technology. The dispute revolved around the iPad name, which Apple claims it purchased outright in 2009. However, Proview argued it still held iPad rights in China,...
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