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
Back in mid-June, Anker recalled over 1.1 million PowerCore 1000 power banks because of potentially defective lithium-ion batteries that could overheat and catch fire. Obviously that is not something you want to happen. Now just over two weeks later, Anker is casting a wider net "out of an abundance of caution" by...
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As many of you reading this are well aware, it hasn't exactly been easy tracking down a Switch 2 console for purchase from a first-party seller. Sure, you could resort to a marketplace seller and auction sites like eBay, but you'd be lucky to 'only' pay $100 over retail if going those routes. While frustrating, we...
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It's widely expected that Google will roll out is Pixel 10 series during its Made by Google event later this summer, and as the big day draws closer, the leaks and rumors are ramping up. The latest one reveals key details about the Pixel 10 Pro an Pixel 10 Pro XL, the latter of which is purportedly going to rock the...
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I'm dating myself with this one, but a jingle that often pops up in my head is, "The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup!" Of course, there are better coffee options out there, depending on what you're into. But it all starts with having something capable of brewing your favorite beans into a cup of...
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Hot on the heels of NVIDIA introducing its most affordable Blackwell part yet with the GeForce RTX 5050 (which is already up for preorder on Amazon, by the way), it looks as though the company will now pivot to refreshing several of its higher end SKUs with Super models, including a GeForce RTX 5080 Super, GeForce RTX...
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Given that NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 5050 only officially emerged from the shadows less than a week ago, it's only fitting that the first one to show up at retail is MSI's Shadow 2X OC variant. And it's not surprising that the card is already available to preorder. What IS mildly surprising, however, is that the listed...
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It's only fitting that on Throwback Thursday, we're bidding an official farewell to Dell's iconic XPS brand and saying hello to its spiritual successor, called Dell Premium. Dell had already announced (back at CES) that it was killing off the XPS brand, but what's being announced today is the "next wave of Dell's...
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NVIDIA's newest budget gaming GPU is notable for a couple of reasons. For one, the freshly-minted GeForce RTX 5050 is the first xx50 model GPU since the GeForce RTX 3050 (NVIDIA never released a GeForce RTX 4050, and instead the GeForce RTX 4060 was the lowest end model in the Ada Lovelace family). And secondly...
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The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said it's already doled out more than $126 million in refunds to Fortnite players who were charged for unwanted purchases, an amount that represents roughly half of the agreed upon $245 million settlement with Epic Games. In addition, the FTC is reopening the claims the process...
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We're still waiting for monitor makers to fully embrace the HDMI 2.1 (including 2.1a and 2.1b) standard, but in the meantime, HDMI Forum is not showing any signs of slowing down its specifications process (even if we didn't get a big reveal at CES as some were expecting). Just the opposite, the standards body...
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Another day, another recall, and this time it involves Honda (which also dabbles in reusable rockets, by the way). The automaker is working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to alert over 259,000 drivers of a recall affecting three vehicle models spanning 2021 to 2025. They include the...
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Skullcandy is once again aiming to shake your brain (and other parts of your body) with hard-hitting bass, this time by way of its new Crusher PLYR 720 wireless gaming headset. What makes this headset unique is that it is Skullcandy's first product to employ the company's patented multi-sensory bass technology. It's...
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One of the most sought-after storage cards for Switch 2 owners is back in stock, though who knows for how long. What makes this model so desirable is that microSD Express are, for the time being, comparatively expensive to non-Express variants. That will probably change as time goes on, but for now, this is the best...
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NVIDIA has yet to announce when it will add a more affordable GeForce RTX 5050 to its Blackwell lineup, but numerous leaks and rumors suggest it's coming this summer. Exactly when is still a mystery, though multiple prominent leakers on X are in agreement that we'll see the budget gaming card launch earlier than...
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Samsung has begun sending out invitations for its next Galaxy Unpacked event—it's second one of 2025—and with it comes more hype surrounding artificial intelligence-powered experiences, as well as "breakthrough hardware built to unlocked" the full potential of AI. As with past Galaxy Unpacked events, you can attend a...
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You can wait for Amazon's upcoming Prime Day event (July 8) to score deals on million of items, but if you're ready to do some shopping now and are in need of a gaming peripheral upgrade—mouse, keyboard, controller, headset, and more—then we have good news. There's no need to wait, as Woot (owned by Amazon) has marked...
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Intel might be done cranking out NUC devices, but ASUS is not. Remember that licensing deal ASUS and Intel inked a couple of years ago? Since then, we've seen ASUS churn out a spattering of NUC devices, including ones geared towards gamers under its Republic of Gamers (ROG) division. So it goes today with the US...
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If you ask Microsoft, the Redmond outfit will tell you that practically everything is an Xbox. Not literally, mind you, but the company's 'This is an Xbox' campaign attempts to hammer home the idea that a wide assortment of hardware can be used to access its Game Pass service. More recently, it's been dabbling with...
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Give it enough and it will become commonplace to see Switch 2 consoles sitting on store shelves and readily available for anyone who wants to purchase one. We're not at that point yet. The Switch 2 is not only Nintendo's fastest-selling console of all time, but it's outpaced every other console launch regardless of...
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We're already a day into the summer season and you know what that means, right? Sunshine and good vibes, of course! And if you're looking to put take advantage of the good weather by getting fit without outside workouts—long walks, jogging, and so forth—then you're in luck, as we found a handful of deals on sporty...
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Amazon is offering the best deal to date on one of the most popular OLED TVs on the market, that being LG's excellent OLED Evo C4. One of the reasons why it's in such high demand is because it continues LG's efforts to blend excellent visuals and processing with features that are desirable to gamers, including...
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Amazon's next Prime Day event is around two and a half weeks from now (it starts on July 8), but if you're looking for a reasonably powerful Mac Mini at a great price, there is no need to wait. The latest version of Apple's diminutive system has fallen to an all-time low price, and it features the company's powerful...
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