PC

Good deal: 60% off Borderlands 2 for PC and Mac

Looking for something to do this weekend? I've got two words for you: Borderlands 2. If you haven't played the game before, the folks over at Stack Social are running a sweet deal on the popular FPS sequel for both PC and Mac.

In the game, you return to the crazy planet of Pandora as one of 4 unique, playable characters: Axton, Maya, Salvado and Zer0. And upon selecting one of them, you'll embark on a journey of revenge, redemption and blood shed...

New Parallels Access app lets you remotely run Mac or PC apps on your iPad

Virtualization software maker Parallels on Tuesday launched Parallels Access, an iPad app and a subscription-based cloud service that usher in a new era of mobile productivity. Parallels' novel solution basically applifies your desktop applications on Windows and Mac machines, letting you access them remotely on your iPad or iPad mini as if they were made for the iPad, down to the native iOS gestures and multi-touch interface.

Not only can you stream your desktop productivity applications to your tablet, but also all your video from Mac or PC onto your iPad. Check it out in action right after the break...

Apple’s lower Mac sales created by ignoring iPad demand

When is a tablet a PC? When it's running Windows 8. Conversely, when is a tablet not a PC? When it bears the Apple logo. In a second quarter littered with negative sales figures, it took some fancy footwork to lump Apple Mac shipments in with an industry decline that's lasted five quarters.

In its estimates of PCs shipped during the last quarter, Gartner earlier this week announced PC shipments on average fell 10.9 percent. Even Apple - which has consistently beaten PC numbers - fell 4.3 percent. However, in a curious note, the firm explained the figures included desktops, mobile PCs and mini-notebooks - but not iPads. What gives?...

IDC: tablets to overtake laptops this year, all PCs in 2015

It was not long ago that people dreamed of providing a PC for every child on the planet. Well, the vision needs to be updated. Tablets - particularly  those in the iPad mini size range - are outselling laptops now and soon will overtake all PCs, research firm IDC reported Tuesday.

Some 229.3 million tablets are expected to ship this year for a 58.7 percent growth rate, compared to 2012. By contrast, PC shipments are down for the second year in a row, dropping 7.8 percent in 2013, the company announced.

The key takeaways: tablets are becoming smaller and cheaper, while at the same time being increasingly able to accomplish tasks once done by PCs...

Viber hits desktop, iOS app gains video chat, live call transfer, new stickers and more

Viber, the popular instant messaging service and WhatsApp's chief rival, has fallen behind a bit in the past year or so. Not only did WhatsApp take the lead - the service claims to handle an astounding eighteen billion messages every day - but the search monster Google is getting ready to unify its many chat services under a new Bable IM brand.

Small wonder then that Viber in a major move on Tuesday announced a brand new desktop application for Mac and Windows PCs. Available as a free download from the Viber's web site, Viber for Mac lets you send free messages as well as make free calls to other Viber users.

The much-welcomed software release now enables one to keep their communication in sync across mobile and desktop devices because in addition to desktop, Viber is now available on iOS, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry, Nokia and Bada platforms.

Moreover, Viber - which was founded by American-Israeli entrepreneur Talmon Marco - has revamped its mobile iOS/Android client with video messages, an improved voice engine said to help improve call quality and lots more. Go past the fold for an introductory video and more tidbits...

The MAUZ turns your iPhone into the ultimate computer mouse

Thanks to the introduction of the App Store, we've had the ability to turn our iPhones into computer mice for quite some time now. Off the top of my head I can think of several apps that do this, including Mobile Mouse and Touch Mouse by Logitech.

But none of them can do what the team at Spicebox is claiming their new MAUZ accessory can do. The peripheral connects to your iPhone via the dock connector, and gives you motion and gesture-based control over computers and other gadgets...

Few are buying an iPad mini as an iPad replacement, survey claims

In another edition of our long-running 'quit your worrying' series, we present why the iPad mini won't take a bite from larger Apple tablet sales. You may recall, when the smaller iPad was introduced, experts offered wide-ranging estimates on how many sales the 7.9-inch tablet would cost the original iPad. A new survey suggests the number of cannibalized iPad sales will be very, very small. More than half of people who intend to purchase an iPad mini within the next 18 months have never owned a tablet, according to a survey conducted before Apple's new device hit stores.

Of that group, roughly 17 percent said the mini would replace another device, according to the Cowen and Co. numbers. Of the portion of people intending the mini as a replacement, 29 percent said it would be the iPad. However, 42 percent of the replacers were targeting their Windows PC...

iPad growth puts breaks on PC replacement cycle

Memo to PC makers: Your best days are over. That's the word from one Wall Street observer who says tablets such as Apple's iPad are reducing the need to regularly replace laptops and other computers. Indeed, the PC replacement cycle relied upon by computer makers will be one to two years longer, resulting in a loss of 50 million to 100 million PCs shipped annually, by 2015. By contrast, tablet sales are expected to skyrocket from 182 million in 2013 to 300 million by 2016 - with Apple the major beneficiary...

Tablets now comprise 1 out of every 4 PCs sold

Should tablets be considered computers? While experts debate the tech equivalent of how many angels dance on the head of a pin, consumers are voting with their wallets. Tablets sales increased nearly 50 percent during the third quarter while computer purchases are on life support.

Today's numbers from IDC reflect a continuing trend away from PCs and toward mobile devices. Globally, 27.7 million tablets were sold during the third-quarter. This follows last month's numbers which showed PC sales declined 8.6 percent to 87.7 million during the same period...

Apple will also live stream today’s iPad mini event via its home page

Apple earlier today updated the Apple TV interface with a new Apple Events section which contains a link to a live stream of today's iPad mini press conference. The move prompting somewhat unusual speculation that the company will only provide a live stream as a courtesy to Apple TV owners. We provided some workaround solution at the bottom of this post and now Apple has made it official: you will be able to enjoy the live stream on either your Apple TV or by opening a page on Apple's web site using the Safari browser on your iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Mac or Windows PC...

AT&T confirms Mobile Share plans, launching on August 23

U.S. carrier AT&T, the nation's leading telco by subscribers, today shed more light on its upcoming shared data plans available to new and existing subscribers later this month. The new plans are designed to help folks share their cellular data across up to ten smartphones, tablets and other devices while enjoying unlimited voice minutes and text messages domestically. First hinted at in mid-July, the new plans will be officially put into effect on Thursday, August 23...

iPad’s popularity pushes Apple to 19 percent share of global PC shipments

If you count iPads as PCs, as research firm Canalys does, Apple had the biggest single impact on growth rates in worldwide PC shipments during the second quarter of this year, surging to a cool 19 percent global market share. In fact, if it weren't for Apple's tablet, shipments of desktops, netbooks, notebooks and tablets would have probably experienced a decline rather than a solid twelve percent year-on-year growth.

Strong sales of the new iPad, which went on sale mid-March in the U.S. and nine additional countries, along with a $100 price decrease for the 16GB WiFi iPad 2, were cited as major growth drivers for the whole PC market...