Parallels Preps Major Update To Virtualization Software
Posted by Sean Fallon on December 1, 2006
Filed Under Misc. Gadgets | Stumble This
I’ll admit it, I love the Parallels Desktop with a burning, flaming passion. In all honesty, it has been one of the best purchases I have ever made. That is why I was so excited to hear that a major update is currently in beta.
Parallels allows users to run a myriad of alternate operating systems on an Intel Mac within OS X with little performance loss. Apple’s Boot Camp software, on the other hand, does provide superior performance but is only compatible with Microsoft Windows XP, Service Pack 2, Home or Professional and it requires a restart to switch OSes.
New Features:
The new version of Parallels (Beta Build 3036) can now integrate with Apple’s Boot Camp, creating a partition with Windows XP as a virtual HDD. This will eliminate the need to restart the computer to access the Windows partition.
In addition, the Parallels Desktop window can now be resized - and the Windows screen resolution will automatically adjust for the change. Plus, a feature called “coherency” will display Windows applications as if they were Macintosh ones.
Seamless drag-and-drop of files and folders between Windows and Mac OS X has also been implemented along with support for more than one VM, improved graphics, USB support, a feature called “Transporter” that will assist users migrating their Windows PC, VMware or Virtual PC VMs to Parallels, and various networking enhancements and bug fixes.
In related news, Apple has chosen not to incorporate virtualization technology into the final version of Boot Camp that will appear In Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard next spring stating that - “it is very pleased with Parallels software and didn’t feel the need to compete with its own version of embedded virtualization.”
The new version of Parallels will be a free update to current users of the software and and only $79.99 for first timers. A real bargain if you ask me.
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