Parallels Desktop beta

Parallels at WWDC announced that it has released a beta update of Parallels Desktop for Mac, the first solution that enables users to run Windows and other OSes at the same time as OS X on any Intel-powered Mac without rebooting. The free update delivers USB improvements, including USB support for Windows Mobile 5, web cameras, and a much broader list of supported devices. In addition, the Mac hard disk cache can be now switched off for a virtual machine, which can substantially improve OS X performance while using Parallels Desktop. The update also brings improved graphic performance; complete keyboard support, including the "eject CD" button and right & left shift mapping for non-English layouts; Unicode path support lets users name files and paths in any language; and improved shared folders performance. The company said that the final release of the update is expected in the next few weeks. A free 15-day trial of the $80 product is available online.

by MacNN Staff