Free Parallels update

Parallels today released a free feature update for its Parallels Desktop 3.0 software, which allows Mac OS X users to install Microsoft Windows XP or Vista and run Windows-based software right alongside Mac applications on the Mac OS X desktop. The update makes Coherence windows -- Mac OS X windows that contain running Microsoft Windows software -- work exactly like Mac windows, and includes full support for Apple's Expose technology. A new "Mirrored Desktops, Documents and Media" feature makes Windows "My Documents," "My Pictures," and "My Music" folders point to the same location as Apple's "Documents," "Pictures," "Movies," and "Music" folders so that changes in one folder automatically affect the other. The latest release of Parallels Desktop boasts improved performance under heavy workloads, as well as more efficient resource management -- especially related to CPU-intensive tasks. Parallels Desktop is priced at $80 for new users, and requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later.

Improved Parallels Explorer

Parallels Explorer, which enables users to view and modify the contents of their virtual machine (VM) hard disk while the VM is off, now recognizes suspended VMs. Users can also choose to automatically mount a VM hard drive to the Mac OS X desktop as a drive that is readable and writable even when the VM is off. The update enables users to access files inside VMs at any time, without opening Explorer.

by MacNN Staff