New Parallels release!

I've mentioned that I run Windows under virtualization on my Mac mini using Parallels Desktop for Mac. Today they released an update which optimizes the use of screen real estate, adds USB 2.0 support, binary file drag & drop and allows Windows and Mac apps to run seamlessly side-by-side via a feature known as Coherence.

Upgrading my current Parallels installation was a snap. I played with Coherence for awhile, running Visual Studio and SQL Management Studio on my Mac desktop, and I was quite impressed by the overall usability. The good folks at Parallels have done an amazing job. Unfortunately, Coherence doesn't jive with the way I work in Windows. I tend to make heavy use of the Windows Desktop, which (obviously) isn't visible when in Coherence mode. I had to back off and settle for the traditional VM window at full-screen resolution. People who just run a few Windows apps and make little use of the Windows Desktop will really benefit from Coherence. It's very well done and extremely cool.

Personally, I'm thrilled by how easy it is to maximize the VM window and take full advantage of my 1280x1024 monitor. I'm constantly switching between Mac & Windows apps, so running the VM full-screen doesn't make much sense. Being able to maximize the VM windows DOES make good sense and that's exactly what I can do now.

Great job, Parallels! I understand that 3-D graphics acceleration and SMP are in the works. I don't care too much about 3-D graphics, but adding this feature means graphics pass-through to the hardware, which translates into faster 2-D, including video, videoconferencing, etc.

Comments

[paul mandeville]

Hey Mark....great web site. Found it last night looking around. Great pictures and interesting format. We need to get in touch and talk...hope all is well, your cousin,Paul