Palo Alto, Calif. — VMware has announced the availability of the third beta of VMware Fusion for Mac, which allows a user to run an PC applicaion on an Intel-based Mac.
Windows, Linux, Solaris and other PC operating systems can run right alongside Mac OS X, safely and easily, without the need to reboot the computer, the company said. In addition, Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X can be used at the same time without rebooting.
The latest beta includes the following changes:
–Improved performance: The user now has the option of turning off debugging features in VMware Fusion to enjoy even better performance;
–Support for Boot Camp: The user no longer has to choose between Windows or Mac-run Windows XP side-by-side with Mac OS X off the existing Boot Camp partition;
–Windows Easy Install: Just answer a few simple questions, insert the Windows CD, and Fusion automatically creates a Windows virtual machine that is optimized for that users Mac;
–Virtual machine packages: Virtual machines are now encapsulated in single, easy-to-manage packages. Move virtual machines to another hard drive or Mac simply by copying a file;
–Enhanced virtual machine management: Managing multiple virtual machines and changing virtual machine settings is even easier with the Virtual Machine Library;
–Improved international support: European and Japanese Apple keyboards now work properly in virtual machines;
Other improvements are said to make it faster and more reliable than earlier versions.
VMware said Fusion’s intuitive user interface makes it simple and easy to copy and paste text between Mac and Windows applications, or to drag and drop files from one desktop to another.
It includes a “snapshot” feature that enables the user to capture and save the current state of their virtual machine. If the Windows virtual machine becomes unresponsive, use the snapshot feature to revert back to a stable system state at the click of a button.
Fusion takes full advantage of 64-bit dual-core and dual-processor chips for maximum performance. The user can run 64-bit operating systems such as Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit Edition onvirtual machines, or leverage VirtualSMP capabilities to create and run multi-processor virtual machines.
Complete information and download of the current beta version is available at: http://www.vmware.com/products/beta/fusion/