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Daily Roundup: Portable Audio buyer's guide, Nexus 4 price drop, Nintendo 2DS, and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Parallels Access works to 'applify' desktop apps for the iPad
What if I said that I was writing this post in Microsoft Word ... on an iPad? No, it's not Microsoft's native iOS app for Office 365 subscribers, and not a third-party workalike that's been stripped of features, either. It's the same application that I use on my Mac -– in fact, it's literally the same Word I have on my Mac. I'm using a new service and app combo released today by virtualization vendor Parallels, but I'm not running a VM on my iPad. Parallels Access (subscription, $79.99 per year) that gives iPad users total access to any application on their desktop Macs or Windows PCs. Parallels Access makes using those applications more touchscreen-friendly than what you usually encounter while using remote control apps like LogMeIn Ignition, iTeleport, Mocha VNC, Splashtop, Air Login or Desktop Connect. Parallels Access is incredibly easy to set up. You'll need a free Parallels account, which you can sign up for when you begin to use Parallels Access on your iPad or Mac; you may already have an account if you use Parallels Desktop. If it takes you more than two minutes to get Parallels Access up and running, you're doing something wrong. There are two components to Parallels Access: an iPad app and an application (called an "agent") that is installed on the Mac or Windows machine of your choice. That $80 annual subscription fee applies to each Mac that you're sharing -- the Windows desktop app is currently a free beta but will eventually go to the same subscription rate when it goes live. Install the iPad app on your second- through fourth-generation iPad or iPad mini and log into the Parallels account. Next, download the Mac or Windows agent and install it on the desktop machine. Once again, log in with the Parallels account. As soon as the Mac or Windows machine is logged in, it appears in the iPad app. Tap on the name of the machine, and you're greeted with an App Launcher displaying all of the major and frequently-used apps on your desktop machine. Tap one of the app icons, and it immediately appears on your iPad screen. When I say "immediately", I'm not kidding. The apps start up as quickly as they would on your Mac or PC when you're on a fast Wi-Fi connection. Even over an LTE cellular data connection, it's very usable. The user experience is completely different from using a screen sharing, VNC or remote control app. Instead of focusing on squeezing your entire Mac or PC screen into the screen real estate available on an iPad, Parallels Access concentrates on putting only one app at a time front and center on your iPad. Parallels refers to this as "applifying" your desktop applications by enabling native iPad tap and swipe gestures for those desktop apps. The result is that a desktop app –- whether it's Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, AutoCAD, or any other desktop app –- dominates the iPad screen and is simple to navigate and control with standard iPad gestures. The app menu, sans the Apple menu, appears at the top of the screen. I installed the iPad app on both my third-generation iPad and iPad mini, and it's just as easy to use on both devices. Parallels Access helps to speed control of the desktop apps by taking "near misses" on taps and applying them to the nearest button, icon, or menu item. This ability is known as SmartTap and works very well. If you need even more precision in grabbing a selection handle or something similar, holding down a finger for a moment displays a magnifying glass tool that enables the accuracy you need for either selecting text or using a navigation element. If you currently use Parallels Desktop 8 on a Mac to run a Windows virtual machine, you're going to get an extra added bonus. All of the Windows apps that you have installed on the virtual machine are accessible from the App Launcher as well. Switching between desktop applications in Parallels Access is also a piece of cake -- tap on the App Switcher icon on the floating tool palette that shows up on the side of the iPad screen, and then tap on the other app you wish to use. Two taps and you've switched to the other desktop app. Selecting words and graphics in an "applified" Mac or Windows app is done with one finger. You can drag and drop those elements, or select them and then paste into an iPad app or another desktop app -- even onto another desktop if you have access to it. One thing I found extremely useful while I was using Parallels Access on the iPad mini is that Siri dictation is fully supported. I was able to "type" into Microsoft Word for Mac using dictation, helpful instead of stumbling with the smaller virtual keyboard of the mini. During my testing of a pre-release version of Parallels Access, I found it to be extremely stable and fast. The only time I ran into an issue was when I tried to run desktop apps on my office iMac over a bad data connection that kept wavering between LTE and 3G at about one or two bars of signal strength. Running those same apps on my local Wi-Fi network and from a remote Wi-Fi network, I found the speed of operation to be almost as fast as if the desktop apps were native to my iPad. So what happens on the desktop computer while you're running those apps from your iPad? Well, the screen resolution changes, and you see your computer being used -- no surprise there. If you're in an office environment and/or would rather not have someone watching what you're doing remotely, there are settings for the desktop app that let you lock the computer when you're working remotely and after you're done with your remote session. The connection between your iPad and the desktop machine is secured using SSL and 256-AES. One feature that I liked was receiving a confirmation email from Parallels Access any time that a new iPad was registered. These confirmation emails are also sent when a new user or computer is registered, so that you're always aware of who is accessing your machines. Is there any feature I'd like to see added to Parallels Access? Sure -- it would be really cool if someone could be working on the desktop machine in one account and using Parallels Access in a different account. That way, for example, if I had kids they could be using the Mac for "educational purposes" while I'm doing work. But I'm probably dreaming... Are there other similar solutions or close competitors? As noted earlier in this review, VNC-type apps provide a way to run applications on a remote PC or Mac from an iPad or iPhone. However, they don't offer the same tablet-friendly transformation of desktop apps that you get with Parallels Access. I've personally tried at least six different VNC solutions and found them all lacking in controllability of the desktop apps; Parallels Access is a whole different experience. Readers who are looking for a way to run only Microsoft Office on a tablet have several solutions available. CloudOn (free, or CloudOn Pro is $29.99) gives iPad users access to a cloud version of the Windows Office suite, meaning that the desktop computers aren't tied up during tablet sessions. OnLive Desktop (free app, service levels from free to $9.99 per month) does pretty much the same thing, with the higher service levels allowing customization of the PC apps it can run. However, in both cases, the services are slow if you're not on Wi-Fi and you're not connected to your personal desktop machine -- it's a generic desktop computer instead. And once again, Parallels Access makes using your regular desktop apps from an iPad so much easier than any of these alternative solutions. If I were Steve Ballmer, one of my final acts before retiring from Microsoft would be to kill the Windows Surface tablet products. With Parallels Access and an iPad, there's really no need for a Windows tablet if you already have a home or office PC. Note: Due to an editorial error, this post was originally published at 9:05 AM on August 27th rather than the planned 9:05 PM timing for the same day, which was agreed upon between TUAW and Parallels along with other media outlets. We apologize to Parallels for any inconvenience that this may have caused.
Parallels Access for iPad offers a truly touch-native remote desktop (hands-on)
Many attempts at tablet-friendly remote desktop still present a traditional desktop to the user; they deliver a lot of control, but they're unwieldy on touch-only devices. Parallels' just-unveiled Access client for the iPad could provide a simpler, more consistent experience. Rather than recreate the full desktop of a host Mac or Windows PC, Parallels Access provides a streamlined app launcher with controls that are largely iOS-native. Text selection, gestures and even multitasking behave much like they normally would on Apple's tablets. The approach sounds intuitive, but is it worth Parallels' $80 yearly subscription fee? Read our hands-on after the break to find out.
Windows QuickStart Kit gives Mac developers a $25 testbed for IE and Windows 8
Microsoft knows that many Mac-based developers still have to test in a Windows environment, whether it's to check web rendering in Internet Explorer 10 or to port an iOS or Mac app to competing environments. The firm doesn't want anyone hemming and hawing over how they cross that digital divide, so it's launching a Windows QuickStart Kit in late April to make Windows testing a trivial affair. The USB drive bundle includes a full copy of Windows 8 Pro, virtual machine support through Parallels Desktop 8 and a set of porting labs to help with any app conversions. The lure may may as much about the cost as the convenience: outside of shipping, Microsoft is only asking for a $25 donation to Code.org, the Kahn Academy or Watsi.org. While code builders have to verify their credentials and race to buy from limited stock, the kit could still be one of the easiest (and most charitable) ways to go cross-platform. Update: If you'd hoped to grab one of the QuickStart Kits, that opportunity has now passed -- inventory is completely sold out. The upside? Given the popularity here, Microsoft has stated that it'll look into making other offers available in the near future. [Thanks, Carl]
Discover Mac desktops in Microsoft SCCM with Parallels Management
Along with its presence here at Macworld/iWorld and MacIT this week, virtualization heavyweight Parallels has a new offering to help big businesses and other large-scale enterprises wrangle their growing (and sometimes unpredictable) Mac populations in the context of the Windows-centric management tools they already have in place. Launching today, Parallels Management is a suite of plugins and agents that allow OS X machines to be audited and managed inside Microsoft's System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) console. The Parallels plugin delivers visibility of Macs on corporate networks, while also giving administrators the controls they are accustomed to on the Windows deployments in their environments. For OS X machines with Parallels Desktop's enterprise edition installed, those virtual machines can be controlled and locked down in compliance with the organization's overall security and IT policies, just like the hardware PCs are. If your organization already has an investment and internal expertise on SCCM, an approach like the Parallels Management setup makes a lot of sense. Of course, if there's not an installed management platform and you have a heterogeneous OS profile or a BYOD plan for your users, platform-agnostic options like Absolute Manage (formerly LANrev) might be more fluid. Even if you prefer to manage the Mac deployments with a platform-specific tool like JAMF's Casper Suite, that doesn't mean that SCCM admins in corporate IT must remain forever ignorant of what's going on in Mac-land. The SCCM plugin for Casper provides real-time audit data to the SCCM database from JAMF's inventory of installed Macs on the network. Parallels Management is offered as a US$30/year/Mac subscription license, providing all the audit and management access to SCCM. The enterprise edition of Parallels Desktop, which provides single license key installs and mass deployment of VMs (and which you can deploy using JAMF's tools, if you like), is $100/year/Mac.
MacTech finds Parallels beating VMWare Fusion again in annual virtualization rundown
MacTech has posted its annual rundown of benchmarks between two of the most popular virtualization solutions out there on the Mac: VMware Fusion 5 and Parallels Desktop 8. Both are of course used to run Windows-compatible software inside of an OS X environment, and especially on the high end IT side (which MacTech covers well and focuses on with its ongoing conference series), just a few measures of speed or performance can make a big difference in productivity. Or, as the benchmarking study shows, game playing. As you can see in the comprehensive report, MacTech set up a series of Mac desktops and laptops, and then installed and ran both VMWare Fusion and Parallels on them, along with a series of games (including the great Warhammer 40000: Space Marine) and other productivity and benchmarking software. So who won? "When we look at the 'big picture' of all the top-level test results," says MacTech, "Parallels is, once again, the clear winner." Parallels has been beating VMWare in these tests for the past few years, and this year won over 68% of the tests by a total of 5% score or more. So if you need a powerful, comprehensive solution for virtualization, MacTech says the choice is clear. However, MacTech also says once again that both of these pieces of software work very well, and that virtualization is more viable than ever as a way to run even the newest Windows software like Windows 8. Bootcamp is still another option for running Windows on your Mac, but if you want to do it without even leaving your OS X environment, either Parallels or VMWare's Fusion will serve you well.
Engadget Giveaway: win an iMac, courtesy of Parallels!
This is the mother lode, folks: we're starting off the new year by offering a brand-new iMac with 1TB hard drive, 8GB RAM and Magic Trackpad! What's more, this fully-decked all-in-one also comes preloaded with Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac, so you'll be able to run Mountain Lion and Windows 8 (as well as Win7, in case you're not in love with Microsoft's latest) simultaneously. This week's giveaway comes to you thanks to Parallels, which is promoting its Apple-in-the-Workplace campaign. While PCs have traditionally been the computer of choice in a majority of business environments, Macs and iOS devices are starting to crash Microsoft's party -- and a program like Parallels (and Parallels Mobile) makes it much easier to accomplish everything on one computer. If you want more Apple support in your office, head to the Apple-in-the-Workplace Barometer and take a short survey to see how your company's adoption rate compares with that of others, and you can get info that will help you figure out how to make Mac adoption a reality.
Russian technology firms agree to avoid poaching each other, keep salaries in check
American companies that reach no-poaching agreements do so behind closed doors, as it's considered illegal and anti-competitive. No such reservations appear to exist in Russia, as several of the country's top technology giants have openly admitted to reaching an unprecedented verbal deal: Acronis, Epam, Kaspersky Labs, Parallels and Yandex have all promised not to actively recruit each other's staff. They contend to CNews that it's a way to prevent salaries from getting out of control as staff are lured away, and that fear isn't entirely without justification -- there's a well-known salary war between Facebook and Google in Silicon Valley, for example, that makes it tough for smaller companies to attract the same talent. Whether or not the pact stands may be another matter. There's no history of Russian court action versus anti-poaching deals, but concern exists that the truce may not be strictly above-board. [Image credit: Jennifer Boyer, Flickr]
Newegg offering Parallels Desktop 7 for $10 after rebate
If you've been eyeing the popular virtualization software Parallels Desktop, online retailer Newegg has a deal on it this week you don't want to miss. The site is currently offering Parallels Desktop 7 for US$9.99 after a $20 mail-in rebate. Now, there are some obvious caveats with this deal. For one, it's an older version, as Parallels Desktop 8 was released in August. Still, this version works fine with OS X Mountain Lion and offers all of the key features, such as support for Windows 8 and running Windows apps directly from within OS X. You'll also be paying $29.99 out of pocket until the rebate check from Parallels comes in the mail, but for many that's a small price to pay for an eventual $20 return.
Daily Update for July 17, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Bertrand Serlet joins Parallels board of directors
This just in... Parallels, the company behind the popular Parallels Desktop virtualization software for Mac OS X, announced that Bertrand Serlet has been appointed to the company's board of directors. Serlet was the senior vice president of software engineering at Apple, and was responsible for the development of Mac OS X from its beginning until his departure from Apple last August. The full press release from Parallels follows. Show full PR text Former Apple Executive Bertrand Serlet Joins Parallels Board of Directors July 17, 2012 Distinguished industry veteran and former head of software engineering at Apple bolsters Parallels board with decades of industry expertise Renton, WA, July 17, 2012 – Parallels, a global leader in cloud services enablement and desktop virtualization software, announces the appointment of Betrand Serlet, former senior vice president of software engineering at Apple, to its board of directors. Serlet will serve as a non-executive director, bringing to Parallels his distinctive professional experience of having led the development of Mac OS X from its inception until his departure from Apple in 2011. Serlet's distinguished background and unique insights will help Parallels accelerate growth and continue creating software that simplifies life for consumers and businesses. "Bertrand is the rare combination of a software visionary and master of execution. We're thrilled to be bringing his world-class experience and expertise to Parallels as the company continues its fast-paced growth and global expansion," said Birger Steen, CEO of Parallels. Serlet worked at Apple for 14 years, where he led the development and creation of OS X and was frequently a key speaker at Apple industry events. Serlet previously spent eight years with NeXT contributing to NeXTSTEP, OpenStep and WebObjects, and four years as researcher at Xerox PARC. Serlet holds a doctorate in computer science from the University of Orsay, France. "With Parallels Desktop, Parallels became a critical developer for the Mac platform, and I got to know and appreciate the Parallels leadership team. I also discovered Parallels deep involvement with the cloud, represented by its rich portfolio of products. I look forward to drawing on my career at Apple to help guide Parallels as it continues on its impressive growth trajectory," said Serlet. The Parallels product portfolio addresses a wide range of consumer, small and medium business (SMB), enterprise and services provider needs. Parallels Desktop for Mac is the No. 1-selling software¹ for running Windows and Mac applications side-by-side on a Mac without rebooting, and is used by more than 50 percent of the Fortune Global 200. The company's cloud enablement software is used by more than 9,000 service providers who rely on Parallels to deliver thousands of applications and cloud services to more than 10 million SMBs in more than 130 countries. About Parallels Parallels is a worldwide leader in hosting and cloud service enablement and desktop virtualization. Founded in 1999, Parallels is a fast-growing company with more than 900 employees in North America, Europe, and Asia. For information on Parallels, visit www.parallels.com/spp, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ParallelsCloud and Like Us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ParallelsCloud. ¹ Mac desktop virtualization software, new unit U.S. retail sales according to NPD Research, 1/2011-5/2012
Parallels Desktop 7 gets the Retina Display treatment
Parallels has announced that its popular virtualization software is ready for the Retina Display MacBook Pro. Parallels Mobile was updated for iOS device Retina Displays earlier this year. The desktop software has now followed suit and is ready to let you see OSes such as Windows 8 and Windows 7 running on your brand new MacBook Pro. And, if you need a copy of Parallels, you can grab it in this excellent bundle of software, featuring over $900 worth of apps for just $50. Someone asked me the other day how to find some excellent Mac apps, and I recommended they grab a bundle and start installing. Even if not all the apps are great, chances are there'll be something good in there well worth the purchase price. [via 9to5Mac]
MacUpdate bundle includes Parallels, Civ, ScreenFlow, ending soon
There's only about a day left as of this posting in the latest MacUpdate Bundle, and it's a phenomenal deal for sure. For $49.99, they're offering a cornucopia of great desktop software: Parallels 7, ScreenFlow 3, Civilization V (!), stream recorder Jaksta, encrypter Espionage 3, Speed Download 5, Attachment Tamer 3, KeyCue 6, A Better Finder Rename 9, and My Living Desktop 5. Any two of those apps are probably worth that price, but for this bundle, you can grab all of them together. The bundle lasts through Friday, so don't wait if you're thinking about picking it up. There's also a demo bundle for download if you want to try some of these apps out, and there are a few other deals in there too: Picking up the bundle gets you a discount on the Civ 5 Gods and Kings expansion, and for just spreading the word about the bundle, you can get Mac locking app Red Hand for completely free.
Parallels Mobile updated for Retina display
The Parallels Mobile app (US$4.99 intro price, regular price $19.99) received an update today that provides support for the Retina display on the new iPad. The update is free to all existing users of Parallels Mobile. Parallels Mobile is designed to allow remote operation of virtual machines running under Parallels Desktop 7 for Mac. According to the company, the user interface and icons of the app were re-created in 264 pixel per inch high-resolution for the best possible user experience. When your Mac or virtual machine resolution is set higher than 1024 x 768, it's now possible to see all of the applications, files and images on the virtual machine with outstanding image quality. Parallels has also improved the login experience for connecting your Mac and remote iPad, and the app now supports international keyboards for the Mac host and Windows virtual machines in all languages supported by iOS.
BlueStacks App Player hits beta, supports ARM-written Android apps on x86-based Windows (video)
We've been eagerly anticipating the full-on release of BlueStacks' App Player, so imagine our excitement now that the software has officially made the leap from its brief alpha stage to "beta-1" status. If you'll recall, the App Player can virtually run over 450k Android apps on Windows XP, Vista and 7, all without developers needing to tweak their respective coding. Notably, this latest build has a host of updates including LayerCake, allowing x86-based machines to run apps written for ARM -- and with hardware graphics acceleration, no less. Other notable goodies from the beta build include official localization in 10 countries, mock accelerometer support (arrow keys), an updated UI and Direct AppStore Access. If the mere thought of running Android Angry Birds on Windows has your interests piqued, you'll find further details about BlueStacks in the full press release and video overview past the break.
Choose My Adventure: Ballad of a teenage Zorai
Last week, the unthinkable happened. Or at least the unprecedented. Yes, after a dozen or so columns under my belt for Choose My Adventure, one of the "joke" choices finally won a poll. Either everyone thought that the paradise city was actually a thing in Ryzom or the impassioned pleas in the comments the week before had done the trick. For those of you under the misapprehension that this was, in fact, an actual thing, I apologize for the not particularly elaborate act of deception. My question to myself, at this point, was what I actually had to do at this point. Did this mean that I had to search through every city in the game to find a paradise, only to discover at the end that paradise had metaphorically been at home the whole time? Was I already in the paradise city, judging by the fact that some people would call the jungle a virtual paradise? The girls were pretty, the grass was green, and by almost any metric you cared to use, Corlede was as close to home as she was getting. But no, I knew what I had to do. Something I had known since I started playing. I went home.
MacTech benchmarks Parallels and VMware Fusion
The 2011 MacTech Conference starts up here in Los Angeles today, and TUAW will have reports and interviews live from the conference all week. Before things begin, however, MacTech has been busy benchmarking (as usual). Its latest benchmarking showdown features virtualization software options Parallels and VMWare Fusion. Both apps were tested under Windows 7 and, as with previous tests, Parallels stacked up quite well. Of the top tests, says MacTech, Parallels won 60% by a factor of 10% or more, and Parallels Desktop 7 beat VMWare Fusion in nearly 75% of the tests run. VMWare was faster in a few different places, as you can see on the full worksheet on MacTech's site. The software ran quicker during some of the virtual machine functions, like starting up or shutting down the virtual Windows machine running inside OS X. But on nearly all other points, Parallels topped the speed charts, including the 3D tests and tests of most commonly used apps on the system. The report concludes by saying that virtualization software is better than ever -- if you've ever needed to run Windows 7 (or even a virtual OS X installation) inside of your Mac operating system, Parallels will help you do it well. As usual, MacTech's report is extensive and conclusive. Stay tuned all week long for more from the conference.
BlueStacks App Player lets you run Android apps on Windows PCs or tablets (video)
If you've been dreaming of a world where Android apps are free to roam across your Windows desktop, you're in luck, because BlueStacks has just turned your reverie into reality. Today, the startup unveiled an alpha version of its App Player -- software that allows users to run a host of Android apps on Windows PCs, tablets or desktops, without requiring them to make modifications to their original OS. Available as a free download, this early test version comes pre-loaded with ten apps, and can support an extra 26, on top of that. BlueStacks' free Cloud Connect app, meanwhile, allows you to port third-party apps directly from your handset to your computer, though some games, including Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja, are prohibited. Those, it turns out, will be included under a paid version of the App Player, which BlueStacks hopes to launch at a later date. You can take the free software for a spin at the source link below, or meander past the break for a demo video, along with a pair of press releases.
Dear Aunt TUAW: Help me run Windows on Mac
Dear Aunt TUAW, I am new to the Mac community, and there are some programs that are unsupported on the Mac and I know there are a few options to run Windows on a Mac. When I search online for the best options and answers to my questions (what is the best option, do I need a Windows license/disc, difference between emulators/virtual machines, Parallels vs Boot Camp vs VMware Fusion etc), most of the info is pretty old and outdated. Can you help me navigate jumping out of the Windows into the Apple Orchard? Lovingly with One Foot on Both Platforms, James Dear James, For any full Windows install, you definitely need a Windows license. A disc will certainly help you install, whether you go with Boot Camp (dual-boot) or Parallels/VMware Fusion/VirtualBox (run inside an virtualized PC). Auntie knows there are pluses and minuses to both these approaches which our noble commenters will surely dive into with both feet, but here's the abbreviated version. Boot Camp offers the fastest, fullest Windows-on-Apple hardware experience. You basically get a complete Windows install, but on a shiny Apple computer. For gaming, hardware-dependent apps and maximum available performance, it's the no-compromises option, but you do need to reboot to switch between Windows and OS X, so it may slow you down in that regard. The other main option is virtualization, creating a 'PC in a box' that runs in software under OS X. Both market leaders Parallels and VMware Fusion have some compromises in speed and peripheral integration, but they do so while running at the same time as OS X, with easy file access and other shared elements. The open-source and free VirtualBox may have a few more rough edges but it does do the job for intermittent use. Another solution is Crossover. Allowing you to run Windows apps inside OS X, it does not require a license or a Windows disc... but as Uncle Mike puts it, "60% of the time, it works every time." Not all Windows applications play nicely in Crossover's W32 API compatibility environment (based on the open-source Wine project), and those that do launch may be limited in their functionality. It pays to try out Crossover first, however, if your application is on the supported list -- it might be perfect for you. In the end, it all comes down to how integrated you need your Windows experience to be. If you don't do a lot of switching back and forth, dual-booting through Boot Camp may be your best solution. If you do, then virtual Windows helps integrate your apps better. Auntie's not a big Windows user, so she invites her more Win-ny nieces and nephews to jump in with suggestions. Hugs, Auntie T.
Parallels Desktop 7 plays nice with Lions and cameras and developers, oh my!
Today sees the release of Parallels 7, the newest version of its popular, competition beating virtualization software. This edition plays nicely with Lion, runs multiple virtual machines and has received several performance tweaks -- for the number obsessed, you'll enjoy knowing that it resumes Windows 60 percent faster than Parallels 6. Gamers will notice a 40 percent bump in 3D graphics rendering and video-chatters will find that Windows can now access your Mac while it's being dictated by OS X. Low end users who don't have Windows 7, fear not -- you can use the "Windows on Demand" service to buy a license via an "easy-to-use wizard" like, erm -- Clippy. Mobile fans will also see Parallels' iOS app give you remote access to your home machine, but be quick -- the price is leaping skyward from $4.99 to $19.99 soon. You can grab the standalone edition for $80, but folks already using versions 5 or 6 can level-up for $50.
