virtualization
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Parallels' Windows virtualization goes mobile with iOS app
There's already a number of options available to virtually run Windows applications on your iPhone or iPad (even ESPN is doing it), but users of the recently released Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac now have what looks to be a particularly seamless option at their disposal. That comes in the form of Parallels Mobile, which will work on the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, and will let you access any virtual Windows machine running on a Mac that's using Parallels Desktop 6. Head on past the break to check it out in action, and go grab the app in the App Store right now -- it's free, but you'll have to shell out $80 for its desktop counterpart. [Thanks, Xon]
Parallels Desktop 6 coming September 13, with better 3D support and Windows/Mac integration
Parallels, Inc. has taken the wrappings off of its new desktop virtualization software (yes, the same app which was already spotted on some store shelves -- looks like a few retailers jumped the gun), and provided TUAW with a look. The update adds over 80 new and enhanced features, with better support for 3D apps and games, an enhanced Transporter program that will connect Windows and Mac files to both implementations. Also, integration between the two OSes has been improved to include the ability to use Mac OS X keyboard shortcuts, Spotlight, and Parental Controls across both Mac and Windows on the same computer. We got a quick demo of the new app, and it looks great -- Parallels has expertly integrated Windows and OS X in whatever form you want, from a full screen switchable setup, to a windows mode, all the way to Coherence mode, which leaves the virtual machine metaphor out of the equation and just lets you run Windows apps straight from the dock as if they were Mac apps. There's one caveat: Parallels has discontinued support for Tiger, so you'll need to have OS X 10.5 or better installed to run Parallels 6. The app comes in two flavors: Parallels Desktop 6 is the standard app and can be purchased (officially starting on September 14th, we're told, regardless of what's on the shelves at your local Best Buy) for US$79.99, or you can get a Switch to Mac edition (which includes easy file migration and special tutorials for Mac newbies) for $99.99. Previous users of the software can get an upgrade for $49.99. Stay tuned, too -- Parallels tells us it has more even more big news about the new version coming up soon.
Parallels Desktop 6 appears on store shelves
No official announcement from the virtualization mavens at Parallels, but it appears that the next version of the company's Mac app for Windows virtual machines is already popping up at retail. Sharp-eyed reader Matthew Fern snapped this shot of Parallels Desktop 6 already on sale at Fry's Electronics in Roseville, CA. We've got a call into the Parallels press office to find out about upgrade options and actual yes-we-admit-it release info, but chances are we'll have to wait until after the Labor Day holiday to get the final word. Thanks Matt!
New ARM architecture (likely Eagle) better suited for OS virtualization
Looks like that fake Pre with the iOS / BlackBerry OS split personality is a little ahead of its time, but ARM -- supplier of the architecture that underpins most of the world's smartphones -- likes the idea. In a recent talk at Stanford, ARM program manager David Brash talked up some of the highlights of new "extensions" to the existing ARMv7-A platform, and though he apparently never mentioned Eagle by name, it seems safe to assume that he was referring to the capabilities that Eagle would bring to the table when it launches in the next couple years. Notably, the extensions will break through ARM's current 4GB RAM limit by mapping 4GB windows of memory to each virtualized operating system, which dovetails nicely -- suspiciously nicely, in fact -- with VMware's recent talk of wanting virtualized phones capable of seamlessly switching between multiple platforms without any hacky bootloader solutions. We're definitely game for that, but considering that Eagle is still years away from retail reality, we're not bothering to clear space on our credit limit just yet.
Citrix enlists iPhone 4 in its quest for 'Nirvana phone' portable desktop client (video)
Critix has been touting its "Nirvana phone" concept -- a handheld device that can be paired with a monitor / keyboard for remote desktop use -- for quite some time now. Back in February, the minimum hardware specs were nothing to challenging, and as it turns out, Apple's iPhone 4 pretty much exceeds 'em by a long shot. And it has VGA out capabilities and Bluetooth keyboard support. So, you can imagine where this is going. The company is back in what looks like the same depressing cubicle space to show off what looks to be a mature demo of the Receiver 4.0 virtual desktop client on an iDevice, pushing 1024 x 768 resolution and some gesture integration as a mouse replacement. There's definitely some noticeable lag, but hey, you gotta start somewhere. Video after the break.
HP picks up Phoenix's HyperSpace, HyperCore and Flip instant-on assets for $12m
Phoenix Technologies, remember those guys? Yeah, us either. Not that we really minded its instant-on OS or anything, but considering that full-fledged operating systems can boot up in under a minute on most machines, they're kind of a hard sell. Unless you're selling to HP, of course, which is on somewhat of an acquisition rampage. In fact, Hewlett-Packard hasn't even filled out the appropriate paperwork to close that Palm deal it entered into last month, and already the company's dropping another $12 million in order to pick up Phoenix's HyperSpace, HyperCore and Flip instant-on and client virtualization products. There's no mention from either company on what exactly HP plans to do with the new code, but considering that this deal is expected to go final by the month's end, we're guessing we'll be finding out sooner rather than later. On the edge of our seats? Oh, you bet.
VIA Nano E-Series CPUs offer native 64-bit support, guaranteed longevity, and extreme energy efficiency
Oh, look who it is. The company that was supposed to give the Atom a good run for its money is back at it today with the announcement of a new E-Series of processors, operating at speeds between 800MHz and 1.8GHz. Bringing native 64-bit software and virtualization support, as well as a 7-year guarantee, these will certainly appeal to business types, while their minimal idle power consumption (as low as 100mW) and multimedia-accelerating promises should garner some interest from consumers as well. VIA is promising "exceptional hardware acceleration of the most demanding HD video codecs and industry leading 3D graphics capabilities" when these CPUs get dropped into integrated chipsets like the VN1000. Them's fighting words indeed, and we should be able to gauge their veracity in due course with samples available for interested parties right now and mass production sure to swiftly follow. Go past the break for the full PR.
StyleTap finally brings Palm OS to your iPhone
Well it's been a long time coming, but now you can finally run your favorite Palm OS apps on your (jailbroken) iPhone. The good folks at StyleTap have taken that exciting demo we saw way back in May of 2008 and turned it into a Cydia-downloadable reality. As we said, you'll need to violate Apple's rules (and break Steve's heart) to get the emulator on your device, but once you do you'll be able to run Palm OS applications (compatible up to version 5.2), with support for native ARM apps, Audio recording and playback, virtual memory cards, and TCP/IP connectivity, amongst other features. If you've been hanging on to a Treo or other discontinued Palm product due to your sick dependency on a single program (or set of programs), here's your chance to break free. You'll also be breaking free of $49.99, which is what the folks at StyleTap are requesting for this pleasure, and keep in mind that if you upgrade using one of Apple's official number bumps, you're out of luck with your jailbroken software. Still, we find the existence of this to be totally badical, so hit the read link and bone up on your next purchase.
Microsoft dishes out Windows 7 SP1, Windows Server 2008 R2 details
Both still seem to be a quite a ways from a release, but Microsoft has now announced a few details for its forthcoming Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 updates. The latter of the two actually seems to be the more significant, as it adds a so-called RemoteFX feature that Microsoft describes as the "special sauce" in its Remote Desktop Services. The short of it is that RemoteFX uses virtualized graphics resources and is able to function independently of any graphics stack, which Microsoft says will allow "any screen content" (including Silverlight and Flash) to be delivered to everything from full-fledged PCs to low-cost, thin client devices. Windows 7 SP1, on the other hand, is described as having "only minor updates," the biggest of which is -- you guessed it -- an updated Remote Desktop client that takes advantage of RemoteFX. Dive into the links below for the complete details.
VMWare Fusion 3.1 beta available
On Monday VMWare released the Fusion 3.1 beta with some nice changes, including support for OpenGL 2.1 and 2TB virtual disks. There are more than 10 changes or improvements in this beta, including improved graphics performance for games and 3D apps (via OpenGL 2.1), improved USB and Boot Camp support and lots of UI improvements. You can get the full run-down here. The increase in virtual disk size is significant. Prior to this release, the max was 950GB. The update also bumps up parallel processing performance with support for 8-way SMP. Anyone testing the beta is encouraged to share their experiences in the beta forums. Earlier this week, MacTech posted a video of Parallels out-performing VMWare Fusion in a graphics-intensive, side-by-side comparison. Perhaps the changes in this beta will address those shortcomings (though I'd just boot into Windows via Boot Camp if running a 3D game). Fusion costs US$79.99 as a download or $99.99 for the app plus upgrades for the next 12 months. It requires an Intel Mac, at least 1GB of RAM (2GB RAM recommended), 700MB free disk space for VMware Fusion and at least 5GB for each virtual machine; it runs on Mac OS X 10.5.8 or later; Mac OS X 10.6 or later. If you want to try out the beta, you will get an expiring serial number; you can also use your existing Fusion 3 serial if you already own the product. [Via MacNN]
Mac virtualization face-off: VMware Fusion 3 vs. Parallels Desktop 5 (video)
With Steam officially hitting Mac in just a few weeks many Apple gamers have suddenly lost their need to emulate. But, for those who are hoping to get busy in a little Command & Conquer 4 under Snow Leopard this week -- or any of the other myriad of PC-only gaming options -- virtualization is the only way to go -- short of rebooting into Boot Camp, of course. Parallels is the most commonly used solution, but how does VMware's Fusion 3 stack up for gaming? Not too well, as it turns out. MacTech sat the two down together on matching Mac hardware and ran them through a number of benchmarks, including 3DMark. The results of that test fall heavily in the favor of Parallels, offering better framerates and far more consistent visuals, which you can see for yourself in a video below. Most of the many, many other tests run favor that option as well, but we won't spoil all eight pages worth of results just waiting for you on the other end of that source link.
Found Footage: VMware gets schooled by Parallels in MacTech benchmarks
Many Mac owners who install Windows do so for gaming. Those uninterested in Boot Camp can try out virtualization software, which lets you run Windows in a virtual environment on a Mac. The two most popular are VMWare Fusion and Parallels. Before making a purchase decision, wouldn't it be great to see how they handle graphics side-by-side? You drive a car before you buy it, right? The folks at MacTech thought so, and set up identical machines for testing purposes. In the video above you'll see two MacBook Pros running Windows XP over Mac OS 10.6.2 via VMWare Fusion 3 (on the left) and Parallels Desktop 5 (on the right). They were put through several graphics-intensive tests simultaneously with dramatic results. We don't want to spoil the surprise, but suffice to say that Fusion got spanked. You can get all of the details on the test, setups and results here.
Citrix Nirvana phone provides the full desktop experience -- BYO keyboard and monitor (video)
Citrix is something of a storied name in the IT industry, once the leader in remote desktop apps, now looking to make a big return with the Nirvana phone concept. The idea has been around for awhile, but partnership with mobile virtualization gurus Open Kernel Labs gives it new legs. Nirvana phone is just a minimum set of fairly achievable hardware specs (528MHz ARM processor, 256MB ROM, 192MB RAM) required to facilitate remote access to a full desktop. The idea is you simply plug the phone into a monitor, then connect to a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse (or use the phone as a touchpad), and, hey presto, you have a full desktop experience without having a full desktop. In theory you could pocket your smartphone and leave that clunky Targus bag in your cubicle, but should duty call while you're away we're not entirely sure where you're going to find a disused monitor and keyboard ripe for the plugging. Still, it's interesting tech, demonstrated remotely for you below.
How to run Windows apps for free with Wine on OS X
There are many options for running Windows programs on the Mac. Boot Camp, for instance, is included with OS X for installing Windows on a separate partition. Parallels, VMware, and Sun offer virtualization software that let you run your Windows programs without logging out of OS X. And then there's Wine. Wine is an Open Source application layer that runs within the Mac operating system rather than as a stand-alone, sandboxed operating system. The thing that all of these options, except Wine, have in common though is that they legally require you to actually run Windows and therefore own a Windows license. Wine, however, implements the Windows API allowing you to run Windows applications without actually running Windows. David Baumgold has put together an excellent tutorial for setting up and using Wine on your Mac. The tutorial does a good job covering the pre-requisites, the actual installation, and then what to do with Wine once you have it installed. It should be noted that the installation of Wine is rather technical and should not be attempted by those unfamiliar with Terminal.app. Once you get Wine up and running, you can install a myriad of different Windows applications from games to productivity apps (Office, anyone?). If you're curious about a particular program's compatibility with Wine, you can check out the AppDB for a list of applications and any issues present when running with Wine. If you're interested in the technical benefits of Wine, you can also check out the excellent application Crossover, which is an easy-to-use port of Wine (pun intended) that makes it dead simple to get up and running with Wine.
QNAP gets serious with Turbo NAS line, packing Pineview, iSCSI, and VMWare certification
QNAP is generally known around these parts for its ever shrinking line of NAS devices that pack plenty of goods in a small space. The company's latest series sets a new bar for functionality, but does so in a device you probably won't be wedging in on a bookshelf between your well-worn (but never finished) copy of Ulysses and your leaning tower of software boxes. The latest Turbo NAS series is intended for small businesses, available in sizes ranging from one to the eight bay monster you see above, each packing an Intel D510 processor with enough oomph to fuel virtualized environments, so VMware vSphere4 certification and Windows Server 2008's Hyper-V are on-tap. iSCSI is also supported, as is IPv6 and, in one small nod toward consumers, Apple Time Machine backups have been enabled. We're expecting to see the full suite of devices at CES just a few days hence, while they're all slated for retail release in the coming weeks at prices ranging from $599 for the two-bay TS-259 Pro all the way up to $1,499 for that eight-bay TS-859 Pro flavor. You didn't think all this professionalism would come cheap, did you?
VMware wants dual-OS virtualized smartphones, no ugly boot-loaders
It's getting harder and harder to pick a smartphone, with options like iPhone OS, WebOS, Android, and Windows Mobile making the choosing difficult. Life would be easier if you could pick two, and that's what virtualization giant VMware is working on, the ability to run dual OSes in one smartphone. The company already has Android/WinMo and other prototypes running, but phones featuring the tech now aren't expected to hit market until 2012 -- a big delay from the earlier indications of a release this year. Those prototypes rely on ugly boot menus, whereas the vision for this tech would see users switching between environments on the fly, taking and making calls in either whilst juggling chainsaws and dazzling their friends. The company pledges it'll be a seamless experience, but we're doubtful given how even stepping out of HTC's SenseUI into the OS below can occasionally result in mild nausea. The bigger question is who would want this, and it's easy to think the answer is "basically nobody," but picture the poor corporate souls who must carry one phone for work and another for play. This tech could finally let them ditch that holster, and wouldn't the world be a better place then?
Boot Camp Drivers update 2.2 for Windows available
Earlier today, Apple released version 2.2 of Boot Camp drivers for Windows. Installation requires Boot Camp 2.1 to have been previously installed as well as Service Pack 2 for Windows Vista. Boot Camp is included with Leopard and Snow Leopard and lets you install Windows on an Intel-based Mac. Shops or individuals who want to go Mac despite an unavoidable Windows-only application should consider Boot Camp along with virtualization options like VMWare and Parallels. For full information on installing Boot Camp as well as upgrade instructions, manuals, troubleshooting tips and more, look here. Please note that Boot Camp Drivers Update 2.2 is for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard only.
Parallels Desktop 5 ships with a host of new and improved features
There are two kinds of people in the Mac world: those who sometimes need Windows, and those who don't. If you're one of the latter group, feel free to skip the rest of this post. Parallels 5 for Mac has been released, with Snow Leopard compatibility, Windows 7 support, full support for Aero, including Flip 3D in Windows Vista and 7 & OpenGL 2.1 and a host of other new or improved features. You aren't limited to Windows either; Parallels also adds support for OpenGL 2.1 support for Linux guest operating systems. (Although we're a Mac site, I'm glad to see other OSes getting some development attention too.) It is a free upgrade for those who purchased version 4 on October 1st, 2009 or later. Others will have to pay $49.99USD to upgrade, or $79.99 for a new license. Parallels is also offering crossgrade licensing to VMware Fusion 2 users. If you have a license key for Fusion 2, you can get Paralells 5 for the same $49.99 upgrade fee as existing Parallels customers. If you're new to Parallels, check out their introductory video for an overview of how it works. If you need Windows to go with your Intel Mac, there are a lot of options: Parallels, VMware Fusion (which also recently released a new version), Boot Camp (although Apple isn't yet supporting Windows 7 in Boot Camp), CrossOver, and if you're willing to do a little more "nerd work" to set it up, you can even set up Windows virtualization for free with Sun's VirtualBox tool (well, "free" plus the cost of Windows). Parallels and VMware Fusion seem destined to be the dueling "favorite flavors" of Windows virtualization on the Mac like Coke vs. Pepsi or vanilla vs. chocolate. Which is the right one for you? Download a demo and take a look. I own both Parallels and VMware Fusion, and look forward to putting them both through their paces with Windows 7. Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
VMware Fusion 3.0: Take 2
Update 5:30p: VMware's Pat Lee has acknowledged the problems on the serial-number system and has posted a universal 30-day trial license code and download link to allow users to install the new version. --- I never was able to upgrade to a paid version of Fusion 3.0, so I downloaded a demo version and 2.5 hours later received a 30-day serial number. Installation was trivial, but now I can't find my old version 2.06. That would be bad for people who are trying 3.0 and decide to go back to an older version. I tried a Spotlight search, and my older version is nowhere to be found. That's not good. Has anyone else making the upgrade experienced this? Update: Commenters make it clear that 2.0 will automatically be removed when you move to 3. I'd already upgraded to Windows 7 on version 2.06, so the same OS came up fine under version 3.0. One of the advantages of 3.0 is that you can assign multiple cores to the app, and since I'm running on a 2 x 2.66 Dual Core Xeon I assigned 2 cores. Start-up was faster than the old version. About 45 seconds to the Windows 7 desktop, and a few more seconds to bring up a couple of gadgets and settle down. Launch times of apps seem pretty fast, but I don't find the difference dramatic.
VMware ships Fusion 3.0
Today is release day for VMware Fusion 3.0. The app has more than 50 new enhancements including: Support for both 32-bit and 64-bit Snow Leopard kernels. Integrated Migration Assistant guides you through migrating from the PC to a virtual machine. First virtualization product to support for Windows Aero, including Flip 3D and Aero Peek. Support for DirectX 9.0EX with OpenGL 1.4 with new WDDM graphics driver. Greatly reduced memory usage when using Windows Vista and Windows 7 virtual machines and newly created Windows XP virtual machines Faster disk and graphics performance on Snow Leopard. Banish the Start Menu with Always-on Applications Menu on the Mac menu bar. Access to Windows taskbar tray items in Unity view in the Mac menu bar. Run 3D games and play 1080p video in Unity view. I started trying to upgrade my copy to 3.0 late last night and into the early morning hours, but the VMware servers insisted I wasn't in the database. I noticed an increasing number of similar complaints on the VMware forums, so I can't tell you about my installation experience, or how it all works with Windows 7. Stay tuned for more info as we get that sorted out, and hopefully your upgrade experience will be better.
