A “Feature Update” for Parallels Desktop for Mac version 3.0 is now available for download. It’s free for all registered Parallels Desktop 3.0 users. The update is available for automatic download and installation through the integrated automatic updates tool; it’s also available for manual download.
Parallels Desktop enables Intel-based Mac users to run Windows and other operating systems designed for PCs on the Mac, without having to reboot their systems, unlike Apple’s own Boot Camp software.
The “Feature Update” includes new capabilities, such as Coherence windows that work like Mac windows, including support for Exposé. A new “Mirrored Desktops, Documents and Media” feature has been added that lets you set your Windows desktop to mirror your Mac OS X desktop, along with your “My Documents,” “My Pictures” to their Mac OS X “Documents,” “Pictures,” “Movies” and “Music” folder counterparts.
Parallels Explorer now recognizes suspended virtual machines, and users can automatically mount a Virtual Machine’s hard drive even if the VM is off. Parallels Desktop 3 gets better performance under heavy workloads and more efficient resource management, according to the developer, as well. Users can now allocate up to 2GB of RAM to a Parallels “virtual machine,” and Windows Vista now works better.