Looks like the VMware team may be picking up a few pointers from the "release early, release often" cheerleaders at rival virtualization shop Parallels; the recently-released Fusion for Mac is now out in a 1.1 beta form, downloadable with registration. The beta packs a load of features, full list below -- top additions include DirectX 9.0 support, iPhone/Outlook sync, Unity and Boot Camp functional improvements, and (just in time) better compatibility with host systems running Leopard. The beta also squashes a bug that has bitten me a couple of times: the Airport process randomly ramping up to 100% CPU with Fusion installed.

The beta clocks in at a hefty 170 MB, and you'll get an evaluation serial number good for 30 days when you sign up to download the software. Let us know how the beta works out for you in the comments.

Thanks Joy & RMS

New and Improved Features in VMware Fusion 1.1 Beta

(details from http://www.vmware.com/beta/fusion/)

• New experimental support for DirectX 9.0 3D graphics (without shaders) to enable more Windows 3D applications and games.
• iPhone now syncs with Outlook in Windows virtual machines
• Unity improvements include:
  • Option to show or hide the Windows taskbar and Start menu in the View menu
  • VMware Fusion "Launch Applications" window no longer appears automatically when no Unity windows are open
  • Improved support for Windows Vista 32 and 64-bit editions
  • Improved support for Windows XP 64-bit edition
• Improved Boot Camp partition detection to work around issue where the partition type is incorrectly set
• Improved support for Mac OS X Leopard hosts
• Eject key now automatically ejects the optical drive, even if the optical drive is attached to a virtual machine.
• VMware Shared Folders created with Windows Easy Install now default to "Read Only" access of the Mac's home directory for maximum security
• Option to hide the VMware Fusion status bar to take advantage of more screen real estate
• Make it more obvious in the status bar that VMware Tools are not installed or are out of date
• Make it more obvious that virtual machines must be first powered off in order to change most virtual hardware settings

Bugs Resolved with VMware Fusion 1.1 Beta

• Fixed issue where sometimes the Airport process would take up to 100% CPU utilization when VMware Fusion is installed
• Slow mouse scroll wheel scrolling performance in Unity has been fixed
• Resolved hang when suspending/resuming virtual machines when FileVault is enabled
• Resolved kernel panic that occurs when unplugging a USB volume that contains the virtual machine
• No longer switch out of full screen mode when switching between applications, when the screen saver kicks in, or when opening and closing the lid of a MacBook/MacBook Pro
• Windows Easy Install now works correctly when no password is set for Microsoft Vista guests. Previously, the password was incorrectly set to "*" when the user selected no password.
• Logitech Control Center Caps Lock notification no longer displays when moving in and out of virtual machine windows
• Date and time stamps are now preserved when dragging and dropping files between virtual machines and the Mac
• Device menus now work correctly on Mac OS X Leopard hosts