VMware Fusion 1.1 released

Even though Leopard ships with Boot Camp, lots of Mac users still get their virtual groove on with VMware Fusion, and its super-slick window display tool Unity. Today VMware announced Fusion 1.1, an upgrade that sports some cool new features and improvements:

• As expected, the upgrade now supports Leopard

• Better 3D graphics via the "experimental support" for DirectX 9.0
  

• Full Vista and XP support

• A beta version of VMware Importer, a tool that allows users to quickly import virtual machines (including Boot Camp)
  

• Overall better speed and performance

All told, there are about 25 enhancements in Fusion 1.1. Pat Lee, VMware's senior product manager for Mac products, told me that this upgrade is "all about giving the user choice." He points out that the biggest advantage of Fusion over Boot Camp is the ability to access your Windows virtual machine on the fly.

Lee says that, unlike Boot Camp, it's not necessary to shut down your Mac and reboot into Windows every time you want to get to a Windows app. Instead, just use the Unity tool to co-mingle your Windows and Mac apps right on the same screen.

On the other hand, if dual-booting is your thing, you can always use Importer to create a virtual machine.

The upgrade is free for existing customers. If you're ready to try it out for the first time, snag a free 30-day evaluation from the company Web site or purchase it for $59.99 with a $20 rebate (US only).
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