App Update: Chrome browser for iPhone and iPad version 21.0.1180.80

Andrew Edney
-
0
App Update: Chrome browser for iPhone and iPad version 21.0.1180.80

If you are fan of Google’s Chrome browser you can now get it as an app for both the iPhone and iPad and it’s just been updated to version 21.0.1180.80.

mza_6583094813439038370_320x480-75_t[2]

Browse fast with Chrome, now available on your iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Sign in to sync your personalized Chrome experience from your computer, and bring it with you anywhere you go.

What’s New in Version 21.0.1180.80

Resolved compatibility issues w. certain websites including Yahoo! Mail
Fixes for blank Most Visited page
Fixes for issues when logging into some sites
Share webpages via email or G+, Facebook, Twitter
Stability and security improvements
Many bug fixes addressing user feedback

Have you tried it yet? Be sure and let us know by leaving a comment below.

Download Google Chrome for iOS now

Activision Anthology is Out Now for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Android

Andrew Edney
-
2
Activision Anthology is Out Now for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Android

Experience the best retro classic games from the 2600 era with the all-new Activision Anthology App for tablets and smartphones!

SplashScreen

Available for the first time on iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Android devices, gamers can play the original games that started it all. Activision Anthology gives gamers KABOOM!  for FREE and access to 45 Activision and Imagic games including: PITFALL!, RIVER RAID, THE ACTIVISION DECATHLON, BARNSTORMING, STAMPEDE, PITFALL II, ENDURO, DEMON ATTACK, and many more!

Screen5

Activision Anthology features multiple control schemes so gamers can choose a play style that suits them. Activision Anthology has Game Center and Facebook integration including leaderboards and achievements to share and compete with friends!  Players can also earn digital versions of the renowned Activision game patches offered in the 1980’s. Original cartridge and box art, game manuals, tips and strategies from the original game designers are also included.

Screen1 Screen2Screen3 Screen4

Download some Activision nostalgia now!

Activision Anthology is available for the iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and Android devices for free (includes Kaboom!). Players can purchase four additional bundle packs with 11 games each at $2.99 or collect all 45 games for a special limited-time introductory price of only $6.99.

Download now from the Apple App Store Download now from Google Play

Save 50% on my Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials Book this week

Andrew Edney
-
0
Save 50% on my Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials Book this week

My publisher, O’Reilly, have got a special deal on certain books this week as part of a back-to-school special, and one of those is my Working with Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials e-book.

Back to school

Use this link to add the Ebook to your cart with the discount count B2S2 – this special deal runs Sept 4-11 2012.

cart

Then the ebook can be yours for $17.99 – which is a bargain if I do say so myself!

Windows Server 2012 Is Officially Available

Jim McCarthy
-
4
Windows Server 2012 Is Officially Available

Microsoft released Server 2012 today.  Read on for details.

MSFT_logo_rgb_C-Gray_D

Microsoft released Server 2012 today and held a live press event to roll it out.  Here is the blog post that announced the rollout:

Today’s launch of Windows Server 2012 puts a spotlight on the transformational shift underway across the entire IT ecosystem. This transformation is being driven by an exponential growth of devices used for smarter, more personalized applications, which in turn create an explosion of data and the need for more computing power. It is a world of connected devices and continuous services, and it’s all powered by servers.

This is leading to dramatic changes in how computing, storage and networking come together in scalable, automated, shared and adaptive platforms that deliver modern applications to power the world’s computing experiences. This is cloud computing.

There is a lot of jockeying in the industry around what the drivers and enablers are for this new paradigm. We believe that software will play the key role in this new era. Specifically, software value manifested as a new operating system for the cloud.

In this context, we have set out to build the Cloud OS – a reimagined operating system that enables those smart, modern apps across a company’s datacenter, a service provider datacenter, or the Windows Azure public cloud. The Cloud OS does what operating systems have always done: manage hardware and provide a platform for applications. But it also expands to include services and technologies that have not previously been considered part of an operating system. The Cloud OS needs to bring together all the services required by end users, developers and IT to truly reap the benefits of the Cloud.

In building the Cloud OS, we are focused on four key things. First is the transformation of the datacenter. We want to bring together all of the resources provided by a traditional datacenter – storage, networking and computing – into one platform that scales elastically with an organization’s needs. Second is offering the APIs and runtimes to enable developers to create modern applications – for mobile, social and big data. A third important aspect of the Cloud OS is ensuring personalized services and experiences, so that any user on any device can access all of their data and applications. Lastly, data of any size or type, stored anywhere and processed in any style, must be a first-class citizen of the Cloud OS.

With Windows Server 2012 and Windows Azure at its core, we are delivering the Cloud OS. Based on our unique innovations in the most widely used operating systems, applications and cloud services, only Microsoft is able to offer the consistent platform that the cloud demands. It is that consistency that will enable customers to use common virtualization, application development, systems management, data and identity frameworks across all of their clouds.

As companies find more and more ways to take advantage of cloud benefits, this consistency will be required in how the cloud behaves, whether on-premise or through service providers. To be clear, that consistency is not a statement about packaging or offers, but rather about the underlying technology designs, in which virtuous cycles of development drive both Windows Server and Windows Azure and the key technologies that span both. We’ve built the Cloud OS components in concert – not acquired them as piece parts – which provides a further level of consistency and cohesion across deployment scenarios.

Today, we are launching the cornerstone of the Cloud OS – Windows Server 2012, and it has been built from the cloud up. Drawing from our experience running massive cloud services at global scale, Windows Server 2012 redefines the server operating system and introduces advanced storage, networking, virtualization, automation and end user access capabilities. It delivers a transformational leap in the speed, scale and power that datacenters and applications can build on. And it is a linchpin in that consistency customers will use to take advantage of private, hosted and public clouds.

In the 1990s, Microsoft saw the need to democratize computing and made client/server computing available at scale, to customers of all sizes. Today, our goal is to do the same for cloud computing with Windows Server 2012. I hope you’ll tune into our on-demand launch experience to get more details on the product, as well as great examples of how customers are already using it and realizing value.

And lastly, check out the rollout videos at this website.  (Be aware that this site has been up and down all day for me; if this link fails, try again later.)  Server 2012 is here!

Server 2012 Blog Post Server 2012 Launch Website

Bad Piggies are coming – watch out Angry Birds

Andrew Edney
-
0
Bad Piggies are coming – watch out Angry Birds

Rovio, the makers of Angry Birds, today announced Bad Piggies!

Bad Piggies

This is what Ravio said:

The Bad Piggies game is coming with no slingshot or @AngryBirds in sight! Launching on September 27th on iOS, Android, and Mac – Windows 8 and PC versions coming soon after. Stay tuned for more!

Great – that will be more hours of my life I will never get back!

A night playing the new Rocksmith game from Ubisoft – it’s like Guitar Hero, but for real!

Andrew Edney
-
1
A night playing the new Rocksmith game from Ubisoft – it’s like Guitar Hero, but for real!

Last night we were invited to play Rocksmith, the new game from Ubisoft. And even cooler was that we were invited to play it at the Gibson Guitar Studios in London!

CDW - A night playing Rocksmith from Ubisoft - 4

This is how Ubisoft describe the game:

Rocksmith is the first and only game that you can plug into any real guitar or bass.

Nothing plastic, nothing fake, just the most authentic and complete guitar experience in music gaming. By plugging into your console, you’ll develop real skills and real styles while playing absolutely real music.

Featuring gameplay that automatically adjusts to your personal ability, Rocksmith’s innovative game design makes playing music visually intuitive and will engage experienced musicians as well as those who have never picked up a guitar in their lives.

Unlock mini-games to hone specific skills. You’ll also be able to choose from a large catalog of songs in different styles. You’ll experience it all with an honest-to-goodness guitar or bass. Nothing compares to playing a real instrument. Except playing Rocksmith.

In order to use a real guitar, you get a lead that you connect up to both the guitar and the console. This lead is a unique 1/4″-to-USB cable –the first of its kind – and allows users to plug any real guitar or bass with a 1/4″ output jack directly into their Xbox 360, PS3 or PC. Developed exclusively for Rocksmith, this guitar converts the guitar’s signal from analogue to digital and allows it to be recognised by your console.

CDW - A night playing Rocksmith from Ubisoft - 3

And here is Claire showing us how to play the game.

CDW - A night playing Rocksmith from Ubisoft - 7 CDW - A night playing Rocksmith from Ubisoft - 8

And here is a video that shows it all a lot better:

I had a lot of fun playing Rocksmith, even if I wasn’t very good. But as Claire said, playing the game actually gets you better at playing the guitar, so I hope after lots of game playing I will be better – we shall just have to wait and see.

If you are a fan of Guitar Hero and you want to do it for real, then Rocksmith is the game for you.

Rocksmith is released on the 27th September for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and on 18th October for the PC (yes, there is a PC version).

If you want to see what the game looks like on screen, here are some images:

newUploads_2012_0531_7f9df71d2c250535025467c276a1b471_120605_11amPST_Chordead_UK-0001 newUploads_2012_0531_7f9df71d2c250535025467c276a1b471_120605_11amPST_Ducks Screenshot-0002newUploads_2012_0531_7f9df71d2c250535025467c276a1b471_120605_11amPST_Song Screenshot-0003 newUploads_2012_0531_7f9df71d2c250535025467c276a1b471_120605_11amPST_SuperSlider_UK-0004newUploads_2012_0604_3295003e15c789a041bf8ddf3aed5c36_120605_11amPST_Bass and Guitar Multiplayer-0001 newUploads_2012_0604_3295003e15c789a041bf8ddf3aed5c36_120605_11amPST_Slap and Pop Bass Technique Challenge Gameplay-0004newUploads_2012_0604_3295003e15c789a041bf8ddf3aed5c36_120605_11amPST_Slap and Pop Technique Challenge Gameplay-0005 newUploads_2012_0604_3295003e15c789a041bf8ddf3aed5c36_120605_11amPST_Real Bass or Emulated Bass-0003newUploads_2012_0604_3295003e15c789a041bf8ddf3aed5c36_120605_11amPST_Bass Guitar-0002

So is this something you might be interesting in playing? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Apple announces 12th September event – is it for the iPhone 5?

Andrew Edney
-
0
Apple announces 12th September event – is it for the iPhone 5?

Apple have announced an event for the 12th September, and the assumption is that it’s for the iPhone 5.

apple iphone 5 event

The invite says “It’s almost here.” and you can see a 5, so iPhone 5 then!

Expect lots of wild and wacky rumours between now and next week.

Parallels Desktop 8 Review

Dan James
-
1
Parallels Desktop 8 Review

CDW Gold Award

Run Windows on your Mac

Parallels Desktop 8

As someone who made the switch from having a Windows machine to a Mac as my main computer, I am particularly excited by the release for purchase today of Parallels Desktop 8. It has been available as an upgrade for Desktop 7 owners since last week, and you can now buy the full version.

Parallels Primer

What is Parallels Desktop? It allows you to run the Windows operating system and Windows applications on your OSX Mac seamlessly. There’s a lot more to it than that, but if you currently use a Mac and a PC, or you’re running BootCamp to use the two operating systems, you need Parallels Desktop. Really, you do. It lets you run a Windows instance as a window so it looks like a Windows desktop, or, more impressively, you can run Windows applications so that they look like they’re running natively in OSX without the Windows desktop anywhere in sight via Coherence Mode.

If there are one or two applications that you keep going back to Windows for, even if you’d like to be 100% OSX, then Parallels Desktop will let you get 99% of the way there.

The Windows instance (or indeed Mac, as you can run another Mac instance on your Mac as well) exists as a virtual machines, which means that it thinks it’s running on real hardware, when it’s actually running on top of OSX. This means you can easily start, stop and suspend the VM (analogous to pausing a video), without the hassle of shutting down a real PC machine. When you unsuspend the VM, it appears exactly as you left it.

As an iMac user, the best feature for me is that you can have the Windows desktop window as a full-screen application, and simply flick between the OSX and Windows desktops with the Magic Mouse gesture. PC, Mac, PC, Mac, PC, Mac – magic!

That really doesn’t do the software justice as it’s full of features. You can read more about it on Parallels’ own website.

What’s New in Parallels Desktop 8?

The main feature is of course that Desktop 8 makes Windows 8 play nicely with OSX Mountain Lion. It still runs Windows 7, of course, so there’s no need to wait until Windows 8 is fully released to get Desktop 8. There are lots more new and enhanced features delivered in Desktop 8 – here’s the lowdown from the Parallels blog:

This version of Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac includes the following new features and enhancements:

OS X Mountain Lion Compatibility
– Run OS X Mountain Lion in a virtual machine.
– Create an OS X Mountain Lion virtual machine using the recovery partition.
– Parallels Desktop notifications are displayed in the Mountain Lion Notification Center.
– Mountain Lion Dictation support.

Windows 8 support
– Use Windows 8 in Coherence mode.
– Metro applications correctly use the full screen when Windows 8 is in Coherence mode, just as they would on a PC.
– Metro applications are scaled on Mac computers with lower resolution so you can use them comfortably.
– Windows 8 toast notifications are displayed as Mountain Lion notifications. Click the notification to launch the corresponding application.

Usability
– A new Presentation mode lets you connect an external display and start showing a presentation from a guest OS application with just one click.
– Full Screen view mode now lets you see the host and guest OSs at the same time when using two or more displays.
– View detailed information about how much disk space is taken by virtual machines, snapshots, and other Parallels Desktop files, with one-click ability to free up disk space.
– When in window mode, the mouse pointer sticks to the virtual machine windows’ edges to make it easy to access things like the Start menu in Windows 8, the taskbar (if hidden) in Windows XP, and the menu bar in OS X.
– In Coherence mode, the Mac keyboard menu bar icon indicates the Mac and Windows input language.
– Caps Lock and Input Language indicators make it easier to enter your passwords in Parallels Desktop.
– Merging the Windows Recycle Bin and the OS X Trash lets you empty just one to delete files from both. And if you Restore or Put Back a file from one, it is removed from the other.
– Easily check your virtual machine CPU and memory consumption.
– In Mission Control, all windows are grouped by application.
– Support for recent list for virtual machines in Mission Control.
– When you connect a USB drive, it appears in the guest OS as a USB drive instead of a shared folder.
– When shared, the Mac hard disk appears in the guest OS as a hard disk instead of a shared folder.
– Install Parallels Desktop more easily than ever before by simply double-clicking the Install icon. Parallels Desktop does the rest.
– Right-click the window of a shut down, suspended, or paused virtual machine for a menu that lets you find the virtual machine in the Finder, open configuration settings, and more.
– Easily distinguish your virtual machines in the Finder by icons that look like those of their guest OSs.
– Press and hold down the Option (Alt) key to display additional options in the Parallels menu in Crystal view mode.
– Switch your virtual machines to Coherence or Full Screen view mode with one click using the buttons in the title bar of the virtual machine window.
– New, more intuitive design to create or customize keyboard shortcuts for your virtual machines.
– Create your own keyboard shortcuts in OS X System Preferences to work with Parallels Desktop.

Integration
– Drag a file to a guest OS email application icon in the Dock to create a new message in that application with the file attached.
– Easily save and send files created in Windows Microsoft Office applications using your OS X email application.
– Drag and drop files between Windows virtual machines.
– Drag and drop files between Linux virtual machines and your Mac.
– Open the current Safari page in Internet Explorer with one click.
– Copy and paste text and images between the guest and host versions of OS X.
– Use OS X as a guest operating system in Coherence mode.
– Use OS X keyboard shortcuts to work with OS X virtual machines.
– Easily download and install Android from within Parallels Desktop.

Devices
– Send files to Bluetooth devices from Windows virtual machines.
– When a USB mouse is connected directly to Windows, the mouse pointer now consistently moves smoothly and is always visible.

Security
– Protect Windows using either Norton Internet Security or Kaspersky Security for Windows.
– Protect your Mac using Kaspersky Security for OS X.

Performance
– If you have a Mac with a Retina Display, Windows is optimized for a clearer, sharper interface.
– Significantly less free disk space required to remove or merge snapshots.
– Improved mouse pointer behavior in games.
– Improved Input/Output (I/O) performance.
– Improved 3D graphics performance.

The star features for me are the easy install, which I can vouch for, as well as the support for using OSX Dictation in Windows applications. As a gamer, I’m also excited by the graphics performance improvements. If you haven’t got it, get it!

Parallels Desktop 8 gets a Connected Digital World Gold Award as that’s the highest honour we have to give when really it needs a Platinum Award… maybe even an Unobtanium Award…

CDW Gold Award

My Movies for Windows Home Server 2011 Version 2.13 Pre Release 2 released

Andrew Edney
-
0
My Movies for Windows Home Server 2011 Version 2.13 Pre Release 2 released

Brian has also released version 2.13 Pre Release 2 of My Movies for Windows Home Server 2011.

Windows Home Server 2011

My Movies for Windows Home Server 2011 operates as database back-end for My Movies clients in multi-zone environments.

The My Movies for Windows Media Center or My Movies Collection Management products can be downloaded and installed on client PC’s to maintain movies in the database on My Movies for Windows Home Sever 2011.

My Movies may not be pre-installed on commercial products, nor in any way redistributed or provided to end-users by installers that is not part of our installer program.

My Movies for Windows Home Server 2011 2.13 (PR2) changes:

Fix: Issue with incorrect disc sorting

MMW HS

Before installing a pre release version, you must make a backup of your database using the Collection Management program. There are no guarantee that a pre release version functions as expected, and it should therefore only be used for evaluation purposes. The database backup ensures that you can revert back to the latest stable version.

You can download the Windows Home Server 2011 pre-release version here Check out our review of My Movies for Windows Home Server 2011 2.0 Pre Release 7

My Movies for Windows Media Center 4.04 build 4 released

Andrew Edney
-
0
My Movies for Windows Media Center 4.04 build 4 released

Brian has just released My Movies for Windows Media Center version 4.04 build 4, just days after build 3.

1_thumb3_thumb_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu2_thumb3_thumb_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu

Here is the change log for 4.04 build 4:

Fix: Issue with incorrect disc sorting
Fix: Issue with media information reading that kept going, sometimes preventing standby.
Fix: The Bonjour host name for the remote was invalid.
Fix: Re-download of TV Episodes could fail in rare situations

MM

Download My Movies 4.04 build 4 now Check out our review of My Movies for Windows Home Server 2011 2.0 Pre Release 7

Hearthfire Now Available for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Andrew Edney
-
6
Hearthfire Now Available for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Hearthfire, the latest add-on for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is now available to download.

1736DraftingTable

With this official add-on to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, you can purchase land and build your own home from the ground up – from a simple one-room cottage to a sprawling compound complete with an armory, alchemy laboratory, stable, garden, and more. Use all-new tools like the drafting table and carpenter’s workbench to transform quarried stone, clay, and sawn logs into structures and furnishings. Even transform your house into a home by adopting children.

1734Build 1735Cooking

Choose Your Land – Choose from property in the salt marshes of Hjaalmarch, the forests of Falkreath, or the vast tundra of The Pale. For the more ambitious landowner, purchase multiple plots and start building a real estate empire.

 

Customize Your Home – Expand your home with a variety of room combinations including an armory, alchemy tower, kitchen, trophy room and more. Grow plants in your new greenhouse, cultivate slaughterfish in the fish hatchery, house your Arcane Enchanter in the enchanting tower, or display your latest conquest in the trophy room. Add additional features like stables, mills, smelters, gardens and more.

 

New Objectives and Interactions – Guard your home from unwanted visitors like marauding kidnappers, armed bandits, and skeever infestations. Turn almost any follower into your personal steward to improve and protect your home. Or if you require more help, hire a personal bard or carriage driver to ease the burdens of home ownership.

 

Adoption – Transform your house into a home with Hearthfire’s all-new adoption system. Adopt children and discover new ways to interact with your family. Play games with the kids, allow them to have pets and gain new bonuses from having a family.

1737MainHall 1738TrophyRoom

1739Kitchen

Hearthfire is now available worldwide for download for 400 Microsoft Points on Xbox LIVE.

Have you played Hearthfire yet? If so, let us know what you think of it by leaving a comment below.

343 Industries Unveils Halo 4 Multiplayer Details and new featurette

Andrew Edney
-
1
343 Industries Unveils Halo 4 Multiplayer Details and new featurette

This weekend 343 Industries unleashed a volley of exciting news about this year’s most anticipated game, announcing details on the reimagined “Capture the Flag” and “Oddball” modes, the addition of the community-created “Grifball” mode  as well as the premiere of an epic 10-minute featurette on the making of Halo 4, entitled “A Hero Awakens.” Additionally, 343 debuted the first look at a brand-new multiplayer map in Halo 4 called “Exile”.

082712_ctf_exile_08

EXILE – Miraculously, the survivors of the UNSC Diadochi’s violent crash managed to not only recover provisions from the vessel’s debris field, but also use it as a makeshift shelter for several years. When rescue and recovery teams finally arrived, they were surprised to discover a healthy, burgeoning community thriving within the ship’s remains. Now this wreckage serves as a battleground in War Games. ‘Exile’ is an earthy, circular canyon bed interconnected by a network of caves and favoring fast-paced vehicle combat, while still offering frantic, on-foot action.

08-08-12_exile_map-02 08-22-12_exile_map-0508-24-12_exile_ctf-05 08-26-12_exile-ctf-07

A video of the 343 “Halo Reborn” panel at PAX Prime (where “Exile was announced), featuring gameplay footage of “Exile” and the newly reimagined modes will be available, starting Wednesday 5 September, on Halo Waypoint at: http://halo.xbox.com/halo4/en-US#!videos/panels/e36292ea-fea3-4290-8649-fb9fbbc0b071.

082712_ctf_exile_02 082712_ctf_exile_04

Fuelling the excitement, 343 Industries premiered “A Hero Awakens” – a new behind-the-scenes featurette on the making of “Halo 4”. Featuring never-before-seen development footage, the 10-minute ViDoc provides a captivating look at the creative process for the most anticipated game of the year. The video also offers a sneak peek at how “Halo 4’s” voice and cinematic performance capture actors bring the series’ iconic heroes to life through emotionally riveting performances, showcasing how the development of Halo 4 rivals the production of a blockbuster Hollywood movie. Check out the ViDoc on Halo Waypoint at: http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/Universe/detail/making-halo-4-a-hero-awakens/7137a262-1f53-4480-bfc6-96bbb236df18.

Set almost five years after the events of Halo 3, Halo 4 takes the series in a bold new direction and sets the stage for an epic new sci-fi saga, in which the Master Chief returns to confront his destiny and face an ancient evil that threatens the fate of the entire universe. In addition to a rich story and campaign, Halo 4 introduces a ground-breaking new multiplayer offering, called Halo Infinity Multiplayer, that builds off of the Halo franchise’s rich multiplayer history and promises to continue to innovate and redefine the way people think about storytelling and multiplayer experiences.

Have you ordered Halo 4? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

App Update: Sky Go for Android now at version 2.0.2

Andrew Edney
-
0
App Update: Sky Go for Android now at version 2.0.2

The Sky Go app for Android has been updated to version 2.0.2.

sky-go-android_thumb2_thumb

This is what is included in the update:

– UI Updates
– New menu
– Bug fixes

Download now from Google Play

Have you used it? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac out now

Andrew Edney
-
0
Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac out now

Parallels have launched Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac, the newest version of the No. 1-selling software for running Windows and Mac applications simultaneously on a Mac without rebooting.

PRIMARY-SCREENSHOT_Parallels-Desktop-8-for-Mac_Lion_-Mountain-Lion_-Snow-Leopard-Server_-Win-8-RTM-Enterprise_-and-Win-7b

Starting August 30, current Parallels Desktop users can upgrade to Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac at http://www.parallels.com/desktop. For new customers, Parallels Desktop 8 will be available for purchase at retail stores and via the Parallels website on September 4.

New and enhanced features of Parallels Desktop 8 make life even better for people who love their Macs and want to simultaneously run Windows apps like Internet Explorer, OneNote, Quicken and more. Bringing together the newest versions of the world’s two most popular operating systems –OS X and Windows – opens up a world of opportunity by allowing users to choose how they want Mac and Windows to collaborate. From having the familiar Windows desktop in full screen to having Windows run invisibly, Parallels Desktop 8 delivers powerful performance to run Windows applications, even graphic-intensive ones, like they were made for a Mac. Use Mountain Lion’s Dictation feature in Windows apps, organize Windows “Metro-style” applications in Launchpad, and enjoy the brilliant Retina-display resolution in Windows applications.

CDW talks to Birger Steen

Last week at IFA, we talked briefly to Birger Steen, the CEO of Parallels and we got a short demo of one of the new features:

Here is a list of the improvements and enhancements in Parallels Desktop 8:

  • Life Simplified
    Speak, don’t type – Use the new Mountain Lion Dictation tool across both Windows and Mac environments
  • Open in Internet Explorer – When a website doesn’t render well within Safari, launch it in Internet Explorer with a click of a button
  • Drag and drop email attachments – Simply drag and drop files from the desktop onto the Dock icons for Outlook and other Windows email clients to attach and share them
  • Multilingual keyboard – Keyboard language changes made on the Mac automatically sync, to simplify switching languages in Windows
  • Parallels Wizard – Download and automatically install Windows or other operating systems (OSes) including Google Chrome OS, Ubuntu and Android on your Mac.
  • Parallels Desktop customers have downloaded more than 500,000 copies of Windows using the Parallels Wizard to-date, and many additional customers have moved their Windows PCs to their Mac or added Windows and other OSes
  • Bluetooth-sharing – Multiple Windows and Mac devices can now share Bluetooth connections
  • Windows apps on OS X Launchpad – Add Windows applications to the Mountain Lion or Lion Launchpad to quickly launch Mac and Windows applications used most
    Consolidated notifications – Integration of Windows notifications into the Mac OS X Notification Center makes it easy to stay updated on Windows virtual machine operations
  • Resource monitoring – Disk space and memory usage of virtual machines are conveniently displayed for easy customization and management
  • Mountain Lion gestures for Windows apps – Enjoy seamless integration of Mountain Lion gestures with Windows apps such as pinch to zoom, Mission Control, three-finger drag, swipe between full-screen apps, two-finger scroll, Launchpad and rotate
  • Visually Stunning
    Brilliant Retina display support – Enjoy stunning Retina display resolution in Windows OS and Windows applications to see crisper fonts, vivid photos, images and animations
  • No-hassle presentations – The new Presentation Wizard makes presentations interruption-free by disabling screensavers on Mac and Windows, optimizing the full-screen display and automatically adjusting resolution
  • Improved graphics – Don’t compromise, even with graphically intensive applications

Proven Performance

  • Unmatched performance – Enjoy improved Parallels Desktop 8 performance that is up to 30 percent faster for input/output (I/O) operations, 30 percent faster for games and up to 25 percent faster for virtual machine operations such as boot, suspend, shutdown and resume, when compared to Parallels Desktop 7 for Mac.

We should have our review of Parallels 8 available shortly.

Learn more from the Parallels website

Are you using Parallels? Let us know by leaving a comment below. I use it all the time on my Mac!

1...1,2581,2591,260...1,615Page 1,259 of 1,615