Parallels Desktop for Mac 3.0 Beta 2 - Upgrade to be free

August 27, 2007 at 9:32 pm · Filed under Hardware, Beta, Applications

On my last stop at the official Parallels Desktop for Mac blog I saw a new post regarding another update to Parallels Desktop for Mac 3.0. The latest beta build, 5120, is being called Beta 2 (you guessed it, it’s the second one), and like its predecessor, it is a free download to anyone with a valid 3.0 key. The free doesn’t stop there either. Straight from the blog posting:

With all of the new improvements we’re introducing (Coherence with minimize and Expose support, new Shared Folders and more), this is shaping up to be one of the best updates ever. The best part? It’s COMPLETELY FREE to all Parallels Desktop 3.0 users!  

Great news! And, the Beta 2 build brings more new functionality to the table. Some New Features in Parallels Desktop 3.0 Beta 2 - Build 5120:

• Visually, windows minimized to the dock now have the same transitions and behavior as windows minimized with Mac’s OS X
• You can now share folders much more seamlessly between OS X and Windows running under Parallels Desktop. In fact, you can set them up to mirror each other. Your Documents folder on the Mac is your Documents on the PC. It can be enabled for the Desktop, too! Before you ask-no, there are not two copies of the files being mirrored! Both the Mac and PC will be accessing the same file!

If you’re ready to buy the public release of the 3.0 version (or download the free trial version) as opposed to this beta version, visit the Parallels Desktop for Mac 3.0 page on their web site. For more details on this Beta 2 build, read the entire post on the Official Parallels Desktop Virtualization blog. There is also a link to download the beta in that article.

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Windows Vista Support: How to open the box

August 9, 2007 at 9:46 am · Filed under Usability, User Experience

For some unknown reason, Windows Vista is reporting that it cannot authorize my copy of Windows Vista Ultimate, that my Product Key is already in use. I’m not sure what the root of this is. Regardless, here’s a little support site UX humor.

After clicking through a few screens to try to resolve the problem, Vista took me to the “Windows Vista Solution Center.” On this page, there are several links to articles.

Here’s the one that blew me away: Number four of nine under “Installing and upgrading > Before installing or upgrading” : Opening the Windows Vista box.” I think the new Vista and Office boxes are a pain to open and simply not user friendly. Akin to wrestling with arcane CD packaging. Apparently, I wasn’t alone. But, to have a specific article about it? I clicked on it to see what the support site had to say about opening the box. Sure enough, an article on how to open the box.

It’s a three step processed, outlined in the article complete with pictures. The funniest part: At the top of the article, under the heading “Opening the Windows Vista box”, there is a helpful tips section that readys “Applies to all editions of Windows Vista.” It also includes a handy link to “Which edition of Windows Vista am I using?” So lets back up a bit, set the stage, and play the part of some sorry person who can’t open the box (regardless of how good or bad the packaging is).

1. A purchaser of Windows Vista cannot open the Windows Vista box (not good). They go to Microsoft’s support center to get help.
2. The page lets them know that the article which they are about to read applies to all editions of Windows Vista.
3. Directly below that declaration, even though the article applies to all versions of Vista, is a link to determine which edition of Windows Vista they are using.
4. Clicking on that link takes the already confused user to the support article “Find which edition of Windows Vista you are using.”
5. This page declares that the article “Applies to : Ultimate” below the title and again includes the link to find out which version of Windows Vista you are running (which, as we’ve mentioned, is the page we’re already on). Let’s ignore that for now, and find out what version of Windows Vista we’re running.
6. The article instructs: Just “Open Welcome Center by clicking on the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking System Maintenance, and then clicking Welcome Center. The edition of Windows Vista you are running is displayed with your computer details near the top of the window.”

That all sounds great, but our theoretical troubled user hasn’t even opened the box yet, never mind install the operating system. At least there is a “Was this helpful?” link at the bottom of the article.

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Free Parallels Desktop 3.0 beta

August 4, 2007 at 8:18 am · Filed under Hardware, Beta, Applications

I’ve been running Parallels on my Mac Book Pro for quite some time now. I’m very satisfied with the product. And, when it was announced a few days ago that anyone with a valid 3.0 license key (including trial keys) could try a beta version with some upgrades, I couldn’t resist. The installation experience (upgrade) was seamless, and I’ll report back on performance and the new features in a few days. A little about the 3.0 beta build:

Parallels Desktop for Mac (beta, build 5060) features:

• Expose for Coherence windows
• True stacking support for applications running in Coherence mode
• An improved version of the Image tool
• An enhanced version of the Explorer application, allowing browsing of virtual machines which are suspended
• iPhone support for Windows XP and Windows Vista

You can read more about the 3.0 beta on the official Parallels Virtualization blog as well as get the link to the features update information page and download.

Even before my testing started, I did have one thought: Please tell me this is a free upgrade for existing customers. After spending the initial $79, then $49 for an upgrade soon after, I’m not intending to spend more money on a Parallels update. I hope the smart folks over at Parallels aren’t expecting us to either.

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Microsoft, MIX 07 and the F word

May 2, 2007 at 9:59 am · Filed under Events

Not that F word. The other F word: FREE! So what was Microsoft giving out in its bag of goodies at the MIX 07 Conference that is noteworthy (noteworthy means I’m not counting free pens and whatnot-this is just the ‘good stuff’)?

Microsoft Expression Suite (4 programs in the suite)
Visual Studio Orcas Beta 1
Windows Vista Ultimate Edition

There’s much more to talk about than the freebies, and I’ll pull my thoughts together and provide some additional conference insight shortly.

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On the Web: GUIdebook

March 30, 2007 at 12:47 pm · Filed under Information Architecture, On the Web, Visual Design, Applications, User Interface, User Experience

If you’re into user interface or user experience design, you’ll probably be a fan of GUIdebook. The site features screen captures of just about any operating system you can think of, timelines for releases by OS, icons, sounds (unfortunately this section covers only a few versions of Microsoft Windows and OS/2), splash screens for applications and more.

A few favorite areas on the site:

1. The visual display of how various operating systems visually executed the same interfaces (right side of page, under ‘components’).
2. Common icons as represented by different operating systems.
3. The tutorials that many operating systems provided.

Some of the GUIs represented on the site: Amiga OS, Apple II, GEOS/GeoWorks (which ran on the Commodore 64 and 128 as well as the Apple II), Lisa Office System, OS X, Windows, and Xerox Star/ViewPoint/Global View.

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