After releasing a private beta last week, the official version 3.0 of Parallels Desktop for Mac has arrived. As we reported earlier, Parallels 3 brings 3D graphic support and improved integration between the Windows virtual environment and Mac OS X.
In all Parallels 3.0 has over 50 new features and bug fixes, but the standouts are undoubtedly the 3-D support for OpenGL and DirectX graphics, along with “SmartSelect,” which lets you map files to open directly in Windows application.
The 3D support for OpenGL and DirectX graphics will appeal to gamers, though Vista users will be disappointed to note that there is still no support of the Aero interface.
SmartSelect is indeed pretty smart and comes configured to automatically handled downloaded items regardless of the system they're downloaded in. For instance download a .dmg in the Windows environment and it automatically gets handed off to OS X. Going the opposite direction if you download an .exe in OS X it will open and run in the Windows virtual machine.
Parallels Desktop 3.0 for Mac is available from the Parallels site and costs $80.
