Parallels 4.0 Released: 50% Faster, Fewer Calories

The latest version of Parallels Desktop for Mac was released today, boasting a 50% performance boost in Windows emulation and increased battery life for notebooks. 

In addition to some under-the-hood tweaking to reduce bloat and make things generally snappier, Parallels 4.0 offers features like a new startup interface, iPhone integration (natch), and even limited Snow Leopard support. But while 4.0 brings DirectX 9/OpenGL 2.0 support and a new 256 MB video memory limit, it's still not ready for the latest 3D games so hold back if you're hoping to play Crysis in a virtual instance of Windows XP--it's still going to be awhile.

Check out the new features in a video demo at the official site, download a trial version, or make $79.99 worth of room on the ol' credit card if you're ready to take the plunge.

--Aric A.