Release: VMware Fusion 2.0 Beta 2

VMware introduced their latest Beta build of their Apple Mac virtualization product, VMware Fusion 2.0 Beta 2, nearly three months after releasing the Beta 1 build. The new release is focused on several key areas, mainly to improve the user experience with updated video, data protection and Unity capabilities.

VMware Fusion 2.0 will be made available free to owners of VMware Fusion 1.x.

A rundown of the new features:

• Multiple Snapshots
  • Save your virtual machine in any number of states, and return to those states at any time
  • Automatically take snapshots at regular intervals with AutoProtect
• File and URL Sharing
  • Share applications between your Mac and your virtual machines
  • Finder can now open your Mac’s files directly in Windows applications like Microsoft Word and Windows Media Player
  • VMware Fusion can configure virtual machines to open their files in Mac applications like Preview and iTunes
  • Click on a URL in a virtual machine and open it in your favorite Mac browser, or configure your Mac to open its links in a virtual machine
  • Map key folders in Windows Vista and Windows XP (Desktop, My Documents, My Music, My Pictures) to their corresponding Mac folders (Desktop, Documents, Music, and Pictures)
  • Greatly improved reliability of shared folders—now compatible with Microsoft Office and Visual Studio
• Experimental Support for Mac OS X Server Virtual Machines
  • You can create Mac OS X Server 10.5 virtual machines (experimental support). Due to Apple licensing restrictions, the standard edition of Mac OS X 10.5 is not supported in a virtual machine
• Display Improvement
  • Improved 3D support
  • Use 1080p full high definition video in Windows XP or Windows Vista
  • Freely resize your virtual machine?s window and enter and exit Full Screen view while playing games
  • Run Linux applications directly on your Mac?s desktop under Unity view
• UI Improvements
  • The New Virtual Machine Assistant has Linux Easy Install in addition to Windows Easy Install
  • Cut and paste files up to 4 MB, including graphics and styled text
  • Status icons glow when there is activity
  • A screen shot of the last suspended state of a virtual machine is displayed in Quick Look and Cover Flow
  • You can remap keyboard and mouse input
  • Keyboard compatibility between the Mac and the virtual machine is improved
  • The vmrun command line interface is available for scripting
• Broader Hardware and Software Support
  • VMware Fusion supports Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron
  • VMware Fusion supports 64-bit Vista Boot Camp; handles activation for Microsoft Office 2003 and Office 2007
  • Experimental support for 4-way SMP (note: Windows Vista and Windows XP limit themselves to two CPUs)
• Support for Virtual Hard Disks
  • You can mount the virtual disk of a powered-off Windows virtual machine using VMDKMounter (Mac OS X 10.5 or higher)
  • You now have the ability to resize virtual disks

Here’s a demo video the VMware team put out:

[Source: VMBlog]