David Knell is so fired up about the "My Switch to VMware Fusion" video contest that he's submitted not one, but TWO videos about his switch to VMware Fusion. 

One is about running Windows-only office apps on his Mac, and the other is about BIOS hacking.  Um. Yeah.  From the truly mundane to the truly geeky.  David apparently does it all.

Now, even though the video contest is more about people who were already running Windows on Mac in some other fashion, and switched to VMware Fusion, David's videos about switching to the Mac from having more than one PC addresses issues that lots of users have.  Not to mention his videos are funny.  So we wanted to share them.

Is "Officey" Even a Word?

David's first video, and his blog post explaining it, is all about how he uses a Mac at work, and needs to run, as he puts it, "officey" applications like Microsoft Visio, Microsoft Project, and even Internet Explorer to use the office's HR system.

BIOS, Where Art Thou?

David's second video is a little more geeky.  Apparently, he's got a wild side that like to hack around with PC BIOS.  And because Macs hide that stuff pretty well from users, and also, because they uses EFI instead of BIOS, David's been left a little bit in the lurch without a BIOS to hack on.

Well, apparently he can get his BIOS fix just fine by using VMware Fusion to run any kind of Windows OS he sees fit. So he's got that going for him.  You can watch the video below, and read more about it on his blog post explaining the video.

Josh Aldana had a straightforward problem: he had a nice new MacBook Pro, but needed to run Quickbooks Pro 2008. 

The issue there, of course, is that Quickbooks Pro 2008 only runs on Windows, much like all the other varied speciality types of Quickbooks products.  This meant, of course, that Josh needed to run Windows on his Mac.

For a while, Josh was using Boot Camp to let him do this.  But he wasn't a fan of having to reboot in order to use Quickbooks, and he wanted to be  able to seamlessly share files between his Mac and his Windows installs. 

This pointed to VMware Fusion, which Josh has been using ever since to help him keep his financial house in order.  Here's his video!

Josh Aldana had a straightforward problem: he had a nice new MacBook Pro, but needed to run Quickbooks Pro 2008. 

The issue there, of course, is that Quickbooks Pro 2008 only runs on Windows, much like all the other varied speciality types of Quickbooks products.  This meant, of course, that Josh needed to run Windows on his Mac.

For a while, Josh was using Boot Camp to let him do this.  But he wasn't a fan of having to reboot in order to use Quickbooks, and he wanted to be  able to seamlessly share files between his Mac and his Windows installs. 

This pointed to VMware Fusion, which Josh has been using ever since to help him keep his financial house in order.  Here's his video!

David Cryer, one of the authors over at Geekanoids, submitted a cool video for the "My Switch to VMware Fusion" contest.

In David's case, as noted so well in his blog post on switching to VMware Fusion, it really came down to the fact that David's favorite accounting software is Windows-only, and that his kids like to play around with Windows-only games and utilities.

He was using Boot Camp, but wasn't a huge fan of having to reboot back and forth to get access to Windows.  So he went ahead and grabbed VMware Fusion to let him run Windows on Mac without rebooting.

And because VMware Fusion can run on top of existing Boot Camp partitions, David was on his merry way immediately.  Check out his video!

Josh Lindsey of Bowling Green, Kentucky is a big fan of Macs.  But at the same time, for school, he uses the Microsoft Works suite of applications quite a bit.

Then, of course, there's the fact that he likes to play a little Doom here and there...you know, just to keep his fine motor skills sharp!

He started out running Windows on Mac before VMware Fusion shipped, but wasn't too happy with the results. 

His one liner sounds like something that would come out of Steve Jobs' mouth: "Windows crashes enough on its own."  Not quite a "Giving ice water to people in hell" level zinger...but it's got promise! Ouch!

Without further ado, here's Josh's video, on his switch to Fusion:

When people think of VMware and server virtualization, they typically think of VMware Infrastructure, the gold standard of server virtualization software.

Well, but for those out there who need to run Mac server apps and Windows-based server apps at the same time, VMware Fusion has been a handy solution for them. 

Because VMware Fusion can run any of the more than 60 guest operating systems supported by VMware virtual hardware, VMware Fusion can indeed be used to run server operating systems, like Windows Server 2003, 64-bit, Ubuntu Server, and even Windows Server 2008, all while running on any Mac OS X operating system 10.4 or later.

Power to Burn

In fact, VMware Fusion is the only Mac virtualization application that lets you run 64-bit operating systems as virtual machines, along with the attendant large memory support (e.g., VMs with more than 2.5GB of RAM, etc.), and VMware Fusion is the only Mac virtualization application that lets you attach more than one core to a virtual machine. 

Even though its exterior is shiny Mac-friendly, consumer-focused goodness, under the covers, VMware Fusion shares a family resemblance to datacenter heavies VI3 and VMware Server.

Ryan Lovett's submission to the "My Switch to VMware Fusion" video contest deals with just that.  But rather than switching from another virtualization solution, he's switching from multiple physical boxes in his server cabinet, all onto a single Mac Mini, running VMware Fusion.  Mac server virtualization with VMware Fusion.  Pretty cool, eh?

He's collapsed what looks like an old G5 tower, some Windows-based print and file servers, and a FreeBSD router, all into a single Mac Mini, running three virtual machines on it, all the time, with VMware Fusion.

Check out Ryan's video below! 

Ryan, if you'd care to add anything in the comments section about uptime, and what sort of VMs you're running, I'm sure our readers would love to hear more about it.

This submission to the "My Switch to VMware Fusion" video contest comes direct from Alex Noble of Cambridge, UK. 

Now, it seems in addition to a taste for fast, stable, and powerful Windows on Mac (heavy on the "fast" part, by the looks of his submission), Alex also seems to have a taste for comedy. 

And I have to say, I'm 100% in agreement with Alex that there's nothing like a top hat and snootified Victorian accent to add some wit to a video contest submission, innit? 

Apparently, Alex's switch to VMware Fusion isn't just helpful, it's also funny.

Whatever it was about Alex's submission, it reminded me of some of my favorite sketches from Alex's countrymen, the comic geniuses of Monty Python. 

If this is what Alex can do with his Mac's iSight camera and iMovie, I can only imagine what he could do with some extras, a holy hand grenade, and some Knights who say Ni. 

Check it out yourself!

The "My Switch to VMware Fusion" contest videos keep coming in so hot and heavy it's hard to keep up with them! 

Even though we're getting a little buried here, I wanted to take a moment to share a particularly neat one, especially for all you people out there with USB peripherals that need Windows to run.

One of the great things about VMware Fusion being based off of the same mature, decade-in-development code base as virtualization stalwart VMware Workstation, is that we get the benefit of platform features that have been groomed, tried, and tested for years.

A key place where you see this "just working" is in the case of USB peripheral pass-through.  Our users love the fact that an incredibly broad range of USB devices pass through into the guest operating system with ease.

Paul's USB Conundrum

Paul Brady of Blakeslee, Pennsylvania is a big fan of VMware Fusion's USB support too. 

He works as a Systems Engineer for a company called Active Identity which provides computing security and identity solutions.

As anyone who has done two-factor authentication knows, a lot of the time, USB ports are  used for authentication purposes, whether with a USB dongle, or a smart-card reader that plugs into a USB port, and into which the user slides a smart card. 

Either way, USB is really important, as it is for so many people.

In Paul's case, he wanted to use his MacBook Pro for demonstrating to customers how Active Identity's solutions worked across multiple operating systems, using Parallels.

But much to his chagrin, he just couldn't get it to work, which meant lugging around a bunch of laptops to do his demos on, even though he had a perfectly good MacBook Pro that should have been able to run Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and SUSE Linux to do his demos on.

When VMware Fusion shipped, he gave us a spin, and never looked back.  It's safe to say that Paul has been pretty happy with his "Switch to VMware Fusion." 

Great video Paul!  And nice Darth Vader helmet.  I got to get one of those for staff meetings.

OK, this video just popped into my inbox, so I have to share before I hit the road today.

Something about blue screens of death in a VM before you've had your coffee is good for a giggle.

Elias Eldabbagh had been running Window on his Mac for a while before VMware Fusion came along, primarily to run Windows productivity apps. 

Well, unfortunately, his implementation wasn't the most productive, with lots of crashing and BSODs.  Not exactly "just works."

But his story has a happy ending.  Watch and find out ; ) And when you're done, think about sharing your "Switch to VMware Fusion" story in our video and blogging contest!

We're already seeing some great videos rolling in for the "My Switch to VMware Fusion" video contest (see more about the contest here).

Eoghan O'Shea of Limerick, Ireland submitted a video talking about how he switched from Apple's Boot Camp to VMware Fusion for running SolidWorks on his Mac at school. 

He's at University in Limerick Ireland, and takes classes that require CAD drawing, and as most people know, AutoCAD, Solidworks, and other industry-standard drafting apps are pretty much Windows-only.

He had been using Boot Camp, but was less than impressed by the amount of time it took to switch back and forth between environments. 

His video does a better job of explaining than I will this early in the morning, so without further ado, here's Eoghan's video:

The VMware Fusion Team is proud to announce the launch of our "My Switch to VMware Fusion" video and blogging contest.

As part of our ongoing efforts inviting users to switch to VMware Fusion for fast, stable, and powerful "Windows on the Mac," and to better spread the word, we're asking for the help of one of our most valuable assets: our awesome users.

The contest is simple: if you've switched to VMware Fusion from some other way to run Windows on Mac, whether Boot Camp, Virtual PC for Mac, Parallels, or whatever, all you have to do is tell your story on the web, and let us know about it. Pretty easy, eh?

There are two ways to participate:

1. Video: For you aspiring filmmakers, make a video that's under a minute showing what you use VMware Fusion for, what you were using before, and why you made the switch.  When you're done, post it up on YouTube, and submit the video to us on the contest page. 
To help you on your way, rough guidelines are provided on the contest page with tools, editing tips, and so on to make it easier for you--but this doesn't have to be high art.  Videos made with iMovie, your iSight camera, and some screencasting software are just as welcome as those made with crazy HD camcorders and Final Cut Pro!

The great thing is, every single video submitter will get their very own "VMware Fusion team t-shirt" like we wore at Macworld, and a "My Mac Hearts VMware" bumper sticker.  And one lucky submitter will win a fully tricked out MacBook Air complete with VMware Fusion and a copy of Windows, for their trouble.  Yes, that's right.  I don't get a MacBook Air, but you just might... ; )

2. Blog It: If video isn't so much your thing, that's ok, we still want you to be able to share your "Switch to Fusion" story.  All you have to do is blog about it, and you can still get in on the action. 

Each and every person who blogs their "Switch to VMware Fusion" will be sent a "My Mac Hearts VMware" bumper sticker, and one lucky blogger will win an iPod Touch.

As entries come in, we'll be blogging them right here on the Team Fusion blog.

Let's Get Started!

It's that easy. The contest runs through May 15th, 2008, and we'll announce winners come June.  We invite everyone who has switched to VMware Fusion to tell their story, to help others understand how fast, powerful, and stable Windows on the Mac can truly be.

We encourage you to check it out today, and tell your "Switch to Fusion" story.

A Side Note: Why This? Why Now?

VMware Fusion has been on the market for a little more than half a year now.  In that time, it's gotten better and better, winning awards along the way, and gaining mindshare among the Mac community.

And this entire time, our users have been sharing their experience, about why they've switched to VMware Fusion, and what VMware Fusion helps them do.

From tech pundits like Robert Scoble and Chris Pirillo, to Mac gurus like the editorial staff of The Unofficial Apple Weblog, the consensus is growing: VMware Fusion is a fast, powerful, and hassle-free way to run Windows on the Mac.

But it's not just the pundits. Thousands upon thousands of VMware Fusion users have switched to Fusion, and they are sharing their experience everywhere.  From Twittering about their switch, to their own blogs, and more, the success that they're having is being documented, and bubbling to the surface. Product reviews too, talking about switching to VMware Fusion from other "Windows on Mac" solutions.

And while we'd like to think we do a pretty good job of clearly, openly, and honestly articulating the value of VMware Fusion to potential users, there's nothing like good old fashioned word of mouth recommendations, with a Web 2.0 twist.

The goal of this contest is to take what's already been happening--people posting 5-star reviews on Amazon and Apple.com, Twittering about why their switching to Fusion, and so on--and to give more of our users a megaphone, and a reason to shout about it. 

This is also why we wanted to make sure that in addition to big prizes that everyone has a chance to win, that every single person who puts time into making a video or writing a blog post gets something out of it, whether a t-shirt, a bumper sticker, or being linked to from our blog.  We'd like everyone to speak up.

We're truly looking forward to seeing the awesome stuff people have to share.  Thanks for your continued support!

~Pete Kazanjy

VMware Fusion Product Marketing

Photo Citation: Thomas Hawk Photography

Microsoft has been getting a lot of buzz about their three-dimensional Earth-visualization software, "Virtual Earth."

The software, which lets users "fly" around 3D maps of the Earth using a web browser, has one catch: right now, the technology is only accessible on Windows, in that it requires Microsoft XP Service Pack 2, Windows Server 2003, or Windows Vista, supporting Microsoft's 3D acceleration protocol, DirectX 9.

Sadly, for now, this leaves Mac OS X users out  in the cold.  Unless, of course, that user is running VMware Fusion to run Windows on Mac.

Stefan Geens, has a solution though. He figured he could run Windows on his Mac as a way to use Virtual Earth 3D.  He started out with one approach that was less than successful:

"I used to try new versions of the Parallels Desktop for Mac virtualization tool to see if they had added support for VE3D, but all I got for my efforts were very hard crashes, not just of Windows but of the entire machine."

Yikes!  That doesn't sound like any fun at all.

The good news, though, is that he didn't give up.  He gave VMware Fusion a spin, and thanks to VMware Fusion's superior 3D support, had success! 

As he puts it, "Sometime in the last few months, however, competitor VMware, came out with an upadte of their virtualization tool for Mac, Fusion, that does support VE3D. Here’s a screenshot from this morning when giving it another go,"

And here's the screenshot he provided  of VE3D in Internet Explorer running on Vista with VMware Fusion (I recognize that tool bar!):

Very cool!  And here's a YouTube video of Virtual Earth in action.

If you're running XP, Vista, or Server 2003 with VMware Fusion, give it a spin and tell us how it works!

.

Wonderful surprise in the Google Alerts this morning: apparently Robert Scoble, self-described "tech geek blogger" has switched over to VMware Fusion for running Windows on Mac. 

In a post on his blog, he talks about how his technical friends had recommended it to him based on some instability and crashing issues he had been having previously. 

Based on his post, it seems like he's pretty happy.  And that makes us happy.

He joins the growing ranks of tech pundits and Mac heads who have switched to VMware Fusion, like the folks at Lifehacker,  some of the guys at TUAW, and Chris Pirillo, not to mention tens of thousands of VMware Fusion users like you.

So if you're thinking of switching to VMware Fusion to help you run Windows on a Mac, there's no better time.

1. Through June we're running a $30 competitive upgrade rebate, for Parallels Desktop and Virtual PC users (and if you're new to virtualization, fear not, there's always our standard $20 rebate. The rebate are mutually exclusive, of course!)

2. VMware Importer Beta 2 is available for moving both Virtual PC 7 and Parallels-based virtual machines over to run with VMware Fusion/

and best of all

3. VMware Fusion is free to try for a fully-featured 30-day free trial.