VMware Workstation 5.5 is the next release of the successful Workstation product. This release provides unmatched flexibility by offering an enhanced virtualization platform. The new features in this release include: Support for 64-bit guest operating systems – Workstation 5.5 greatly enhances the virtualization platform by supporting both 64-bit host and 64-bit guest operating systems. This feature provides you unmatched flexibility to run both 32-bit and 64-bit environments simultaneously. A free utility that checks for supported processors is also available. Experimental support for 2-way Virtual SMP - Workstation 5.5 now brings to the desktop a feature that was previously only available on VMware ESX Server. You can now assign one or two CPUs to any virtual machine. VMware Player - VMware Player is a free, standalone application that allows users to simply ‘play’ a pre-configured virtual machine. It is ideal to collaborate with colleagues who may not have VMware Workstation – simply give them the virtual machine and ask them to download the free VMware Player. The Player does not include many Workstation features such as the ability to create virtual machines, take or revert snapshots, create or run teams, clone virtual machines, etc. In addition to the standalone application, the Player is also included in Workstation to allow you to preview the Player experience.