A few weeks ago, I posted a review of Parallels Beta 3036. With the release of 3150, I have written a new review. Enjoy:
http://www.windowsonthemac.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=24
Very good review and I agree with your assessment. In fact, for being beta software, Parallels latest incarnation is incredibly stable. Thus far, I've run into very little difficulty. The same can not be said for VMWare Fusion, but in their defense, the have not labeled it a "release candidate" yet.
The most impressive feature, aside from "coherence" mode is the new drag-and-drop file transfer functionality. This allows users to easily transfer data back and forth between the Mac and Windows desktops. Very impressive in light of the limited NTFS compatibility on MacOS.
At first, I thought I would ride VMWare Fusion out until the end of its beta life. But the new features in Parallels were compelling enough to make the switch now. Considering the semi-steep asking price of $79 (download), the beta RC is well worth the money. I'm not sure that I would have felt the same way about the current release, however.
Thanks for linking to this review. +rep