14 DAY TRIAL // The first beta for the upcoming WordPress 3.3 is here. Developers and early adopters can start playing with the new version that adds a new admin bar and a revamped media uploader.
WordPress 3.3 Beta 1 is available now, but updated releases should be coming soon. There should be another beta and at least a couple of release candidate versions before WordPress 3.3 is ready for everyone. The plan is to have it out by the end of next month.
"WordPress 3.3 is ready for beta testers," WordPress announced. "As always, this is software still in development and we don’t recommend that you run it on a production site — set up a test site just to play with the new version."
"If you break it (find a bug), please report it, and if you’re a developer, try to help us fix it," the announcement encouraged.
"If all goes well, we hope to release WordPress 3.3 by the end of November. The more help we get with testing and fixing bugs, the sooner we will be able to release the final version," it added.
There are that many new features at this point. The "Media uploader" has been updated. The older Flash-based one has been ditched in favor of a more modern one based on standard web technologies, like HTML5.
The new media uploader should work on a lot more devices, provided browsers support the HTML5 features used by it. It should also make it easier to get files to your blog with drag-and-drop uploads and other improvements.
The Admin dashboard has been updated to adjust itself to the size of the screen, making it possible to use it on smaller devices, smartphones in particular.
The admin bar has also been updated to follow the style and the improvements to the recently redesigned admin bar on WordPress.com.
What's great about WordPress 3.3 is that you'll be able to figure out for yourself what's new, since new features will be highlighted and explained via a popup.
WordPress 3.3 Beta 1 is available for download here.