You might have heard WordPress 3.3 is currently under a “Feature Freeze”.  This essentially means the WordPress development team is not putting a large amount of energy towards new features; however, that doesn’t mean a few awesome new developments haven’t slipped through the cracks. Here are three features I am especially looking forward to in the upcoming release.

Improved Uploading System

Probably the most exciting feature WordPress 3.3 has introduced is a brand new file uploading system based on HTML5 (no more flash!), thanks to pluploader – and it’s quite honestly a major revamp. With the power of HTML5, WordPress has been able to implement new features  including Drag and Drop file uploading (Chrome, FireFox, and Safari only) and an automatic image resizing system.  Did I mention no more flash?!

Adaptive Dashboard

Are you the proud owner of an iPad or GalaxyTAB?  If you are, and in the past tried to play around with your WordPress Dashboard on the device, you likely found yourself disappointed with the way the layout breaks.  Be disappointed no more!  Thanks to Adaptive Dashboard in WordPress 3.3, the Dashboard will automatically adjust its size to fit every screen size and keep all functionality readily available to the end user.

WordPress Help System

WordPress is doing everything it can to make the platform as easy as 1, 2, 3.  With the launch of WordPress 3.3, new users will be greeted with a welcome message explaining how to use the platform for the first time.  A great example of this is the notification about the updated admin bar below:

Even as an experienced WordPress developer, I can’t help but feel some excitement for tutorial messages.  This feature is sure to help ease the pain for my end clients who are entirely new to the platform.

WordPress is constantly improving with every release, and version 3.3 is no exception. Even with a feature freeze this release is worth talking about, as such a thing is a sure sign of notable improvement in the performance and speed department.