The project schedule for Version 3.2 is as follows:

• Current: WordPress 3.2 Beta 2 has been released. No more commits for any new enhancements or feature requests will be made, only bug fixes. Any enhancements/feature requests will be pushed to the next version.
• June 1, 2011: Target date for Release Candidate 1.
• June 30, 2011: Target date for WordPress 3.2 launch.

We’ll begin by taking a look at some of the requirements and under-the-hood enhancements, which the average blogger won’t notice right away.

PHP 5.2.4 or greater is a requirement; MySQL 5.0.15 or greater is a requirement.

Internet Explorer 6 is no longer supported, and Internet Explorer 7 support is now on the horizon. Users will be notified through the Browse Happy site if they are using an outdated/unsupported browser.

General Enhancements

• WordPress is faster – load times have been reduced, the write page and paging through comments is now faster.
• Upgrade system now supports incremental upgrades, so after Version 3.2, you’ll find upgrading faster.
• WP_Filesystem optimizations.
• Trimmed code lines in core.
• PHP4 timezone support removed.
• More efficient term intersection query.
• Plus other speed optimizations.

Note: In the screenshots, I am using WordPress 3.2 Beta 2 (18055) on a locally-hosted install. There will be minor differences between installs.

Dashboard

The Dashboard’s “View All” buttons are now plain links. A full set of status links are displayed in the recent comments box, and the “Change Theme” button has been dropped.

New Freedoms and Credits pages are linked through the footer of your WordPress admin panel. You can see these below.

Posts

The ‘All Posts’ panel shows the sticky posts checkbox only when the author has the required capability, visual styles have been updated, and the fullscreen editor has been completely revamped.

When you are editing a single post, you’ll find that there have been some major revisions here. Icons for the WYSIWYG editor have been dramatically changed, providing a cleaner overall look. The trend has been to make things more consistent – and you can clearly see this here – all the icons are the same, color is only provided when you hover over the buttons.

Additionally, the default font is quite a bit larger and cleaner-looking than in previous versions. (Edit: This font appears to be associated with the new default theme.) There could still be some more changes/updates to this area, but it is already looking more complete than in the first beta.

The new Full Screen Editor/Distraction Free Writing experience aims to bring some of the desktop applications writers love into WordPress. It is quite a dramatic difference between the new version and the one found in WordPress 3.1 (and prior).

When you hover your mouse over the write area, you’ll find a rather basic list of controls, which are mainly for inserting links, quotes, bold/italic text, images, etc. An option for editing HTML is also included.

However, when you are writing, you’ll only see the text in a clean, distraction-free environment. Both environments have been included below.

Additional Screenshots

Other editing/admin panels have been included below. There are fewer changes to these areas, but the overall look is consistent throughout the admin interface.

New Theme – “Twenty Eleven”

In the Appearance > Themes panel, you’ll find Twenty Eleven 1.0 as well as Twenty Ten 1.2. I’d assume once WordPress 3.2 is released, the new theme will become the only one available.

Twenty Eleven is based on the Duster Theme. It allows you to select previously uploaded headers and can randomly display uploaded or default headers. You can denote images that are headers or backgrounds through the media UI. Plus, you can show hierarchy for pages and taxonomies in the navigation menus admin.

The new theme’s options bring some more premium features, although you’ll still want to use your own theme if you want a more complex site. However, it surely an improvement over previous default themes.

You can find a number of screenshots below of the theme’s default styling and editing panels.

Conclusion

While WordPress 3.2 doesn’t aim to include a slew of new features, the interface improvements and new default theme are welcome improvements. Many of these changes look to make WordPress the powerful, yet still simple alternative to Tumblr and similar micro-blogging platforms.

What changes are you looking forward to the most in Version 3.2? What other changes do you think WordPress should incorporate into future releases (3.3 and beyond)?

The deal is only good through midnight Thursday, May 19, 2011 (two days from now), so you’ll need to purchase this package before time runs out!

Themes Included in Package

The following themes are included within this package. Please see the other details below on how to get these themes.

Backstage – This is a niche theme that has been designed for musicians and artists who wish to showcase their upcoming events. A homepage slider and dedicated module for a biography section have been included. Seven stylish alternative color schemes are also included.

Biznizz – Give your website a fresh new look with an integrated slider and custom homepage layout. An optional portfolio page template gives the theme even more options when it comes to building your next business website. Custom Post Types, custom typography, and custom widgets have eben built into the theme, making the theme very simple to use.

Caffeinated – This personal portfolio theme by Ryan Downie is the perfect theme for anyone looking to create a bold website for showcasing their work. A portfolio page template (included) utilizes the jQuery PrettyPhoto script for a unique effect. Seven alternative styles, a sidebar manager, custom shortcodes, and more have also been included.

City Guide – Build a directory-based WordPress site using the City Guide theme. A homepage featured module can be used to dedicate an image or a Google Map and clean Google Maps integration allows you to geo-tag posts with a custom maps panel. Custom widgets and six alternative styles have been included to give you control over your site.

Continuum – This theme, by Simon Collison, is a magazine-styled theme with a custom homepage and custom typography to give you plenty of control over nearly every element of your site. Seven alternative styles, three widget-ready areas in the footer (plus one in the sidebar) also provide further control over how your site appears.

Crisp – A unique Tumblog theme, perfect for bloggers, displays your thoughts in a professional, slick manner. The theme includes Tumblr-like functionality with extensive multimedia support for images, video, audio, quotes, notes, and links. Eleven delicious color schemes are available to choose from.

Elefolio – Elefolio, designed by Chris Rowe, combines easy Tumblog publishing and a portfolio in one theme for showcasing your work and posts. The custom homepage shows a welcome message yourself to your visitors and the portfolio section draws content from your own Custom Post Type portfolio items. Nine alternative color styles and custom typography have been integrated well into the theme for giving you more customization options.

Fresh News – Although Fresh News is one of WooThemes’ oldest themes, it remains one of their best-selling themes. It has been updated recently for use with WordPress 3.0 and higher, with custom typography, four widget-ready areas, and eighteen alternative color styles. You can’t forget the sidebar manager, custom shortcodes, and custom navigation, which take out much of the work of coding for the theme.

Deal Terms & How to Get the Themes

It is quite simple to get access to the themes. Simply register for a free WooThemes account and in this area, you’ll also find the download links and support resources.

All the themes include lifetime support and also updates for these themes. They are equivalent to the Standard Packages, so no PSD files have been included.

You will only be given access to the themes shown above and you will not be able to substitute/exchange the themes in the bundle for other themes.

Taking a closer look at the theme, you have plenty of space on the homepage to display featured properties, plus a number of options for helping your visitors browse through properties, finding those that they are looking to purchase or rent.

You can also easily integrate videos, maps, and images into each property page, making the theme ideal for being the one-stop page for all locals who you may be targeting.

Because this theme supports multiple agents, you don’t need to have multiple sites for your real estate agency. For example, you can use the theme to power multiple sites/areas under one main demain or use WordPress multi-site so you only have one main install.

Check out all the additional features of this great real estate theme below to discover all of its benefits.

Support: In addition to the tutorials available with purchase, you receive absolutely free support for people who purchase the theme and need basic installation on your server.

Showcase: A Showcase of theme users has been set up, which will provide access to samples of sites that have integrated the theme.

Additional Features:

• WordPress 3.0+ compatible.
• SEO optimized coding.
• Add, edit, and delete your own fields.
• Google Street View.
• Multi-category search.
• Seven color styles.
• Gravity Forms styles enabled.
• Contact agent.
• Theme localization and internationalization.
• Dynamic menus.
• Breadcrumb filtered results.
• Build your own search module in three steps.
• Single or multiple agent.
• Translation files included.
• Social networks integrated.
• WordPress MU enabled.
• Native WordPress photo galleries.
• Automatic Google Maps integration.
• Native WordPress thumbnail resizing.
• Featured property slideshow.
• English and Spanish translation.
• Page layouts included.
• Batch image uploading for listings.
• Individual agent photo upload.
• Logo uploader.
• Google AdSense support.
• Banner advertisement management.
• Individual agent pages with agent biography.
• Unlimited photo galleries supported.
• Extensive help and tutorials included.
• Related properties for each agent.
• Finance calculator.
• Auto-hide slider.

License Breakdown:

• Essential Package ($39.95) – This package gives you access to the theme, extensive setup documentation, free theme updates, easy theme modification, unlimited theme usage/domains, and easy theme installation. No support forum access is provided.

• Standard Package ($69.95) – This package gives you access to the theme, extensive setup documentation, free theme updates, easy theme modification, unlimited theme usage/domains, and easy theme installation. Support forum access, package upgrade availability, and a demo XML file have been included.

• Standard Package ($99.95) – This package gives you access to the theme, extensive setup documentation, free theme updates, easy theme modification, unlimited theme usage/domains, and easy theme installation. Support forum access, package upgrade availability, Photoshop and original files, plus a demo XML file jave been included.

About Gorilla Themes:

Gorilla Themes offers competitively priced themes that are ideal for professional business sites, ranging from magazine and travel niches to the real estate market. You’ll be amazed at the number of features each theme contains!

The main page of the theme is clean, with a gray/red/black color combination. Information about your company can be quickly integrated into the area next to the logo, and main page links as well as social bookmarking buttons/links can be displayed prominently in the header.

Drop-down menus for your pages are displayed across the page, which also has an integrated search box. You can include sub-headings in this area, although it is completely optional.

Further down, there is a welcome message and links to some of your recent work/portfolio items.

However, the main feature of the theme comes with the wide array of page templates and portfolio/gallery templates included. For example, it is easy to showcase images of various widths and sizes using the Photoblog template, or you can use the Grid-Sidebar template if you want to include a sidebar. Again, there are so many page templates, you won’t have any problem showcasing your work in an elegant manner (without any additional coding), your only problem will be deciding which page template you want to use!

Finally, a number of shortcodes have been included, which let you easily add different styled messages to your blog. A page template for your contact form and map has also been included.

I’ve only taken a brief look at all the possibilities of this theme – I encourage you to take a look at the theme yourself here.

Additional Features:

• Reusable, customizable page templates for Custom Galleries, Contact Pages, Custom Blogs, Home Pages, and the Archives Page.
• Image slider – add per page or post and through the Included Custom Widget.
• Lightbox on thumbnails or post images.
• Extensive theme settings page.
• Variable columns per page or post.
• Ten color schemes to choose form, with additional CSS styles easily added without needing to dig into the theme files.
• Shortcodes added for additional functionality – scroll-to-top and formatted text.
• Contact page with Contact Form and Map.
• Google Analytics support.
• WordPress custom background support.
• WordPress Featured Image Support for resizing photos automatically.
• Eleven widget-ready areas to choose from.
• Based on the 960 Grid System.
• jQuery enhanced features.
• Optional menu sub-headings.
• Unique, styled search results page.
• Extensive documentation.
• Nested comment support with Gravatars.
• Favicon ready.

License Breakdown:

• Single License ($35.00) – This package includes the design, layered PSD files, and support to go along with the theme.

Monochrome is a free WordPress theme designed for bloggers and writers. The theme is fairly clean and simple.

Additional Features:

• Page navigation and drop-down menus.
• Theme options.
• Translation support.
• Widget-ready.
• Threaded comments.

The main page of the theme features a unique layout, with links for readers to subscribe to your site, follow you on Twitter, and view videos on external sites. This area is widget-ready and can largely be customized to suit your needs.

A featured content slider for images is to the left of this area, as well as integrated drop-down menus and latest blog posts.

FInally, a number of standard features like HTML styling and the standard WordPress gallery feature have been included, although each is designed specifically for integration into the theme.

Additional Features:

• jQuery content slider for presenting your featured projects in a professional manner.
• jQuery display switcher included on the home and archives pages.
• Advanced custom widgets included.
• Theme options panel,
• Custom menu integration.
• Custom backgrounds integrated.
• Multi-level drop-down menus.
• Threaded comments.
• Custom page templates.
• Search and comments form validation.
• CSS styles for the page navigation plugin.

License Breakdown:

• Single Theme Package (39€) – This package is intended for people who want to use the theme on a single website or domain. You get access to the support forums and any updates for one year. Footer links may be removed.

• Discount Theme Packages – If you are looking to purchase more than one theme, save anywhere from 25-40% using discount codes 2themes25off, 3themes33off, and 4themes38off. A business package is available (upon contact) with a discount code 40%+.

About ThemeShift:

ThemeShift is a professional theme provider offering themes at great prices, combined with designs that will help you promote your website and any services you offer.

This theme has great integration with a number of popular features, including Google Maps, plus options for adding details about various locations. A seen in the demo of the theme, there are plenty of areas for including information about various attractions.

While you could properly setup and monetize a site using the standard features, Templatic has gone above and beyond, providing an option for users to submit attractions and other places for a fee. In other words, you’ll be able to use the theme to make money from local businesses who want to use the site to advertise their business.

A review/comment feature has been built-in, allowing your visitors to provide their opinions and experiences at the various places. This is a great feature as it is found on many of the other travel/directory sites.

Check out the other features of the theme below or purchase the theme today.

Additional Features:

• Six detailed color schemes.
• Fully customizable frontpage.
• Excellent support provided.
• Theme guide and tutorials included.
• PSD file included with multiple use license.
• Built-in advertisement monetization.
• Valid, cross-browser compatible coding.
• Out-of-the-box automatic installation – simply activate the theme and start working.
• Strategic design of the homepage with maps, widgets, an image, slider, videos, and more.
• Homepage banner slider to display a big map on the homepage, with advanced options to customize the banner image link, width, heigh, speed, animation effect, and more.
• Category listing view gives an option to list the places in grid or list view from the admin panel.
• Place details page has been built-in for maximum ROI with automatic image galleries, highlighted place address, contact details, and more.
• Add a listing page for free or charge them a reasonable fee.
• Add details – don’t limit yourself to just business listings.
• Event detail page – highlight event date, venue, time, and how to register.
• Featured events and listings can be added.
• Sign in or signup – users can register on your site and can manage the places they have listed on your site.
• User dashboard page gives you visitors an option for managing the places they have listed on your site.
• News blog – you can have a news blog on your site where you list all the news/blogposts and users can comment on there as well.
• Design settings – color scheme, logo, navigation, Google Maps, and more.
• Payment options built-in, ranging from PayPal to 2Checkout.
• Manage category icons easily and change Google Map category icons as you wish.
• Manage coupons quite easily.
• Mange price for new listings.

License Breakdown:

• Single Use Package ($89.95) – This package is intended for people who want to use the theme on a single website or domain. You get access to the support forums and any updates for one year. Footer links may be removed.

• Developer Package ($159.00) – This package is intended for developers, as you may use the theme on an unlimited number of sites and the original PSD files are included. Support and updates will be provided for one year.

Themes Club:

The Themes Club ($299.00) offers several benefits to purchasing themes individually. For one, you get access to all their themes and any released during your membership period, plus community support forum, and more advanced customization techniques. You may use their themes on an unlimited number of sites plus you get access to the design PSD files.

The main page of the theme includes lots of customization options, beginning with the jQuery slider. You can easily use this area to include information about your site, show off your latest photography or projects/works, or customize it to suit your liking.

Beneath this, there are a number of areas that you can use to provide visitors information about your company or website. This area is ideal for all types of content, ranging from images to standard text.

The footer area is widget-ready and includes lots of space for customizing your site. This area is also ideal for additional links, a contact form using the included shortcode, or placing recent tweets here.

There are lots of other features included, as I have just scraped the surface, so be sure to check them out.

Additional Features:

• Flexible front page.
• jQuery slider on homepage.
• Multi-layout content and action panels.
• Front-page admin.
• Unlimited portfolios.
• Five portfolio layouts.
• Optional item descriptions.
• Portfolio admin panel.
• Contact page, contact widget, and a contact form shortcode.
• Eighteen custom widgets included.
• Unlimited sidebars supported.
• Easy column layouts.
• HTML elements included.
• Friendly admin panel.
• Admin pages for everything.
• Clean and easy-to-use theme.
• Twenty color variations included.

License Breakdown:

• Single License ($35.00) – This package includes the design, layered PSD files, and support to go along with the theme.

in the header portion of the theme, you have an area to upload your band’s logo or name, drop-down menus for building a great navigation structure, and an integrated search form.

A featured content area can display videos and photographs, and this is the ideal area for displaying upcoming tour dates or the latest announcement from your band.

Featured music is displayed along the left-hand side of the page, while the right side has widgets. A three-column footer is ideal for additional links and information about your band.

A number of custom page templates and layouts have been included, which help you branch out and adapt to different forms of content.

Check out all the other great features of the theme through the demonstration or purchase links, which can be found below or to the left.

Support: With the purchase of the theme, support will be provided.

Additional Features:

• Six layout options.
• Fixed-width format.
• Theme options panel.
• Featured images.
• Threaded comments.

License Breakdown:

Many of the themes from StudioPress are now built for the Genesis Theme Framework, which brings a lot of power to each of their themes. You’ll be able to customize each theme to your liking and you’ll only need to purchase a new child theme to create a great looking site.

• Child Theme ($24.95) – You can purchase the theme by itself for a lower price, although you still need the Genesis Theme Framework (priced separately at $59.95) to use the theme.

• Child Theme + Genesis Framework ($79.95) – This package includes the Genesis Framework, the child theme shown above, and unlimited updates, support, and access to detailed tutorials.

• Pro Plus Package ($299.95) – Get all themes, unlimited updates, support, and detailed tutorials, plus the Genesis Theme Framework, in one GREAT package. Save more than $600 (compared to buying themes individually). This package is ideal for developers and designers who want to use their themes on multiple sites.

About StudioPress:

StudioPress, launched by Brian Gardner, helped found the premium theme market in 2007 and continues to produce high-quality WordPress themes for small business owners and content producers. With their all-themes package, get access to all themes for one low price.

The main page of the theme includes a customizable drop-down menu, with many great options designed to help you set up a proven navigation structure.

A large featured content/slideshow area has been included beneath the header region, with additional areas for content beneath this. You can also include links to your recent blog posts or portfolio items.

The footer is four columns, ideal for placing recent posts, recent comments, meta information, and a blogroll in this space. It can be customized using the widgets included or using your own widgets.

Make use of the Custom Page Types and layouts, including the contact form, single post, full-width gallery, and a number of other portfolio page templates. These eliminate the need for you to create your own page styles, so you need to know only a minimal amount about how WordPress and CSS/HTML works.

The theme might not have a completely unique look, but it sure is a great theme for people looking for a business site or portfolio/gallery. For more details, see the list below or head on over to the purchase page.

Additional Features:

• Extensive admin panel with many great options.
• Unlimited colors using the built-in color picker.
• Drag-and-drop homepage contents manager – control and order which content to show on homepage from admin panel.
• Font Manager – you can upload your own fonts.
• Contact Form Manager – control and order which field to show on contact page from admin panel.
• Built-in SEO plugin.
• Site speed optimization with compressed JavaScript and CSS files.
• Three different portfolio page styles.
• Seven custom widgets – Recent Posts, Popular Posts, Category Posts, Twitter Feed, Contact Form, Maps, and Flickr Photostream.
• Four footer sidebar styles.
• Portfolio list and detail page with filter by set option.
• Full-screen image gallery with uploader supporting multiple images.
• Ready-made pages – about us, contact us, services, and pricing.
• Flexible pricing page – three, four, or five columns in the pricing table.
• Page styles – full-width, with left or right sidebar.
• Styled typography and flexible page columns.
• Many built-in shortcodes included.
• Style shortcodes – image frames, dropcaps, and more.
• Media shortcodes – maps, video, slideshow, image gallery, and more.
• Charts, buttons, tables, styled boxes, and Lightbox custom shortcodes.
• Column shortcodes – two, three, four, five, or six columns.
• Built-in Shortcode Generator plugin.
• Custom Post Type support for Portfolios and Slides.
• WordPress Custom Menu support.
• Blog page single post and comments.
• TimThumb automatic thumbnail support.
• Unlimited sidebar – create and select sidebars for each of your pages.
• Contact us page with validation and ready-to-use PHP mailer.
• PSD files included.
• Unobtrusive jQuery-powered effects.

License Breakdown:

• Single License ($35.00) – This package includes the design, layered PSD files, and support to go along with the theme.