I think maybe yesterday the WordPress crew was just trying to throw us off with the release of WordPress 2.5 RC3, because today at WordCamp Dallas, Matt Mullenweg announced that WordPress 2.5 is now available. The fact that the official release coincides with WordCamp almost seems planned.

Anyway, in order to get your copy, head over to WordPress.org, check out the new redesign, and upgrade your blog software!  Then come back here and share your thoughts on the new look and other changes.

WordPress.com users should have the upgrade within a week (though don’t expect it the next few days while the entire team is in Dallas).

If you are someone that likes to be ahead of the game, the first release candidate of WordPress 2.5 is now available for download.

Dougal lists the following new features:

• Faster load times.
• Multi-file uploads.
• New “Media Manager” for images, audio, video, etc.
• Built-in gallery function.
• Built-in (and pluggable) Gravatars support.
• New backend design.
• One-click auto-update for plugins.
• Reactivate plugins after a ‘Deactivate All Plugins’ action.

Along with the new features will come a period of adjustment as we get used to the new admin panel. Not only have the colors changed, but the location of many links and information has been moved.  You may also want to check out 10 things you need to know about WordPress 2.5 by TechnoSailor.

As we get closer and closer to the release I think I’m getting more and more excited. What feature are you most looking for to?

Note: As a reminder, this is just a release candidate which is designed for locating bugs in the software. If you are waiting for a more stable version of WordPress 2.5 you’ll want to wait until the official release.