Hot off the presses!!!
You can read the changes here:
http://www.blender3d.org/cms/Blender_2_35.482.0.html
You can download the new version here:
http://www.blender3d.org/cms/Blender.31.0.html
What’s new? Tons of stuff, most notably a revamp of the mesh editing, it acts much like other packages now with edge, face, and vertex modes.
Check it out, it is my favorite tool to use along with Zbrush to create 3d art.
…very cool indeed 
Pilou
Even though using Blender reminds me of trying to fly a space shuttle with boxing gloves, the updates do look good.
I really think that you just haven’t given it enough time.
I’m not saying that there isn’t a high learning curve, but I think that the barebones hot-key interface on blender beats out the more “visual” menues and stuff on other 3d packages.
While a daunting task for a beginner, watching a pro move around in blender with a few keystrokes with barely any lag in the creative process is a great thing to watch.
Just give it some more practice, it’s way faster, more efficent and just easier to work with than other 3d programs, once you have gotten the hang of it.
I disagree, wholeheartedly. These days you can configure any decent 3D app with enough hotkeys to control whatever you want. The problem with Blender is that it is unnessesarily more difficult to use than it should be. No one looks at a guy flying a space shuttle and says, “While a daunting task for a beginner, watching a pro control the shuttle with precision is a great thing to watch.” It’s hard to use- period. The only reason it looks possible to control is because that guy dedicated years of time to learning it inside out. For the people who don’t have years available to them, or the memory to remember all of the hotkeys (which is most) controlling Blender is simply an uphill battle. And, for what reason? It’s simply that it’s every innovation in control is a layer on top of an original flawed base. (which any long-time Blender fan can testify to)
Not only is the interface hard to use, but Blender itself lacks many basic functions. For example, only now do you see the ability to actually undo something. There isn’t a single 3D application that lacked the ability to do that, except for Blender. Then there are the small issues, like the transform panel, where you have to delete the numbers inside of it to input something else. It’s clunky, slow, and annoying.
I’m not talking about whether someone could use the program. I’m talking about the basic useability of the program’s interface. If you honestly think, “it’s way faster, more efficent and just easier to work with than other 3d programs” you’re living in a complete 3D fairy land. It’s not. Hundreds of 3D professionals have commented on Blender’s inerface, just as I have, and at the same time been ignored by the Blender community. I guess it’s no wonder. The vast majority haven’t used anything else.
I’ve used Zbrush(do own), Maya(dont own), wings and blender…
I still like blender’s the best for speed and accuracy of mesh editing. While maya certainly had a lot of cool features, I still found moving around in blender a lot faster and easier.
Undo has been in since the beginning, only it wasn’t a “one click” undo. It was still very usable and at the very least taught you to be accurate with your modeling. Better than many Zscripts where half of the time they are undo’ing an unwanted stroke. For awhile they have had a mesh undo, and just recently they made everything un-doable(changing views, selections ect).
I can understand hwo you feel, but remember blender is 100% free and no one is getting paid to work on it, that alone is an amazing accomplishment to have such a great program for free.
I think that it might be a little clunky to those not used to it, but it can certainly be picked up only a month or two, and is very fast and accurate when compared to others.
Thanks for posting this, I just saw the release and came running over here 
The coolest thing I think about the new blender is A FUll UNDO system :D
I like the animation system I am able to share it with all my friends , it is a great learning/teaching tool
the auto assign features with the armatures is very nice plus you can mirror one side of the armature to the other with just a couple of keystrokes …
I happen to like the interface, chopping up the screen any way I want is neat feature