New "steemit style" login, "quick buy" options ++.
New login model
There are several big changes in this update, but the biggest one has to be the addition of a new method of accessing your account. Similar to how Steemit handles password based login, the new method lets you set a password (preferably a very long one) that is then used to generate your private keys. As in Steem, the formula is account_name + role + password. This allows you to login from anywhere, completely bypassing the original method of having a wallet that is stored in your browser.
The advantages are:
Ease of use
Accessibility
Reduced complexity
As long as you choose a sufficiently long and complex password (use a password manager!), your keys are safe.
If you already have a regular Bitshares wallet, you can migrate to the new model (or use it in combination with the old) by using the 'Account model' form located under Account -> Permissions.
Quick buy feature
One of the problems new users of Bitshares have is getting funds into their wallet. Recently I added a quick deposit/withdraw feature to the account home page, and now I've added a 'Quick buy' feature using the Blocktrades API. This lets users quickly purchase BTS/bitUSD/bitCNY among others using their choice of external coins, such as Bitcoin or Ether. The external coins available to be used depends on the Bitshares asset you're wanting to buy; while BTS can be bought with BTC/ETH/DASH and STEEM, bitUSD can only be bought using BTC for example.
