SugarCRM 6 was announced on April 13th, 2010 as a way of celebrating the 5th anniversary of SugarForge and the SugarCRM OpenSource Community.

Here are some of the coolest features i've noticed in the SugarCRM 6 presentation video:

1. New top shortcut bar which enables you to rapidly create new record (based on the selected module) without navigating away from the current page. This shortcut bar is always on top of the screen even if you scroll through a long record.

2. Main module menu is tight integrated, with minimal actions like Create, View, View Reports, Import and Last viewed.

The 'Last Viewed' feature will shorten the time for the finding a record in SugarCRM.

3. JavaScript/AJAX powered tab system

Users can download plugins (Outlook, Word, Excel) directly from the interface.

4. Clean and easy-to-read template, easy-to-read grid system

The grid system was simplified. Basic search was simplified, and you can search only by name.
The Edit icon was moved to the left (next to the record name), and the Additional info icon was moved to the right.

Remember the mass update options on the bottom of the grid?
They were removed and relocated to the top of the grid and compacted in a single link called Actions which triggers a dropdown with options such as: Delete, Email, Mass Update, Merge, Add to Target List, Export.

5. Global Search was highly improved!
This is a great time saver. It appears you don't have to enter % anymore to find the partial results; the results are displayed instantly in a dropdown.

6. The 'Detail View' was modified so everything is grouped.
This is something already existing in SugarCRM 5.x but the design now clearly delimitates these sections and makes them easier to read.

Here is the official video from the SugarCRM 6 UI Preview:

Other SugarCRM 6 related resources:

• You can download SugarCRM Community Edition 6 (beta for the moment).
• Read the official press release SugarCRM Announces New User Interface, Enhanced Features with Beta Release of Sugar 6
• What's new in Sugar - from SugarCRM.com. You can also schedule a demo.
• SugarCRM 6 Beta adds new user interface from The H Open
• 6.0 contents on SugarCRM Forums