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Canonical has released Ubuntu 10.10 beta. The next version of the popular Linux distribution is supposed officially launch in October, but you can take the pre-release version for a spin today. As you’d expect, while the beta versions aren’t technically meant for use on your primary computer, the beta should be a lot more stable than the alpha releases that have been available up until now.

Right, so what’s new in Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat? Here’s a partial list:

• There’s a new Unity interface for Ubuntu Netbook Edition.
• The Ubuntu Software center has new “featured” and “what’s new” sections as well as a history area that keeps track of what you’ve installed, removed, or upgraded.
• Shotwell replaces F-Spot as the default photo manager.
• Ubuntu Desktop Edition has a newer version of GNOME, the Evolution email client, and an updated Gwibber Twitter client.
• Kubuntu includes the latest versions of the KDE desktop software, and the desktop and netbook interfaces have been merged.

There are still some bugs to work out, so proceed with caution, and check out the release notes for more information.