At least according to Roderick Klein of Mensys (posted Sat, 13 Oct 2012 on the mailing list)
Features include (paraphrasing his note):
ACPI switched on by default.
SMP support activated automagically if system supports if. Also, the HLT instruction is back in the SMP kernel.
Many drivers updated for proper SMP and suspend/resume support.
"Heavily updated" Panorama driver for video.
Heavy updates to USB stack as they move away from IBM's USB stack.
"Expected release by the latest second week of November. To access this
beta you will need an active software subscription."
I've been away from OS/2 and eCS since the magic smoke leaked out of my Micron tower a few years ago, but maybe I'll get back into the fold, at least long enough to play with this release. I love Linux, but many of the desktops are regressing.