The past few weeks have been full of exciting tech announcements (Apple, Google Instant, Internet Explorer 9) that have been keeping us on our toes; one of the latest announcements comes from Twitter.

The “New Twitter” was unveiled on Tuesday afternoon, on the heels of a surprising declaration from business development VP Kevin Thau that Twitter is not a social network. Some disagree, considering the success of Twitter is based on user interaction, but the site’s goal is to be a source for information, content, and news – a goal which the new design helps to bring to the forefront. Twitter CEO Evan Williams said the revamp is “all about getting more out of Twitter in a lot less time.”

One of the most significant features added to the new design is the inclusion of multimedia (photos, videos, etc.); in other words, you don’t need to click on a link and be redirected to the source to view the multimedia content your friends post anymore, you can see it right on Twitter. The new layout also splits the site you’re familiar with into two distinctive panes – one side for your stream, and the other, which generally features your profile, followers, etc., is where the multimedia content from tweets can expand in, as well as related tweets, profiles, and maps. Not only will the new design improve the value that users get from Twitter, but it also improves its advertising value as the site is now even more interactive.

If, like us, you don’t have the newest version of Twitter yet (we should all have it in a few weeks), TechCrunch has a helpful collection of screenshots to give you a taste of the new site, and check out the official video from Twitter below. What are your thoughts on the #NewTwitter?