Grafana 2.5 introduces various enhancements and new features across its platform, including improved data source support and a refined user interface. Key updates include a new timepicker with expanded quick and relative range options, a fully featured query editor for Elasticsearch enabling complex data visualization, and new data sources for CloudWatch and Prometheus to broaden data integration capabilities. The release allows for mixing data sources on the same graph, enhancing flexibility in data visualization. User management improvements include user invites and an optional email verification step. Additionally, the update features LDAP enhancements, new panel resize handles, and extended graph unit options for richer data representation. While there are some breaking changes to the data source plugin API, future developments will focus on integrating alerting and expanding visualization options, with active community engagement in shaping these upcoming features.