Mojang has updated the official Minecraft blog to announce the release date for the upcoming Minecraft 1.3 patch, which is slated to add a ton of new features to the game, while combining the code for single and multiplayer modes to simplify future upgrades on their end and offer better support to modders.
Version 1.3 of Minecraft will be out on August 1. Mojang also plans to put out an official release candidate a week before they go live with the real thing so players can experience it early.
The new version is slated to add a cheat mode for single player, the ability to share your single player worlds over LAN, bonus chests to help you start off a new game, and a new tripwire mechanism which lets you build a variety of traps. Players will also be able to write books and share them with others.
Future versions of the game will continue to build upon Minecraft's RPG and exploration.