diff --git a/CRM/Core/Smarty/plugins/function.crmVersion.php b/CRM/Core/Smarty/plugins/function.crmVersion.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ad8c0d42
--- /dev/null
+++ b/CRM/Core/Smarty/plugins/function.crmVersion.php
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+<?php
+/*
+ +--------------------------------------------------------------------+
+ | CiviCRM version 4.4                                                |
+ +--------------------------------------------------------------------+
+ | Copyright CiviCRM LLC (c) 2004-2014                                |
+ +--------------------------------------------------------------------+
+ | This file is a part of CiviCRM.                                    |
+ |                                                                    |
+ | CiviCRM is free software; you can copy, modify, and distribute it  |
+ | under the terms of the GNU Affero General Public License           |
+ | Version 3, 19 November 2007 and the CiviCRM Licensing Exception.   |
+ |                                                                    |
+ | CiviCRM is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but     |
+ | WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of         |
+ | MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.               |
+ | See the GNU Affero General Public License for more details.        |
+ |                                                                    |
+ | You should have received a copy of the GNU Affero General Public   |
+ | License and the CiviCRM Licensing Exception along                  |
+ | with this program; if not, contact CiviCRM LLC                     |
+ | at info[AT]civicrm[DOT]org. If you have questions about the        |
+ | GNU Affero General Public License or the licensing of CiviCRM,     |
+ | see the CiviCRM license FAQ at http://civicrm.org/licensing        |
+ +--------------------------------------------------------------------+
+*/
+
+/**
+ *
+ * @package CRM
+ * @copyright TTTP
+ * $Id$
+ *
+ */
+
+/**
+ * Display the CiviCRM version
+ *
+ * @code
+ * The version is {crmVersion}.
+ *
+ * {crmVersion redact=auto assign=ver}The version is {$ver}.
+ * @endcode
+ */
+function smarty_function_crmVersion($params, &$smarty) {
+  $version = CRM_Utils_System::version();
+
+  $redact = !CRM_Core_Permission::check('access CiviCRM');
+  if ($redact) {
+    $parts = explode('.', $version);
+    $version = $parts[0] . '.' . $parts[1];
+  }
+
+  if (isset($params['assign'])) {
+    $smarty->assign($params['assign'], $version);
+  }
+  else {
+    return $version;
+  }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/templates/CRM/common/footer.tpl b/templates/CRM/common/footer.tpl
index fb1afc60..827a8c48 100644
--- a/templates/CRM/common/footer.tpl
+++ b/templates/CRM/common/footer.tpl
@@ -37,10 +37,15 @@
     </div>
 {/if}
 
-<div class="footer" id="civicrm-footer">
-{ts 1=$version}Powered by CiviCRM %1.{/ts} 
-{ts 1='http://www.gnu.org/licenses/agpl-3.0.html'}CiviCRM is openly available under the <a href='%1'>GNU Affero General Public License (GNU AGPL)</a>.{/ts}<br/>
-<a href='http://civicrm.org/download'>{ts}Download source.{/ts}</a> &nbsp; &nbsp;
-<a href='http://issues.civicrm.org/jira/browse/CRM?report=com.atlassian.jira.plugin.system.project:roadmap-panel'>{ts}View issues and report bugs.{/ts}</a> &nbsp; &nbsp;
-{docURL page="" text="Online documentation."}
+<div class="footer crm-footer" id="civicrm-footer">
+  {crmVersion assign=version}
+  {ts 1=$version}Powered by CiviCRM %1.{/ts}
+  {if !empty($newer_civicrm_version)}
+    <span class="status">{ts 1=$newer_civicrm_version}A newer version (%1){/ts}
+    <a href="http://civicrm.org/download">{ts}is available for download{/ts}</a>.</span>
+  {/if}
+  {ts 1='http://www.gnu.org/licenses/agpl-3.0.html'}CiviCRM is openly available under the <a href='%1'>GNU AGPL License</a>.{/ts}<br/>
+  <a href="http://civicrm.org/download">{ts}Download CiviCRM.{/ts}</a> &nbsp; &nbsp;
+  <a href="http://issues.civicrm.org/jira/browse/CRM?report=com.atlassian.jira.plugin.system.project:roadmap-panel">{ts}View issues and report bugs.{/ts}</a> &nbsp; &nbsp;
+  {docURL page="" text="Online documentation."}
 </div>