mysql 5.6 - set password

after installing MySQL 5.6.x there was no mysqladmin command for setting password.
instead i got: You will find that password in '/root/.mysql_secret'

after using the password in '/root/.mysql_secret' file to access mysql, in every command i issue i get:
ERROR 1820 (HY000): You must SET PASSWORD before executing this statement

to get things running you must set password first. to set password, do:
mysql> SET PASSWORD = password('<your new password here>');