I am sure you recognize the interface by now:

Yes, it's Apple's new iPod Touch 2.0, dubbed "the funnest iPod ever" by Steve Jobs.
It has a new outer design - sleeker than the first generation iPod Touch, now with a shiny stainless steel design. There are also volume control buttons on the side - convenient when you want to quickly change the volume of a song without having to activate the interface. It also has a built-in speaker - convenient for when you want to set a wake-up alarm, but not too useful when you want to listen to music or watch a movie in a crowded subway - you'll still want your earphones in that case.
It also has built-in Nike+ sensor software - you just need to add the shoe sensor and you can save your running workouts directly to your iPod Touch. Also, there is longer battery life - up to 36 hours of audio or 6 hours of video, plus the built-in accelerometer, which adds new dimensions to user interface possibilities.
Speaking of which, perhaps the best feature of the new iPod is the AppStore. Apple opened up their development environment to allow anyone to create games, utilities, reference applications, entertainment packages, and other finance, sports, social networking, productivity, weather, travel, photography, news, navigation, music, lifestyle, healthcare and fitness, education, business, and book applications, and offer them for free and for sale through their App Store. Downloading and installing new software packages is trivial, and the number of useful software packages will only increase going forward.

And there's even a built-in stock tracker, in case you would like to keep track of how poorly your stocks are doing.

The built-in Safari browser renders web pages in a very readable format, and the ability to zoom in at-will with the Touch's unique interface makes reading and surfing very enjoyable on such a small device.
But one of the main reasons I got one was because I travel a lot, and like to listen to audio books while on the road. Especially if you have an audible.com account, the iPod is perfect for this.

As for where to buy them, I tried hard to buy it from an Apple retail store. I called prior to going there to see if they had them in stock - they didn't, and didn't know when they would get them in stock. Might be soon, they said.

After waiting a week, I called again and they said they *did* have them in stock. But by the time I drove all the way out to the store, they didn't have any more in the 32 GB version.
So rather than deal with the hassle, I finally decided to order it online. If you order from the Apple store, then you can get free engraving, as well as free shipping. Interestingly, with the default shipping option, my iPod travelled from the engraving factory in Kunshan, China, to my doorstep in Virginia in three days, stopping briefly in Shanghai, China, Anchorage, Alaska, Indianapolis, Indiana, and a few more little towns on the way to my doorstep.

iPod Touch
Prices as of 23 September 2008:
Apple iPod touch 8 GB (2nd Generation)
$219.94

Apple iPod touch 16 GB (2nd Generation)
$289.94

Apple iPod touch 32 GB (2nd Generation)
$379.94
