The new iPod touch doesn't just look like the old touch—it's identical. Measuring 4.3 by 2.4 by 0.3-inches (HWD) and weighing in at 4.1 ounces, the device is, as always, dominated by its luscious 3.5-inch glass touch-screen. With a 480-by-320 resolution, the display is the best in the business—only the LCD on the upcoming Zune HD, which is smaller, rivals the touch's bright and responsive screen. The player's top panel houses the Power button, the back of the player looks like a warped funhouse mirror, and the proprietary connection for the USB syncing cable lives on the bottom panel alongside the earphone jack. The Home button remains centered below the display. Included with the touch: a sync cable, a plastic dock adapter, and a pair of standard-issue white (and dismal-sounding) Apple earbuds. You should definitely upgrade: Ultimate Ears' $50 MetroFi 170 earphones are a solid, affordable choice.

File support remains unchanged—and could be more robust. You can play AAC (both old Apple DRM and unprotected files), MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible, Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV files. There's still no FLAC or OGG support. Video is limited to H.264 and MPEG-4. For photos, JPEG and most other common photo formats are supported. One note: While the new iTunes LP feature, which includes video, song lyrics, and liner notes with album purchases is very cool, you can only experience those extras in iTunes, not on the touch itself (same goes for the nano, classic, and iPhone too). There's no Wireless N support yet—the 3rd generation touch is 802.11b/g Wi-Fi only.

We already know that the iPod touch has the best user interface and the most extras of any player on the market: Tens of thousands of free or low-price apps including tons of games, a stellar mobile Safari browser—you name it. No other portable media player comes close to offering this much entertainment. Let's focus on some of the new features:

Like the iPhone 3GS, perhaps Apple's biggest sell with this touch is more speed. Specifically, the company claims that the 32GB and 64GB versions of the device are 50 percent faster than the previous iteration (the 8GB touch doesn't get the hardware upgrade). Also, the higher capacity models include support for OpenGL ES Version 2.0, which lets developers create games and apps with better graphics. This is good news for gamers and surfers. In my tests on a 32GB touch, when compared with a 2nd-gen touch, the device did react more quickly to button pushes and finger swipes. It also provided a faster, more-fluid Web experience. One remaining Web gripe: There's still no support for Flash, which is a feature I'd gladly trade for the slight speed boost.