iPod Touch vs The Rest of The World

[gino_76ph]

im looking at replacing my 1-year old Sony Walkman NW-A806 player. then i found the Samsung YP-P2 and the Cowon iAudio D2. i set myself high hopes on these players and i found their specs really something to think about but there always bound to have issues. the P2 has limited colour availability, the inability to "bookmark" or queue a song (so you can play it next to the current one playing) and lacking various file format compatibility like Flac, OGG, etc. the D2 has a very impressive battery life but touch screen can be a while getting used to (and not as fluid as the P2?), not being able to save files onto the SD card and its due to be replaced by the D3 "sometimes within the next 6 months". which leads me BACK to the iPod Touch. now, im aware that an "updated" one is coming up this march but i still have few more questions:

1. what software updates will we see on the updated iPod Touch?

2. can we create playlists on the Touch? if yes, how many?

3. can you "bookmark" or "queue" songs up?(like what i explained above)

4. if there's no Wi-Fi available would that mean i woudn't be able to surf the net via Safari?

5. can i edit the Album or Artist picture?

6. can i use 3rd-party application in transferring files? (my main worry on this is if i downloaded an mp3 file from a P2P site then i wouldn't be able to add the artist picture, etc.)

7. is there any firmware updates now and again to download? (ive heard Apple has a habit of "updating" their players every year or so so you'll be tempted and sometimes required to buy the new one whereas thru firmware updates it will just update the player and make it "better" with added features,etc.).

8. why an expensive player?

9. no Flash player built-in?

please help!!!