Agreed, an iPod forum would be good....I'm a member of iPodlounge which is a huge expanse of discussion...a bit too big, but very helpful....
http://www.ipodlounge.com
I went for the 40gb....but then I do have a lot of CDs....currently up to over 1,000 tracks....long way to go yet!
I would get yourself one of those condom-like iSkins to be sure...and added protection from dust. With regards to water...well I wouldn't take it in the shower
Also you do need to be careful with the unit....dropping them, especially when the disk is spinning is a good way to finish it off apparently.
No you don't have to bin them. Apple offer a battery replacement plan, for about 70 quid I think, or you can take out the Apple Extended Warranty for another two years for about the same price, which covers to battery too.
There are a few other people that offer battery replacement programmes for less money, and some that offer kits to do it yourself. Although it should be noted that the battery 'problem' is reported on the 1st & 2nd generation models - those of us with 3rd gen ones have a different make of battery inside it (Hitachi rather than Sony I think) so I guess we need to wait and see how it does!
What's the problem? By the way, registering iTunes is not a requirement.