New Canon Digital Rebel T2i (550D) moves up in specs (correction on prices!) (updated)

The Canon Digital Rebel T1i/500D [reviews] breathed new life into the Digital Rebel line-up as the other manufacturers up'ed the ante in their sub-$1000 segment. So now the time has come for Canon to reveal the brand new Canon T2i (550D). This comes in less than 11 months (!) after the T1i/500D!

If you are a fan of more megapixels, you will be jumping up and down with joy. The T2i/550D has an 18mp APS-C CMOS sensor, matching the "megapixelation" of the 7D [reviews].

Key T2i/550D specs
+ 3.7 fps burst mode (34 JPEG but sadly 6 RAW)
+ ISO 100 to 6400 (expands to 12800)
+ 63-zone dual-layer metering system
+ 9-point autofocus
+ DiGiC IV (4)
+ 1080p movie mode at 24/25/30 (your choice)
+ manual control over various settings during video (including exposure)
+ stereo microphone input
+ 3-inch (3:2) LCD display with 1M+ dots
+ supports SDXC (as well as SD/SDHC of course)

Hands-on previews
+ 13-page preview at dpreview with Simon LeJoinson [HOT]
+ Photo Review with pre-production sample crops
+ Imaging Resource
+ Video-interview/hands-on with Canon Europe at AP UK
+ AP-UK text-based preview part #1 and part #2
+ 80-second video hands-on at Pocket Link
+ replay of a live-blogging session at Zoom.dk
+ Le Monde de la Photo - menu captures
+ PhotoPlus (YouTube) video preview via Canon Rumors
+ sample (YouTube) video from Canon Europe - see it via Trusted Reviews

Further Reading
+ Imaging Insider
+ DC Resource
+ dpreview
+ dpnow
+ Lens Flare 35mm
+ Photography Blog
+ AP UK
+ Fotopolis
+ Pop Photo
+ Digital Camera Review
+ Focus Numerique
+ and finally, Canon herself

Reactions to the announcement
+ Philip Bloom - from a hybridography perspective
+ Zone 10
+ Rebel without a cause says Thomas Fitzerald
+ EOS HD

Price and Availability (updated/corrected - resolved)
The price confusion has been resolved. Amazon's prices were +$100 more than the press release but as of a 5:37pm EST price-check, the Amazon prices have been corrected and they all agree now. So here we go...

Amazon is taking T2i pre-orders for $800 for the the body-only and $900 for the kit with the standard 18-55mm EF-S IS lens.

Adorama is also accepting pre-orders, $800 for the body-only, $900 for the kit with the 18-55 and $1100 for the kit with 18-135mm EF-S IS lens.

The starting price has also gone up by $100 (compared to the T1i starting price), the body-only starts at $900 while the kit with 18-55mm EF-S starts at $1000. The two kits are available for pre-order at Amazon for the aforementioned prices.