I'm at work and haven't been able to install iTunes 4.9. Since the iPod update is only for 4G, I'm wondering what the setup is going to be to get podcasts onto 1-3G iPods.
How do podcasts work on 1-3G iPods now?
Well, you can still use podcasts with older iPods, but the Apple interface for them won't be available to you - which is slightly bumtastic.
Can anyone think of a way to automatically conglomerate new podcasts for those of us with 3G ipods? Downloaded through the iTunes/Store interface the podcasts don't seem to make it into the main library and therefore Smart Playlists don't seem them. Otherwise a smart playlist with "Genre: Podcast" would do the trick. 
So far, here's what I'm doing. I have a 2G iPod. You can set your Podcasts to update automatically with your iPod under the preferences now without having to turn on Autosync for your music. Basically, the Podcast section operates like a separate library with separate settings. So, I have my Podcasts set to check for new episodes every hour and to auto-update new stuff with my iPod. Since there's no Podcast menu option on the iPod (which, as an aside, seems odd. How hard could that have been to add?) I just go to Music: Genre: Podcast and then everything I need is there.