Well, I still think we kinda got a little gipped on the aspect of starter classes.

One more gripe, I don't like the way tieflings look. I prefer the 3rd edition looks, but w/e. Minor gripe if there ever was one.

EDIT: Also, can someone PLEASE explain healing surges to me? I am lost there.

Well I guess if they have redefined the fighter as well the ranger so that the fighter is like the heavy tank and the ranger is the roaming light weight fighter than that's ok because everything described before was just a 3rd ed fighter. I do think they really need to change the names though.
Firstly because those names have heaps of 3rd ed baggage and secondly because they're not very accurate.
Fighter could be any kind of fighter, to me anyway. Not necessarily a heavy dude.
And Ranger is a hodge podge name. It could imply a scoutish kind of role, a wandering type person, a shock trooper, all number of things. The standard definition involves a roving nature on the borders of other. So it maybe works but a name change would work better.
I do like that they are willing to take new routes with all the classes I guess I just wish they went different ones. I guess I'm mostly annoyed because I got a lot of purchase out of the 3.5 ranger abilites and had some really great villains whose personalities were really shaped by the ranger class as it was. Oh well, I'm sure it's for the best.

Dragonborn, Eladrin, Tiefling, where can I see some pictures, since I dont feel like illegally obtaining a 4th Ed book. Also, what is an Eladrin, and I assume Dragonborn are half dragon?

Healing surges are basically daily abilities that you use outside of combat. They regenerate your HP.

I also dislike the Tiefling look for 4E.

I totally agree: Fighter and Ranger both needed some major refinement in 3 and 3.5, but there was also a lot of potential there in the way of NPC's. That being said, I think as a player you'll be very happy with a lot of the character-oriented changes they've made, and as a DM, pleasantly surprised at how well NPC's still work (personally I think they're a little harder to make now with the new power system, but they handle fundamentally better in combat once you're running the adventure).

I think "Warrior" handles Fighter well enough, because that takes him from being a broad term that could include martial artist, to a term that generally means "OHSHATZPLATEKTHXBAI".

Should be able to find some decent pics on the actual website here.

Dragonborn- Basic Descendants of Dragon. They're a lot uglier when they're not wearing that much armor.

I can't find good pictures of Tieflings or Eladrin via google images, but needless to say, Eladrin are like ethereal elves. They're fey. :p

Here are pics.

Eladrin seem to be more typical 3e Elves, while the elves are more like wood variety.

I shall elaborate.

A healing surge is equal to 1/4th of your HP. You get a number of Healing Surges equal to your class's Healing Surges a Day plus constitution. When you're not in combat you can restore yourself using them as much as you'd like. Cleric healing provides you with restoring Healing Surges.

So that way it's not 1d8, which is great for a level 2 wizard but downright useless for a level 20 fighter.

Actually that worries me a bit. One thing I liked about 3.5 was how I could throw an NPC together basically on the spot. Important people I would craft but random henchman in the wilderness outpost that I never expected the players to find (it was on the opposite corner of the globe! Damn my players!) are easy once you've bene playing a while.

A question for those who have a copy of the rules: I've heard the skills have been changed a lot. We play quite a political came with HEAVY use of pretty much all the Cha skills and things. Are these all still in place? I'd be a little concerned if they've been rolled up into one skill because like combat orientated groups will explore all its little niches we have over time found all the different areas that one skill will take you and have quite enjoyed that little aspect.

The skills are as follows

Acrobatics
Arcana
Athletics
Bluff
Diplomacy
Dungeoneering
Endurance
Heal
History
Insight
Intimidate
Nature
Perception
Religion
Stealth
Streetwise
Thievery

The only skill that seems to be rolled up into a single skill would be disarm trap, pickpocket, and the other thieving skills. In fact it looks like they added another CHA skill in the form of Streetwise. But even if they did roll em up, why couldn't you just separate them out again? All the information from 3e is still valid, and 4e still runs on d20s so its not like matching a square block to a round peg.

Even if these are the "rules" one of the major sticking points for a DnD game is that the rules can be changed.

I'm glad that, in the Skills department, WotC took up the suggestion offered by every game in the last five years and made individual skills ball up the entire spectrum of what certain classes do.

I've downloaded the 4e handbooks and I have to say that just about everything in this game just makes me slap my forehead and go, "Oh, man, that's perfect, and it's about time!"

Healing Surges especially. Cure Light restoring a fourth of everyone's hit points regardless of class or level? Moderate curing half? Serious curing three-fourths? Um, yes please.

Now that. That makes sense.
I don't know what'll do to balance but that's not something I'm concerned about. Cause it makes total sense.