"loose leaf tea" news and stories

I think it's about time I graduated from tea bags to loose leaf tea.

I'm trying to decide what kind of infuser and/or teapot I should buy. I saw this one from Bodum at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, but almost every single one had a broken top (the little plastic appendages that extend from the bottom of the teapot's top). It looks pretty cool, a combo infuser/pot, but all those broken pieces don't give me any confidence. This one from Teavana looks neat.

What should I buy, just an infuser or one that comes with a teapot too? I've seen just the infusers at places like Borders Cafe. I'm looking for something sturdy, of course, and something with a mesh screen that won't let any tea get through into the water. A teapot with it would be nice, though it's probably not necessary (again, not too familiar with infusers and pots). Any ideas?