RE: Any 2009 manuals here yet?
Skip shift blocks the transmission from shifting out of sequence in 1st-4th gears under normal circumstances.
I.E. you cannot shift from 1st to 3rd or 2nd to 4th unless RPM's are very high. Its designed to reduce emissions and keep you from lugging the engine.
According to the registry, as of right now there are 5 manual R/Ts and one manual SRT (mine) in D1 status.