We talked to the CEO of Airtronics USA for a little while and it sounded like the only new M8-related product for 2003 was the Novak Switch module.
The SS is actually just referring to the mass-production model of the M8 LE. My understanding of it is that there are still two versions of the M8 in production, the standard and now the backlight.
The standard version comes in the servo/receiver combos, while the backlit version is sold only in the transmitter/module combo, much like the LE was. The 2003 backlit version, unlike the LE, has a silver antenna and a red power-on LED.
This information is, I believe, in the 2003 Airtronics catalog as well. I don't have a dealer price sheet in front of me so I'm not sure as to cost, but I assume that pricing will be right around where the LE was.