Any particular reason for an Ipod? They just seem so overpriced to my mind and don't even include a case in the price. The battery life is also pretty poor when compared to the competition. I have a 2 year old creative zen which has a 20gb hdd and haven't had any problems with it. The latest Zen Touch offering from Creative is saying there is battery life of over 20 hours. Since I use mine when flying long haul or commuting then battery life is a top priority but I can see that it is not the be all and end all to necessarily everyone.
Check out this site for reviews and information on what is available out there.
http://www.advancedmp3players.co.uk/...=4a&filter_id=