So that HP iPod -- good bad indifferent? Is it from the generation of the bad batteries? Would you rather get that in 40G or the iRiver PMC-120 (new-ish, with video, nice large screen for MP3 player) in 20G? I realize 20G is kind of chintzy for a video player, so is there a way to upgrade it?

i haven't done research on these in a while. i wanted the hp 20gig back in the day (2004) but settled for my #2 choice, the rio karma. i'm trying to survive another year with my rio & then buy a new one in 2007

i would go with the newer ipods......smaller, etc

the hp version is 4g, the bad batteries were 3g (although they all suck). there's no point, imo, in a 20gb video player. if you really want video, get a pvp, not an mp3 player.

i really dont get the point of the video ipod - what are you going to watch on there. i have a 20g ipod and would highly recommend it - have not had any problems at all. other than the annoying shuffle algorithims already discussed ad nauseam.

I got the Sandisk e140

1gb built in, up to 2gb additional via sd card.

Pros:
-Menu is very similar to iPod.
-Light as a feather
-Teeny weeny
-Just drag and drop files to it
-Can move files off to a hard drive
-1 'AAA' battery = no built in one to fail.
-Only $90
-FM radio
-Flash memory = no hard drive to fail

Cons:
-Uses 1 'AAA' battery instead of rechargable
-Not too sturdy construction
-No microphone for recording
-Haven't figured out if playlists are possible

I've never run my battery to zero, and I use it everyday, charge it up at night. Never in 14 months of owning my 40gb 4G HP Ipod have I had any battery issues, actually. Or any issues whatsoever.

By the way, HP no longer makes Ipods for Apple. Apple no longer makes 40gb Ipods, either. Get a 30 or 60gb. Scratch that - just get the 60gb if you're dealing with video (and I'll echo the question - why?! It's a two-inch screen! And video runs the battery down in a few hours, at most.)

1) you can still get the HP ipod. clearly they made too many.
2) congrats on your battery life, but you are in a tiny, tiny minority. it's mostly not apple's fault - lithium-ion batteries just lose capacity with use, without exception. after 14 months of use, you probably still have about 5-7 hours (out of the original 12) life, which is why you've never run out of batteries.

You know, they do make rechargeable AAA batteries these days. :)

I echo the sentiments with the video on the players. In my life, it would just be a novelty to have vid capabilities so I could have a video resume of my work to show friends, but then again, I could burn them a DVD. Still though, I'm in the same predicament. I want an mp3 player, but am torn with the 30 or 60. I'd love to have the 60 to import a ton of albums, but then again, would I need 60 gbs of portable music?