I've done alot of research on this.
The ipod's great, but if you're like me and don't want to spend all that money why not get something that has all the exact same features, and is half the price?
You should get the nomad jukebox zen.
Here's how the 20 gb unit stacks up.
Zen:
Price: $180
Storage: 20gb
Battery life: 14 hours varies
Size: 2.99' x 4.43' x 0.95'
Weight: 9.5 oz
Playback format: mp3,wma,wav
Display: 132x64 pixel res. blue LED backlit
Extras: Eax, equalizer, programmable playlists on device, usb2/firewire/usb 1
Ipod:
Price: $300
Storage: 20 gb.
Battery Size: 8 hrs varies
Size: 2.4' x 4.1' x 0.62' inches
Weight: 5.6 oz
Playback format: mp3,wav
Display: 2' grayscale LCD with LED backlight
Extras: some cool extras like eq, rate songs, timer, alarm, date/time, and some cool addons available.
Relatively the same thing, but one's a hell of alot less.
Eat. Sleep. Breathe. Ski.