all jukeboxes

It's passed the 6 month test, no problems w/ it, no shutdown of hard drive. Fingers crossed it can pass the 8 month test...I'm sorry about the horror stories, maybe I just got lucky w/ a functioning Jukebox. I'm pretty active w/ it, jogging, weightlifting, painting w/ it on, even dropped it once or twice, but still works. Course, I don't throw it around or treat it like a stupid little walkman, it *is* a computer and should be treated as such.

I have never tried the Ipod, so I can't compare the sound, interface, ect. All I can say, is that this product is a Godsend at 220 bucks. If you are a finnicky listener like me, and you can't stomach listening to the radio because you have to change the station every other song, if not turn off the radio completely, because you are so freaking sick of stupid music passed off as, well, music, then a product like this is mandatory in your life. You need to have the ability to only listen to what you want to listen to. I have a playlist of over 400+ indie-esque rock songs, another of 50+ that lists my current fave songs, and another of 40+ classical and celtic music pieces. It is what it is, a personal jukebox, a personal radio station. No more interchanging CDs while driving (btw, I just used an old car tape-deck adapter from my CD player to adapt the jukebox to the car stereo, no need to buy the accessory car adapter kit), no more tedious and infuriatingly redundant pop-"alternative" rock music while waiting to hear one good song out of thirty, no more 8 minute commercial breaks...just pop in the jukebox and hit shuffle. The interface can be a little messy, but it's still worth it. 80 bucks less than an Ipod and 20+ GB more...yeah, it's definitely worth it (if it works for you).

I have a Nomad for about 8 months now. On the whole, I am glad I bought it, but it has its pros and cons.
Pros:
1)More memory for the money, compared to any other brand that I saw.
2)Easy to add music.
3)Controls can be operated with gloves on (very important, as I walk for fitness, all year.)
4)Unlike the Ipod, battery can be replaced by the consumer.
5)Backlit screen is easy to read.
6)Good battery life.
Cons:
1)Included case is poorly designed- no viewing window and a belt clip that falls off your belt. (I bought a small camera case, to use instead.)
2)Included ear buds were not comfortable for me (a problem with most jukeboxes)
3)A bit bigger that the Ipod.

In short, it's a good product but could be impproved upon.

All the Zen Nomads are perfectly fine. I purchased mine because I didn't want ot pay the Ipod premium.

The nomad works, has great sound, but has a semi clunky interface. The big bug is: that it accidently turns itself on. So you're on trip and you open your nomad only to find the battery is almost dead. Kind of annoying.