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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 work in the music business, both in the studio and on the road Internationally.
Thus, the concept of a device that could play thousands of songs, enabling me to listen to board tapes and compare studio mixes was intriguing.
A friend generously gave me an I-Pod for Christmas.
Having heard that there were stability problems with the I-Pod I decided to compare it against other players.
The Creative Labs 40 GB was less than the price of an I-Pod 10 GB with a bit better sound.
Being a grown-up I bought a protective case, never dropped it (or the subsequent units) and was very careful about charging it (them.)
After several returns I decided that, like many expensive sports cars, while a nice unit, (when they work,) the unit's poor reliability record, the time it takes to load and catalogue songs from the computer and the further time consuming hassle through which the stores put the buyer trying find and exchange the units, make them more trouble than they are worth.

This is a very good product and should not be knocked simply because it isn't the "in" brand at the moment. I've had mine for 6+ months and it has worked great at a fraction of the price of an iPod. <br /> <br /> I use it in the car daily with a tape adaptor from a portable CD player. I charge it up nightly. It took me on a 980 mile x 2 road trip to Portland, OR with no problem. <br /> <br /> Think about it: you're getting 8 TIMES the space for songs that you get on an iPod Mini for less $. 8000 songs versus 1000 songs for less money? Doesn't sound like much of a contest to me. Plus, it comes with everything you need, including a case at no extra price. <br /> <br /> So if you are more concerned about a good buy than what's "in", you'll be very satisfied with this product. But a word of advice: buy the service contract--it's just good sense. Any brand you get is still a fragile item and you'll kick yourself if something goes wrong and you haven't protected your investment. Happy shopping...