from your two choices sparkx, i would have to go with the 6gb zen micro. its smaller then the other one, but then again, you said 2gb so thats heaps.

the zen is a good sturdy player and has great menu structure and is easy to navigate. I have owned one of these for the last year and its seems to be still going every day! this is my suggestion.

happy hunting
-jimmy

LOL i think his Dubai trip is already over.

My work deals with mp3 players and i've tested/used most of those available in the market. I can easily say, eyes closed, that Sandisk's Sansa player is the best available out there. It supports a lot of protocols not even out in the market (the general public doesn't know about these things) and i'd say its future proof for the near future. Gives a decent 20 hr playback, FM, wma, mp3, also supports video. Also has Rhapsody, which was recently announced by RealNetworks. Can also record FM as well as voice. Sansa E250 is the one i'm using.
iRiver would share second place with ipod+remoteFM. iRiver's models are sturdy while ipods are sleek. iRivers, again, support the protocols i mentioned earlier, and are future proof.

The Sansa is a very nice player but it is well over priced. Sandisk Sansas are rather expensive and the storage isn't very large either. I can get a much better player from iriver, iaudio, or creative than the sansa for $300.


Please be kidding. It is truly degrading to compare a very good line of products to the pieces of crap known as ipods. Ipods are overpriced, lack many functions, and have horrible sound quality. The only reason why those pieces of crap sell is because of mass marketing and the domino effect.

Samsung YP-Z5F

Specs:

Storage: Flash
Capacity: 4 GB
FM Radio: Yes
Color Display: Yes
Interface Type: USB 1.1, USB 2.0
Weight: 58 g
Dimensions: 42.2 x 89.8 x 12.3 mm
Supported audio formats: ASF, MP3, WMA

Very good sound quality. Compared to the HD soundcard on my laptop the YP-Z5F plays broader frequency range IMHO. The strange thing about this device is the mixture between normal buttons and touch-pad, which requires "getting used to" time. The Flash storage does not interfere with the FM tuner.

This is funny. IF you all read the person's first post, it was made a long, long time ago. This topic has resurrected from the dead!

Nevertheless, I would recommend a sandisk sansa. Very good player with great features.

It's true. Resurrected after a year and a half. But i agree about the Sandisk. I just bought a 2 GB 240c Sansa, and stuck another 2GB in it with the expansion slot. 4GB Mp3 player, FM tuner, Voice recording, Radio recording, all for only $110. Generic chinese products aside, you can't do much better than that price.

I would actually go for a phone and music player.

I recommend the Sony Ericsson W810 (i/c depending on region) or the newer Sony Ericsson W580(i/c depending on region). You can constantly upgrade it's storage size by buying a larger Memory Stick. The W810 has 350 hours of standby and 8 hours of talk time. The W580 has 370 hours of standby and 9 hours of talk time.

Both have radio tuners, but sadly, no WMA support.


My Sony Ericsson W810i on the left and my old Motorola ROKR on the right (man, that phone lagged and sucked, especially iTunes).

xboxrulz

if youn want to go all out get the zune

30gb
color screen
fm

Hey i picked up a 1st generation Zune (30GB / White) for $175.00. It is kool, i like it. The only thing i didn't notice at purchase time was you have to buy all the accessories like car charger/adapter, wall adapter, and docking station if you wanna a wireless remote and connect to TV. I just bought a scratch resistant plastic case (non-Microsoft) for $25.00.

I've been adding my some music, photos, and video to it. One thing i do recommend is that you backup all your music, photos, and video to DVD's before you install the software because it will want to manage it as a library and the files - updating and removing meta tags using Microsoft Zunes's 3rd party resources. It bummed me out cause i spent a long time sorting out my folders by genre and the like.

The 2nd generation Zunes will have 80GB, touch controls, premium headphones, slimer design, scratch resistant glass, and big screens will be out on the 3rd week of November. And the Zune software/devices will receive a software/firmware revision on November 13th via internet upgrade!

So far i have:
1381 songs - AAC, M4A, MP3, WMA
51 pictures - JPGs
4 videos - WMA
Scarface - 2.9 hours, widescreen @ 789MB (512kbps windows video 9 CBR, 128kbps windows audio 9 CBR)
Creepshow 2 - 89 minutes, fullscreen @ 577 MB (768kbps windows video 9 CBR, 128kbps windows audio 9 CBR)

I've been reading online there are software/registry hacks; Hard drive, antenna, battery mods; and other file sharing capabilities, and undocumented efforts for playing divx and other codecs, and exploiting the WiFi capabilities. *** Caution People - may void your warranty ***

Bottom line, this is certainly a next generation contender to consider. I'll mostly likely give my Zune to girlfriend and get the next 2nd generation one when it is released!