iPod Shuffle, Zen Stone or Sansa Clip

I don't know about the Philips GoGear as I've never used it. But I have used the other 3 and for me I would absolutely go for the clip. IMO it has better sound quality than the other two. It actually has a decent sized and sharp screen for its size with a fair bit of info displayed. It has the aforementioned screen (none on shuffle), it can play a wide variety of audio codecs (compare with shuffle), and it's certainly cheaper than the shuffle. It's build quality is also better than the stone that I had as well. The stone seemed like a half-hearted attempt at a mini player. No, Sansa did it right and it would be my recommendation.

Old iPod Nano 2gen,Zen Mosaic and new Sansa Clip+ on my coffee table,I guess we think alike...

Creative Stone is really pimping the "powerful built in speaker" and you have to purchase the 'plus' version to get a display.

The new 4G Shuffle Special Edition in Stainless Steel is beautiful,I must say.
-desirable.

I like the Sansa Clip+ because of its small size and good sound.
Spoke with SanDisk tech support today and was told the microSD slot on the side of the Clip+ will support a 16 gig card!
Firmware is in the works to support the new 32 gig cards,so that clinched the deal,enough room to put some .flac files on.
For skating around with your phones the Clip+ is tough to beat for the price.
You will get the most sound for your buck.

I just looked at the Philips GoGear webpage:

High-definition headphones for precise sound:
Designed according to the curvature of the human canals, these ergonomically designed headphones with exceptional noise isolation feature precisely direct soundwaves from the speaker to your ear drums with highest definition.

FullSound™ to bring CD listening experience to MP3:
Philips' innovative FullSound technology faithfully restores sonic details to compressed MP3 music, dramatically enriching and enhancing it, so you can experience CD music without any distortion. Based on an audio post-processing algorithm, FullSound combines Philips' renowned expertise in music reproduction with the power of the latest generation Digital Signal Processor (DSP). The result is fuller bass with more depth and impact, boosted voice and instrument clarity, and rich detail. Rediscover your compressed MP3 music in true-to-life sound that will touch your soul and move your feet.

Saw this on Overstock.com:
Enjoy MP3, WMA and AAC music plus FM radio,Philips SA5285 8GB GoGear Audio/ Video MP3 Player (Refurbished)under $80
Video too,for a price...

Nice little review of what you are looking at here:
Philips GoGear Vibe 4GB Review
Still can't beat .flac on the Clip+

the stone doesn't have any way to clip or attach to your clothes, etc. whereas both the shuffle and clip do. i'd definitely suggest the clip+ (the newer model) over the shuffle. i haven't listened to the newer shuffle; but if it's anything like the previous generations, then the clip+ will be much superior. also the clip+ is expandable if you want more space.

I have got a Zen Stobe + 2GB in my MP3 collection and I would say for a thing this size, its SQ really isnt that bed. Not the best sounding Mp3 player I have but nice. Its probably also the smalles MP3 player I have.

Though one thing that has dissapointed me is, on a full charger the batts dont seem to hold its charge for long and lets say after 1 week it would be almots flat, it slowly drains overtime, why I dont know.

I really think the Clip + would be your best buy, though I have never ever owned one.

i've both the sansa clip and the 2G shuffle. well the shuffle ain't that bad. its very neutral i would say. no accentuated bass, not analytical, no forward mids, no over-expansive soundstage. the sansa outputs a bit more power than the 2G. but anyway if you are going to use sensitive earphones then who cares. the shuffle is approx half the size of the sansa. its the easiest to use player out there as you know. as you have said you are gonna play in shuffle mode in any case then i don't think the 2G shuffle makes for a bad deal. well i dont exactly prefer the interface of the clip. but thats another thing. but do consider that if you go for the 2G then you are bound to use itunes and proprietary connections, no fm radio, no voice recording.

With that Shuffle,it's play all songs in order or select slide to shuffle on the device.
Controller on the earphones for the rest.
The small OLED screen on the Clip+ is crisp,bright and you have many options to view,one being a 5 band custom equalizer as well as 10 other stock Music SQ settings,so to that end,much more customizable to your liking.
The Sansa has ReplayGain too,if you want to avoid those annoying jumps in volume on certain tracks.
$40 USD for a Sansa,try it if you have already used an Apple.
As far as iTunes goes I use Xilisoft iPod Rip,almost as good as drag and drop!

Clip >>>>>> shuffle. No contest. The clip is already small enough so any smaller, it just because a ridiculous size comparison lol.

Sansa clip!