1G player costs 179. Uses 1 aaa battery, which lasts something like 40 hrs. Use rechargeables and you've got a combo that is much better than the devices with proprietary lithium batteries.

M3 is a beautiful device with great sound. UX could be a bit better at first, but you quickly get used to it and it works just fine.

The Sandisk 1G costs about US$ 179, uses 1 AAA battery that lasts over 40 hours, sounds fine, has FM radio, equalizer, and LCD screen (unlike Shuffle). It seems to be rugged and it is so light you won't notice it. Should drive most common headphones: I've used it with Shure e3c, Koss Portapro...

The cable sounds better than stock. Bass is punchier. Highs are sharp. But, the whole sound is more balanced. this is true without break-in, probably because the cable is lower resistance than the stock cable.