I really prefer the MP3 player the way it is. I believe its basicness is key (or at least directly connected) to how responsive the phone remains with a nearly full 16gb uSD card in it. My last phone (w100i) had playlist support and it was the only way i could get it to play properly once there was more than about 5.5gb on the uSD. Plus, I play my mp3s at home most of the time in a very similar way - adding my entire collection to winamp's list, then shuffling randomly through the lot - with the occasional hit of the next track key. I've arranged mine so my uSD has a few songs out of folders, then everything else in folders. This way, those few songs (my 15 or so favourites) come up at the top of the list on the phone and are thus easy to get to, navigate through, etc. I've grouped the other folders by genre rather than artist name that way there are fewer folders so again they're easy to navigate through. My W100i had a camera (so bad i never used it) and i found i missed not having the emergency torch more than i miss a camera built in now.
I've got two cycles on the original 800ma (!!) battery that mine has and i'm really disappointed with the battery life.. it isn't bad but i'm used to more and the non-european versions of the 101, the x1-01 both having far larger batteries is bugging the hell out of me. I almost wish i'd bought the x1-01 with its ugly as sin IMO casing, its keypad that looks fiddly to use, but its far larger battery.
To this end I have been considering chopping my battery tray out a bit to make it longer, and fitting the BL-5J from the X1-01 by wiring it in or swapping my phone's battery plug (they're different) but the way nokia have fitted the 101's front housing looks like it's going to be impossible to get back on if you do manage to get it off. When you get yours, have a little look at the T shaped tab in the top right of the chassis as you look at the back with the battery cover off.. there looks to be another one in the battery tray next to sim2 slot.
I'm finding getting a genuine, high capacity nokia battery that hasn't sat around for ages, for sensible money (ie, significantly less than the phone cost) here in the uk is also impossible. Many phones that take BL-5C have had mod batteries fitted in the past - BL-6C from the N-GAGE for example can be had in 1150ma capacity and is a straight fit into most BL5-C battery trays - it's only difference is it is about 0.68mm thicker than BL-5C. 0.2mm longer, and 0.6mm wider. I just put a spare sim card (0.822mm by micrometer) in my phone between its standard battery and the battery cover and it made the battery tray a slightly tight fit but it did go on. This, and the 1mm or so either side of the bl-5c in my phone tells me BL-6C will fit.
Nokia haven't fitted BL-6C to phones as far as i can see for at least a few years so it's likely that most of the genuine ones for sale on the internet have sat around for some time. Not good. With this in mind, i have ordered a US$6.39 Pisen BL-6C 1200ma (they also make a replacement BL-5J for the X1-01 at 1350ma). Pisen have good reputation for camera batteries, and I believe a few people here have fitted their batteries to Cowon DAPs with good results.
I've got a proper charger that can cycle the battery and tell me its capacity from cut-off to cut-off, just need to throw together some kind of holder for the battery. If it's no good, it was only cheap anyway, no biggie (although i'm poor too) but i'll definitely pop back in this thread and post my results of the mod
I do have a nice (almost) modification for the 101 and X1-01 i've already done - Charging from my desktop pc - i find this easier and perhaps more efficient as my pc is on 24/7 anyway. My pc is old and i have a lot of USB things plugged into it so i don't want to stress my USB ports, also, USB ports are very current limited and can cause slow charging on phones, so i want to hook directly to the pc's PSU. I don't have any spare plugs that fit the charge socket on this phone so i ordered a USB to nokia charge lead. Someone with a spare old charger or similar could cut a plug off that..
Cut USB end off the lead and solder the lead to the RED (+5v) and BLACK wires of a 4 pin PC molex connector. Feed this through a convenient hole in the back of the pc case so your pc has a nokia charge plug dangling out of it.. i'd advise putting some kind of switch in to avoid any short circuits
Alternatively if your pc case has front mounted USB ports, disconnect the plug for one from the motherboard header, and wire the port directly to 5v from a molex. This is what i did. Now one of my front ports is wired directly to a many amp 5v rail, and i plug my cheap DX charge lead into that. Win.(edit: i just realised i should have left the data + and - connected to the motherboard.. then my mega power usb port would work fully not just for power)
Verdict on 101: Almost perfect but battery life could be better. Like i said, it's not bad.. beats the pants off a smartphone.. but i want more.. it's the talktime that kills it for me.
EDIT: grrr. Nokia have started shipping x1-01 with a 1430ma(!) battery. I want this battery, dman it all to hlel and all that, thats 630ma more than i got
EDIT2: oh.... my.... I LOVE THIS PHONE!!! anyone tried taking a call on a X1-01 or 101 yet with normal non-headset earphones plugged in? IT DOESN'T NEED A HEADSET the mic on the phone works!!! I've never had a phone that did that before.. tiny things, tiny minds