My iPod just died.   I've heard (and experienced) miraculous iPod return-from-the-dead stories, but I'm pretty sure mine is finally gone.  Now, I'm going to need a new MP3 player (I already have Metroid Prime 3, but that won't play music for me), and I don't have much money.  I've heard from disgruntled techies that you can find better and cheaper than an iPod, and the names Zen and iRiver have come up, but after some searching on Froogle and Cnet, I can't find any media device with an 8GB capacity that is cheaper than an iPod Nano, without major drawbacks.

Now, with all the anti-Apple griping I've heard, such a device has to exist, right?  Apple haters, here's your chance to prove yourself.

Anybody know where I can find a  reasonable-quality MP3 player with about 8GB capacity for less than $200?

Drop me a PM - I can *probably* give your iPod some life.

As far as a new player, I would recommend Sansa. They are sweet and reliable. You can get them off eBay for $100. (8gb model)

haha, thats wierd, when I first saw the topic I thought "MP3 player, why did she get Metroid when she doesn't have a wii".
Yeah my old 60 gig broke, apple said I needed a new one, their was no way back from how messed up mine was, it had a broken harddrive, you cant really fix that

PM me - maybe I can help your iPod, if you still have it ... 

I'm more a fan of the Creative Zen Vision, myself.

Sadly, though, there's no vision involved in it right now. I broke the screen a couple months back and haven't been able to fix it. I think I'll be ordering a new screen (or a new player - they AREN'T that much more expensive!) this week.

I seem to hear of a lot of iPods breaking... are they that unreliable?

My iPod came back to life! Holy crap! This is the most tenacious little electronic device I have ever encountered. It's like Johnny 5, except in iPod form. It's like a freaking cat, just with more lives. Or like Jason Todd.

TWRoO: I don't know if iPods are unreliable, but I think Apple fills 'em with fairy dust or something. Seriously, this is like magic or something.

Creative Zens are nice, and they're pretty much the same price as iPods. Also, the new Zunes are pretty sweet, the screen is nicely sized, and they're competitively priced...there's often sales on Zunes.