My 5th gen video just decided it was going to stop transmitting sounds to the right audio channel (tried my iPod on about five different sets of headphones, and a set of speakers)

This site will repair the problem for less than 45 dollars, but the thing is, I'm not sure if I don't just want to get a new mp3 altogether. I'm looking for something with a little more room than my iPod had (it's 30gigs) and isn't prone to the problems iPods are (such as the fact that in a few months time my battery will most likely stop charging all the way)

budget?

My birthday & graduation are coming up so let's assume that it would probably cap out around $350 maybe (the 80gb Zune is only about $250 and it seems like it would be a good replacement but I don't have any first hand experience with the things)

I've heard good things about Creative's Zen, but the price they charge is exactly the same as an iPod.

My brother's got a Zen M so I'm pretty familiar with the thing. A little too big and clunky for my tastes, but my brother heard from a friend that some electronic store in Philly is selling them dirt cheap (around a hundred bucks) and if that's the case I'd pick one up.

cowon = best players

I like the Cowon A3 but the 9 hours of audio playback seems kind of weak.

sansa e280

Nice player but too small. I'm looking to have a minimum of 30GB

buy a cowon d2 and a bunch of 8GB sdhc cards then >_>

meh, 16gigs with an 8gig microsdhc card is plenty for me