iDiscussion

So after a lengthy and traumatic illness, my Discman has finally expired. When I turn it on, it spins for a bit, then commences to making a sort of knocking noise that usually signals imminent doom. People have been understandably nervous sitting next to me on the bus, as I have made numerous home repairs to the Discman and, to the untrained eye, it's possible that I appear to be carrying some sort of ticking incendiary device. (For those of you who listen to the Vinyl Cafe, c.f. Dave's razor.)

I would like to replace my dear departed with an iPod. I feel that the technology has reached a point where I feel comfortable relying on it for my music needs, and the iPod costs as much as I would expect to pay for a quality Discman (I am a Sony label whore). I'm willing to pay for quality because I am extremely hard on my Walkmans/Discmans (men?) and I need something that can stand up to the constant punishment of a winter in Winnipeg, the indignity of being shoved in a backpack and mercilessly jostled, and the occasional horror of being dropped down a flight of stairs or into a bucket of soapy water. (Not to say that these things will happen, but they might, and have.)

I am interested in hearing everyone's opinions on the pros and cons of various memory sizes, etc, of iPods.

iDiscuss.