My original Sansa Clip (no "+" ... no "Zip") is still plugging along. I have it on for about an hour each night when I go to bed. Using it this way I recharge every week, although I would probably get up to 10 hours if I wanted to play it until it was "flat." I have a cheap wall-to-USB power converter for charging. Not a bad lifetime for a Lithium battery.
I picked up a Zip at Costco last year that I keep in rotation with a couple of other MP3 players. If you're not looking for a "multi-media" experience, this is a great player.
As for the Ipod vs. Clip question ... I don't have an Ipod, but my wife and kids all do. If you like the way Itunes works and want to use it as your primary music management program, the tight integration between the Ipod and Itunes is very tough to beat. If you like other choices for managing your music library and player, then the Ipod is actually more difficult to use, and I would go with the Clip.
As I have.
