Check out the Zen Jukebox Xtra by Creative Labs. IMHO, better sound quality than the IPod, more memory for less money ( 60GB cost me just under �300 a couple of months ago) and plays wmas as well. Battery life per charge is considerably better than with the IPod- I am getting over 10 hours per charge (IPod gives about 4-5 hours/charge). The only downside, as far as I can see, vs the IPod is that the Zen is slightly bigger ( still small enough to fit in a smallish pocket). If you don't need that amount of memory, there are smaller versions in the same range.
Also, given the current battery scare with IPods ( not as bad as the media would have you believe), the battery on the Zen is replaceable ( new one costs less than �20).
HTH