This article, in WashingtonPost.com, written by Everest treker Neal Mueller, almost reads like a commercial for Creative’s MuVo:

Last year my team on Mount Everest witnessed firsthand how lousy the iPod is.

On our expedition, we brought enough electronic gadgetry to outfit an army. What broke first? The iPods. The batteries croaked, the cases scratched and the hard drives seized from the rarified air…

That makes me a big fan of the Creative MuVo, because it has what I want: battery life, light weight and rugged reliability.

I must admit my disappointment at how easily my first iPod got scratched within minutes of taking it out of its package. When I bought my video iPod I also bought a protective after-market case which I hope will protect it as much from drops as from scratches. I’ve also witnessed first hand the dead battery syndrome. It’s a great, yet delicate little sucker.