Creative Technology Zen Micro Black (6 GB) MP3 Player

I was compelled to buy this player because it was a bit cheaper than the iPod. I've had it for three months now and I find my player to be a real pain in the neck. Here's why:
-It takes forever to startup.
-It tends to freeze at startup in so many ways. The freeze-up at startup is manageable with Creative Labs TroubleShoot, but now i'm getting a "Firmware Error" message and there's really nothing more I can do to salvage my player except painstakingly require the help of Creative Lab$. This will not be cheap.
-Sound is so-so, even with killer headphones.
-I'm expecting the headphone jack to surrender any minute now, based on other reviews.
Do yourselves a favour and buy a nice reliable iPod.