The iRivers piss all over the iPods. Accessories are fine as long as the things you actually want are being sold, but don't be pulled in by the marketing. The iRiver comes with a fully functional LCD remote and proper leather case (you won't get those with a pod, and they don't even make a fully functional LCD remote for it) so theres not much else you would need for it. Third party cases are now available, one through Vaja cases and soon one through iSkin too (they are the folks that make those little rubber cases for the pods).
The iRiver is firmware upgradeable, although the latest version has been delayed somewhat. That said it does everything you could possibly want it to straight out of the box. It has a good quality FM radio, built in microphone and a seperate mic included, line in/out - as this player is just a hard drive and doesn't require software it means you can hook straight up to a stereo or tape deck and direct encode from there, no need for a PC at all. Battery life is a quoted 16 hours as opposed to the quoted 8hrs from an iPod. I haven't tested my battery to see exactly what I get, but it would appear that most users get 12-16. Most iPodders get about 3-7.
The only minus is that the Database facility is sluggish and doesn't read more than 52 characters, however that is being fixed in the next firmware upgrade and to be honest I've never actually wanted to use the database cos the file tree system works fine for me.
Even if all the features don't sell you on the iRiver, the single most important fact is that the sound quality on the iRiver is MUCH better than the iPod - and I am talking personal experience here, not just what I've read online. The iPod sounds really weak, even with a decent set of phones. Oh, and on that point make sure you do invest in some good ones regardless of which machine you get. I use the Sony EX70 in ear buds, but there are loads of good ones out there that will improve your listening experience, just do a little research first.
HTH!
