I got my gf a Sharp minidisc last week. It's a model or two below mine, but, I got it new for £50, about $100. I got my friends in the shop to use their staff discount, but this was only a difference of £20/$40. They only use one AA battery and this will last an estimated 40 or so hours. Mines being a higher model has a rechargable battery, which is always good.

I also got the staff discount and got mine for £80/$160 instead of £120/$240. I used the money I saved to get a $100 pair of Sennheiser PMX60s for it. I've been using it for about 2 years now and still very happy. Very small and portable and with a remote on the headphone cable. They also have a mic input which is good for discretely recording gigs for future reference or conversations with friends and family for blackmail :-)

I've got more than enough music to fill a large capacity i-pod, but don't feel the need yet to have it all on me at all times. I may purchase one in the future if they add whistles and bells to them, but for the moment, MD is what I'm sticking with.