Thanks a bunch for all the replies folks! I actually bit the bullet and decided to get the e250 as shown. It's not the 'R' version, as I didn't think I'd have much interest in using a service, at least not for some time. I was able to get it in-store at the $110 price.
First impressions are very good. It's light, compact, but feels very solid. It's got a tough metal back to it and the plastic front is quite strong feeling. The screen takes up about half of the front and is very sharp. Photos look great, and the demo videos are very smooth and crisp. I haven't loaded any of my own videos onto it. Reviews that I've read were correct in mentioning that the scroll wheel feels a little cheap. It wouldn't stop me from reccomending it, but it's a place that could be improved.
Controls are pretty simple and intuitive. The screens are easy to navigate, and the options 'enlarge' on the screen as they are scrolled over. A few things take getting used to, like trying to back out of the FM radio screen (requires you hit the 'main menu' button rather than the 'back' button). The sample songs all sound quite good, quality is not lacking at all. I've only had one mp3 player before, but this is a cut above what I had then.
I didn't pick up any, but I love the fact that I can buy more memory chips to insert instead of having to either erase my current memory, or buy a whole other, larger player. The voice record feature is also pretty handy and there is a dedicated record button located on the side of the player.
I've been spending the last hour or so trying to load my music collection onto it. It seems to work pretty seamlessly using just Windows Media Player 'sync' function. I haven't tried any video yet because I don't think I have any short video clips to load.
I definitely don't have any buyer's remorse after developing initial impressions. I'll post back after the first day of classes tomorrow to report how this thing fairs, but I like it so far!
