The iPod mini is looking better and better to me.
The recently discontinued Apple Computer digital-music player is notable for being quite resistent to scratching, unlike all other iPods that scratch much too easily. The mini boasts a durable metallic body and a recessed display to keep it from being scuffed up when placed face down.
So it shocks me that the mini's successor, the iPod nano, has reverted to a fatally flawed design (glossy front, mirror-metal rear) that makes it just as scratch-prone as its siblings, if not more so.
I warned about this in my recent nano review. The nano loaner I used for that review looks awful today after only two weeks of use, and it's been in a protective Apple Tube for most of that time.
Now Apple is getting hell. I'm surprised it took this long. This should have been an issue years ago.
Based on this, I'd buy a mini. It was still available in the Twin Cities' Apple Computer retail stores the last time I checked. You won't get a color screen or extra-durable flash storage, and you will get a bit more bulk. But you'll also get more battery life and more storage capacity for the money -- along with FireWire compatibility, which the nano lacks.
The nano is an amazing device in many ways, but I'd steer clear of it in its present physical form. It's just too cosmetically damage-prone.
Update: "Bring back the mini."