Just bought one of the things (H2) after using a friend's H4 for a while. Very small, very handy. A LOT more convenient than a laptop if all you want is recording and playback features. But no, it isn't an iPod. Then again an iPod can't record, and third party recording add-ons are clunky, poor quality and lousy mikes.

As an mp3 PLAYER, it has limitations compared to an iPod. no playlists, so you have to rename or number your mp3's to get them to play in a specific order. But with ten separate folders, you can reserve one for recording, and have different lists in the others, maybe for genre specific break music. I intend to keep one spare SD card, for audio backups of my sequences, in case I have an arranger meltdown on a gig.

I have found ONE significant limitation in it's recording capabilities. You cannot adjust the recording level on the line-ins, only on the mikes, so you have to be able to lower or raise the level at the source. No real biggie, but you ought to know....

It WILL play one tune and stop, unlike an iPod, so that makes it a big improvement for those who use mp3 backing tracks, but if this is a primary way you perform, a laptop with a larger display, and the ability to cue your next song would seem better.

But, for my more modest needs, it seems close to perfect. Break music AND the ability to record when the feeling strikes (you might want to double-check how a new tune or registration is working in the heat of battle), small enough to slip in a pocket and take to a concert (if you are into bootlegging live stuff!), a scratch pad for songwriting, a voice memo recorder, all in one package, barely larger than the original iPod...

One last use I've been toying with... It has an auto-record function, and will cease recording when you stop playing, and start when you do. It strikes me I can put this on my home mixer's RCA outs, and just leave it in permanent record, 24/7. At 128 mp3 a 4GB card gives you about 70 HOURS of recording time, say I play for maybe a couple of hours a day total time, that's close to a month's worth of never having missed a moment's playing! Just in case you get that ONE million dollar idea...

This is one handy dandy little tool...