Sony is bad, they only play a proprietary format. They will accept MP3, but they transcode on the fly so you get sound degradation.
If you want a mini, get them fast. They are now replaced by the Ipod nano. Instead of a small hard drive, they are flash memory based.
And Apple is pushing AAC because it can include thier proprietary Digital Rights Management(DRM) system, which they license to MP3 makers. I don't think Creative players can listen to music downloaded from the Itunes music store (unless you remove the DRM).
Similarly, iPod won't play music encrypted with the Microsoft DRM system, while Creative players will.
They will all play unencumbered MP3 files (even if Sony does transcode them).
I will admit, a 20GB player for $244 is a pretty good deal, but with Sony's MP3 reputation, I wouldn't touch it.
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