Flash MP3 Player Advice

For as long as this blog has been up (about 6 months I suppose, at this point), I've been trying to bring you, my readership, advice and info on gadgets, a/k/a "geek toys." Now It's my turn to ask you all for some advice.

Lately, I've been looking at flash mp3 players. Yes, I have the precious, but there are times where a flash device might be easier to deal with. This is particularly the case for the various podcasts I listen to: my computer takes about 5-10 minutes to even recognize the iPod as a device, all the while eating valuable battery juice. Needless to say, I try to only connect the iPod to my (admittedly "challenged") computer when I'm recharging its battery...about once every 3 days. Yet some of the podcasts I listen to come out on a daily basis, and it would be nice to have a quick and dirty way to listen to it and remove it without going through the time consumed in doing so on the iPod. I would also like this flash mp3 player to be capable of doubling as a universal storage device--one I might use to backup or transport some of my important files on a temporary basis. I'm looking for about 1 GB of storage, and would prefer if the player ran on normal batteries (AAA or AA). A radio tuner might be nice, too, but most of the ones I've seen only have FM tuners (and sometimes transmitters, a useful feature!), whereas I'd want mostly AM.

So, to summarize, my requirements are:
1 GB storage
Quick PC connection
AAA/AA battery powered
Capable of being storage device for misc. files (not necessarily music)
FM transmission (not required, but desired)
AM tuner (not required, but might be nice)

Any recommendations from the crowd? Specific models and/or links to product pages would be most helpful. Thanks in advance!!!