MP3 player suggestions Options

[Mommy]

Alright, I'm in the market for an mp3 player to buy as a gift for someone. I need some suggestions. I have been out of the mp3 player game for about a year so now Im a little lost. First off, I thought harddrive based mp3 players were better than flash; however, after visiting a few sites, it seems as if they are converting back to flash memory??? I dont know. Im so lost. Also, I dont want to spend over $200. Finally, I absolutely detest iTunes, and since Im the one that is going to be loading the music for a while, I refuse to buy an iPod because I refuse to use iTunes. So, please give me some suggestions on mp3 player brands, whether I should go harddrive or flash, etc. I need to buy the gift Friday so I would like to get some good suggestions going so that I can read consumer reports and product analyses before I buy. Thanks for your help!

[Mommy]

My boyfriend. His birthday is Monday. He was in a horrible car accident 3 months ago where he shattered his L5 in his lower back, ruptured his bladder, and broke some ribs. He is to have constant bed rest until the end of October because his back cannot hold his body weight right now. The most he can get up for is like 30 minutes, but he has to be in bed at least 21 hours a day according to the doctors. He gets bored!

oh and the Audi thing is his name.... he has some long Spanish name that is hard to pronounce so everyone calls him Audi.