I also have the 4G Ipod Mini and I LOVE it. I bought it at the store and wasn't able to get it engraved, I believe that option was only for people who bought it off the web. I used my school ID and got it for like 170something. They didn't check to see if it was current.
I also purchased the Creative Zen because I liked the radio feature but I found it difficult to use. I didn't like the menu setup and I found the navigation to be a bit extra. And it was $200 so it was more expensive than my iPod.