Sony mp3 players-accelerated FF and suitability for podcasts?

[Enjoju11]

I'm thinking of getting this Sony mp3 player after seeing some favorable reviews online:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1216423923294

I have some questions that I can't figure out so I can tell if a Sony will give me the features I want without bankrupting me (I'm just a poor graduate student who doesn't want to spend more than $120-ish)

1) How good are Sonys at remembering where you are in a podcast or album? (passive bookmarking I think the term is) I listen to a lot of podcasts, and I don't want something that will always dump you at the beginning of an hour-long podcast every time you turn it back on.

2) Do Sonys have variable speed fast-forward/rewind (accelerated)? Like for instance being able to use the controls to relatively quickly move halfway through a podcast rather than sitting there for 10 minutes holding the FF button down.

3) I'm just looking for a fairly basic (and affordable) player for music and podcasts. Would you recommend this or another player? I really don't need a lot of space, and 2, 4 or 8 GB would be plenty for me.