Hello out there!

I'm putting together my first portable digital system, and hope I'm in the right forum!

I'm looking for components that are compatible with my ibook g4. My ultimate goal is to take the recordings of samples, transfer to my ibook, and mainpulate the samples.

Here's what I've come up with so far (budget is about a grand):

Mic: In-ear binaural mic (like the Sound Professionals SP-TFB-2). I'm looking for the best dimensionality, and I think binaural is the way to go. Is a preamp/battery pack necessary for recording ambient samples in a noisy city (nyc) setting?

Recorder: I don't like the idea of the slow transfer to the computer that a DAT or mini disc offers, and I'm leaning towards the iriver ihp-120 mp3 player/recorder. with a 20gig hard drive, it gives lots of storage, but I'm unsure about the quality of recordings it offers versus mini disc/dat. Is there a better option that also has a fast transfer rate to the ibook?

Software: Reason 2.5 bundled with an M audio Ozone midi keyboard for $430. In all the reviews I've read, there's nothing but praise for this software, and it seems to offer lotsa power. Will I need a sound editor too?

What am I missing? (besides talent?)

Many thanks in advance