answer for your side question, you can create playlist without wmp. If you connect your device in MTP mode, you can create playlists very easily on your device with a simple right click.
Visit this post I had done earlier about creating plastlists in MTP mode:
http://forums.sandisk.com/sansa/board/message?board.id=clip&message.id=6035#M6035
Incidentally enough, you can also create playlists with other media managers like winamp. Save the playlist as m3u and transfer onto device.