I have this problem with OldPlay 0.9 only: half a second of paused once a while (about 30"), regularly. This happens playing .spc files, that should be completely stored in memory (64k), so I think it is a bug in OldPlay, nothing more.
I'm waiting for an option that allows me to skip Linux, to run application directly on hardware, + avoiding the 30" load time: a sort of multiboot. I wonder how the developers can bear the loading times...
Damn Linux...
Well, the new features in fw1.2.0 are very good :)
You could wait 1-2 months, and then buy it when you're sure the firmware is ok.
I own it already: if I do not consider the USB problems (I bought a card reader), I must say it is ok, I just need a few patience while waiting the firmware updates.