You can still use the less-awesome list acceleration feature that gradually accelerates scrolling speed while you scroll. If you try out different settings for the start-delay and acceleration settings you can still rather conveniently browse through your lists.
Well, it might not feel as natural as the Apple OS but I managed to get along with it before the new acceleration feature was introduced on the Sansa.
Right now I also find it rather frustrating to scroll through large lists on the Sansa because frequency scaling makes it lag big time, causing me to often scroll past the entry I wanted. But it seems I'm rather alone with my opinion.