I have a couple of things to those who have problems with their iPod's measly 8 (or less) hour battery life. First thing, while this is perfectly acceptable for daily use where the iPod can be charged easily nightly, it is most certainly not acceptable for things like long airplane rides or car trips.
What to do? Complain? Buy a $70 (COMPLETE RIPOFF) Belkin AA (takes four of 'em) battery pack???????
NO! Come on!!!! MAKE YOUR OWN BATTERY PACK. It's not very hard. Only costs a few dollars.
You can use an altoids tin, or as found on
this site, a card box. Basically, Perry guy has good instructions, but I disagree with him on one point: the fact that he uses two 9 volts 2 AAs. His purpose for doing this, as he says, is to get as close a voltage drop as the power adapter provides. I would personally use 4 AA batteries. Why? Because
a) that's what the Belkin product uses, and Apple seems to support Belkin's accessories...this also means that the iPod doesn't NEED what the adapter provides...
b) AAs are cheaper then 9Vs and easier to find rechargable versions of
c) It is more convenient if the battery type is consistant.
d) A series circuit takes about five minutes less time to make then a parallel/series combination (yes, I am lazy).
e) AAs must last longer if the Belkin Battery Pack adds 16-20 hours of battery time while Perry's home-built battery pack adds 10.
As for replacing the battery, that can be done too. A bit harder, considering it requires prying open the iPod's case...but it's been done. Personally, it looks like I'm going to be aquiring the means to purchase an iPod this week
...but I'm thinking it may be wise to wait for the fourth generation iPods that are supposed to come out in September.