iPod & iTunes: The Missing Manual, Fourth Edition

Battery Boosters

An iPod with a dead battery is no fun at all. Here are some items designed to keep the music playing, even when the battery is not.

• Belkin Backup Battery Pack can supply 15 to 20 hours of music (or six hours of extra video play) even after the iPod battery has run down. You put four regular AA batteries into this pack, and then clamp it onto the back of the iPod with suction cups. The flat dock connector plugs into the bottom of the music player to feed it energy ($50 at http://www.belkin.com).

• Replacement Battery for iPods. The iPod’s internal rechargeable battery is intended to last the life of the player—but extremely heavy use might cause the battery to slow down or conk out. Although Apple has its own $59 battery-replacement service (take a deep breath and read down the page at http://www.apple.com/support/ipod/service/battery), there’s a way to do it yourself for less money if you don’t mind voiding the warranty—especially if it’s already out of date anyway.

• Laptops for Less sells rechargeable replacement batteries designed to fit both the original and dock-connecting iPod models. Illustrated instructions on its Web site let you see what you’re getting into before you buy the battery. (Warning: it involves screwdrivers, rulers, and the forcible prying-open of iPods.) Prices for replacement iPod batteries (including Minis), start at $30 at http://www.ipodbattery.com.

• Other World Computing sells a line of replacement iPod batteries made by Newer Technology. ...