The Official "New iPod" Discussion Thread - please post all comments here!

[iSoldier17]

Originally posted by boosh
Just got my 5G ipod out of its box, looks nice. First impression though: when I first plugged it in, it asked me to choose a language- and froze. It wouldn't respond to anything, it wouldn't even turn off. I had to reset it by holding center and menu. Not a good first impression I must say, especially after using other MP3 players for years without a single freeze.

Edit: Now Itunes has frozen. This thing is fantastic.
same thing happened to me, but all is good now.

[DiruAK]

atleast your computer sees your ipod, mine refuses to recognize it, I feel so loved

[beccamorgan]

I've had no problem with it, apart from it freezing and the PC not recognizing it (which seems to be a common problem) Is clicking normal, or is my hard drive going bad?

[blackbirdflies]

My iPod froze on the "choose a language" screen, as well. After I reset, though, everything was fine. :) 'Course, it did give me a bit of a scare, LOL

[Thomas Cook]

My iPod should be here by Saturday, but before I start converting movies and what not I just wanted to know if it's worth it? Are films really viewable on it or is it a bit of a waste?

[sheeed]

Anyone having battery problems should completely discharge the battery about 3 times....my performance has jumped from 8 and a half to around 12 and a half and still going.......

[wwarthog]

Originally posted by Thomas Cook
My iPod should be here by Saturday, but before I start converting movies and what not I just wanted to know if it's worth it? Are films really viewable on it or is it a bit of a waste?

Yes, I have a movie and a few tv shows on mine. Good video and audio on it. Eats the battery up fast but easily a few hours veiwing per charge.

[Thomas Cook]

Originally posted by wwarthog
Yes, I have a movie and a few tv shows on mine. Good video and audio on it. Eats the battery up fast but easily a few hours veiwing per charge.

Ok, thank you very much.

[odd kid]

got this ipod for christmas.. still havent got it to work, screen froze the first time i used it, battery wnet down the second i took it out of the dock(attached to logic3 speakers) DON'T BUY! im going to try and take it back. very disapointed.

[Commodus]

Originally posted by odd kid
got this ipod for christmas.. still havent got it to work, screen froze the first time i used it, battery wnet down the second i took it out of the dock(attached to logic3 speakers) DON'T BUY! im going to try and take it back. very disapointed.

Try getting a replacement iPod first. Remember, the iPod is a mass-produced device; you're bound to get a small percentage of units that don't work.

[IggXy]

Originally posted by blackbirdflies
My iPod froze on the "choose a language" screen, as well. After I reset, though, everything was fine. :) 'Course, it did give me a bit of a scare, LOL
Same here...on day when i bought ipod it was like WOW something big happened to me...i took it home and opened...and try to turn on...then apple logo apeared and frozed...yep that was shock to me...then i didnt even know ipods can be reset

[Poi-Dog]

I finally broke down and joined the 21st century and bought the 30gig. At first I was looking for a 4gig Nano - but it seems like everyone around here was buying them for X-mas presents for their wives, husbands, brothers, sisters, cousins, sons, daughter, mother, father, whoeverelseyoucanthinkof - so finding one around here is pretty scarce. SO... I broke down and got the 30gig instead and couldn't be happier!

Time to start looking for all the new fandangled gadgets to attach to this thing... iTrip, evo3, and on and on and on.......

[ejsjrnc]

I just bought one today. I have a question though. I currently have a 40GB 4G. Anyone know if the dock or firewire charger will work with the new ipod video? I'm probably going to sell my 4G once I get my new pod, but don't want to put up all of my accessories if I can recycle some of them.

[pinkcamel]

yep, the firewire and dock charge work with ipod video.

[Moley]

New guy here just saying hello, got a 30gb black, I'm was a late Ipod adopter, but boy am I happy now.

Mole
Lurking always

[Vendetta0814]

hmm is it me or does the ipod's harddrive shake when you change songs...


if i play a song in the same album then its fine but if it has to load album art or a new artist or somthing i can feel the ipod viberate from the harddrive and if i stick my ear to it i can see the mechinism going..

[beccamorgan]

Is that normal (the shaking)?

[Vendetta0814]

i wouldnt think so but this is the first ipod i've owned so i really cant say

[travelineod]

I just bought a new iPod video 30GB about a week ago. I just notice something with the screen. It has this burn to it, sorta when you would push on a LCD screen and that discoloration that you would see. Well this is what I see only thing is that it is in certain lights so I thought it was a glare. however when I put on polarized sunglasses I could see it clear as day all over the screen. So I am taking it back Friday and I just wanted anyone else to know about this problem because like I said it was really hard to see, except only in certain lights.

[IggXy]

Originally posted by travelineod
I just bought a new iPod video 30GB about a week ago. I just notice something with the screen. It has this burn to it, sorta when you would push on a LCD screen and that discoloration that you would see. Well this is what I see only thing is that it is in certain lights so I thought it was a glare. however when I put on polarized sunglasses I could see it clear as day all over the screen. So I am taking it back Friday and I just wanted anyone else to know about this problem because like I said it was really hard to see, except only in certain lights.
Hello...i think its norma...you mean when you look from side angle?

[rouvas2006]

Me and my husband bought for Xmas the IPod 30GB black and today he took it with him to go to work.
He had previously charged the battery for about 4 hours but when he took it with him today after two hours of listening, the battery is on the red and needs to be charged again. Shouldnt the battery last a lot more than that?
Or should we charge it for more than 3 hours straight?

[sengwall82]

Originally posted by rouvas2006
Me and my husband bought for Xmas the IPod 30GB black and today he took it with him to go to work.
He had previously charged the battery for about 4 hours but when he took it with him today after two hours of listening, the battery is on the red and needs to be charged again. Shouldnt the battery last a lot more than that?
Or should we charge it for more than 3 hours straight?

Ignore the battery indicator... It says that the battery needs to be recharged but it doesn't mean it... It will take a few charging cycles before the battery indicator is accurate. Mine did that too at first. Hope this resolves your problem.

[ketchupcool]

For the Ice Creme product, the fabric they give you to clean/polish your ipod can you use a damp one of those to clean your ipod without scratches?
or is it necessary to buy iklear along with ice creme v2

[huneylicious]

HELP I CANT GET VIDEOS ON MY IPOD. I FOLLOWED THE GUIDES FOR VIDEORA & DVD DECRYPTER.. ONLY TO END UP WITH NOTHING. THE FILE CONVERTS AND FINISH ON VIDEORA FINE(IT SAYS .MP4 AS IT IS CONVERTING IT). BUT WHEN I GOT TO ITUNES TO UPLOAD THE FILE IT DOESNT DO ANYTHING ... SO I WENT BACK TO CHECK THE FILE AND IT SAYS .WMA AND ITS SAYS IT IS USING WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER TO OPEN IT. SHOULD I TELL IT TO USE A DIFFERENT MEDIA PLAYER TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE? HELP I JUST CANT GET VIDEOS ON MY IPOD! :( PLEASE

[Ipodsr1]

it looks alright but they look like any other ones just smaller...and a little bit upgraded

[ptbtarheel]

How do you guys get the little picture saying ur a nano owner or a 60g owner? I want that

[LEL]

I just bought the ipod video. Can it be installed on WindowsXP SP1, even though it claims on the box you need sp2?

[tekfreek]

Hey, i'm new to the forum, but i've been visiting the iLounge for a long time. i'm not sure if this topic has been covered, but i heard that there might be a new version of the video pod coming out sometime soon. i just wanted to see if this is true, b/c i was considering buying a 30 Gig to replace my old 4G 40 gig. thanks.

-Ryan

[djsun]

There shouldn't be a new full-size iPod coming out so soon considering it was released only a few months ago.....

Only iPod that's due for an update would be the Shuffle, assuming that's still the word going around

Your best bet is to go out and get one now because the next major update would be late summer/fall which is the average time that iPods have been updated the past few years.

[kwanrocks]

i bought a 30gig video ipod

i am thinking of returning it because it has no voice recoder and i will soon be able to get the educational discount

does anyone know if previous ipods with voice recoders sound quality is excellent or horrible?

will there be voice recoders on the video ipods soon? cause i want mine soon...i'm musically deprived.

and on the apple educational site it says free shipping until feb 1 for items over $50 is this a one-time deal?

when will the next improvement of the ipod be? that will have a voice recoder

[xboxman]

To save making a new thread, I thought I might just say that I got my white 30gb 5g last week...best thing ive brought since the Xbox 360 :D

Such an improvement over my old 3g, this just trumps it in every possible way. Clickwheel=the best thing to happen to an iPod!

[polaris019]

HELP I CANT GET VIDEOS ON MY IPOD. I FOLLOWED THE GUIDES FOR VIDEORA & DVD DECRYPTER.. ONLY TO END UP WITH NOTHING. THE FILE CONVERTS AND FINISH ON VIDEORA FINE(IT SAYS .MP4 AS IT IS CONVERTING IT). BUT WHEN I GOT TO ITUNES TO UPLOAD THE FILE IT DOESNT DO ANYTHING ... SO I WENT BACK TO CHECK THE FILE AND IT SAYS .WMA AND ITS SAYS IT IS USING WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER TO OPEN IT. SHOULD I TELL IT TO USE A DIFFERENT MEDIA PLAYER TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE? HELP I JUST CANT GET VIDEOS ON MY IPOD! PLEASE

Whoa, chill with the caps lock.
Videora doesn't change your video file. You give it a video file to transcode and it spits out a brand new file in a completely different location. I believe you're trying to add your original video file. By default, the folder that your new, converted video file will be in is
C:\Program Files\Videora\video
Hope this helps. After that, just go (in iTunes) File -> Add File To Library, and find your video.



I just bought the ipod video. Can it be installed on WindowsXP SP1, even though it claims on the box you need sp2?
I've been running my 60 gig Video on Windows XP with no service pack installed for 3 days, and everything works perfectly fine.



does anyone know if previous ipods with voice recoders sound quality is excellent or horrible?

I used to know somebody who had a learning disability and couldn't absorb information audibly. He got permission to bring his 4th Generation iPod in with a voice recorder and recorded his lessons until he could get home and take notes on the lectures. I've never used one of the voice recorders, but if he used it for something that crucial it must be good.

[theme55enjah]

Story: I was riding a bus back to school. For 12 hours I sat next to a guy who had the new iPod. I had been toying with the idea of getting a new one, but I thought, You know, you've already got a color screen iPod. There's no need to be getting a new one. Well, suffice it to say that as the hours passed on that trip, the more jealous I grew of that guy next to me. So, what did I do? I sold my iPod photo. Yep. And I haven't looked back. This thing rocks! Still looking for a good case, though. I got the Crystal Shield from DecalGirl to prevent scratches, but I'm still looking for a case that'll protect my iPod from more serious injuries (that doesn't cost more than $30). Any suggestions?

[Daniel294]

Originally posted by theme55enjah
Story: I was riding a bus back to school. For 12 hours I sat next to a guy who had the new iPod. I had been toying with the idea of getting a new one, but I thought, You know, you've already got a color screen iPod. There's no need to be getting a new one. Well, suffice it to say that as the hours passed on that trip, the more jealous I grew of that guy next to me. So, what did I do? I sold my iPod photo. Yep. And I haven't looked back. This thing rocks! Still looking for a good case, though. I got the Crystal Shield from DecalGirl to prevent scratches, but I'm still looking for a case that'll protect my iPod from more serious injuries (that doesn't cost more than $30). Any suggestions? I have the agent18 videoshield. It works great to prevent scratches (and will probably take the brunt if you drop it). Only 25 dollars... worth it from my standpoint!

Check out agent18.com for details (I can't post full URL) :(

[willisspecial]

Couple of questions. Just for good measure, I have a black 60 gb iPod and an iSkin evo3. It is windows formatted but i use it on my g5 iMac.

-First of all, this thing is wicked cool. Nicer than my old 3g iPod.

-Secondly, the iPod freezes from time to time.

-Thirdly, sometimes when i go to play a song, it doesnt play and starts skipping through songs that should come up later, but doesnt play any of them. This problem is usually solved by reattempting to play the same song.

-Sometimes the iPod skips when I start playing a song. If I hit pause, and then play again, it will usually stop doing then. Sometimes it stops on its own
-Lately, after downloading the new firmware, the iPod wont play when I load a song. I notice it does this only in my car, where I have it plugged into the auxillary port of my car stereo. I think it might have to do with the fact that it is ofter 30 degrees in my car when I first get in it. This problem is solved by pausing the song. Putting iPod to sleep. Put the hold switch on and then off, turning iPod on and then hitting play. It's wacky.




What I'm wondering if any of that has to do with possible harddrive damage. Perhaps this is due to using a windows iPod with a mac? The reason I do that anyway is because Ive found that wway my iPod will work with any computer, even though I primarily use a mac. Thanks
~Willy

[Marshy]

lots of bugs. sometimes the track selector diamnod shouldnt be there. album art freezes lyrics dont work. hard to pause etc.

[dumbPod]

willisspecial: Apple recommends that you use your iPod on one Operative System only.

So if I were you, I would restore my iPod and format it as a Mac iPod. *that might resolve the problem.

[willisspecial]

yeah. thats what the apple rep said. *sigh*. Oh well. Now I have to do an inventory of all my music and back some of it up on disc.

[iwinulooz789]

i just bought a new 60 gig ipod to replace my 2 year old 20 gig, and everythings working fine. the only problem im having is the videos always seem to pause every 90 seconds or so. the files are fine, i converted them with Videora and they play fine on the computer, so i was wondering if this was some sort of bug. does anyone else experience this? and how can i fix it? its really bugging me. i just dropped $400 on a new ipod (and ive NEVER had a problem with any ipod, ever) and the video is all screwy. im really hoping that its just the firmware and that an update will take care of it, but any help would be appreciated.

EDIT: so apparently im not very observant, considering there is a massive thred about this already, haha.

[combatcupcake]

I loaded all the artwork for my music in itunes off my hard drive, then I copy to ipod video, artwork shows fine, but then out of nowhere it all disappears, if I plug into comp itunes shows it all, but the ipod wont show any, artwork on enhanced podcasts works fine but not mp3s
I have to restore the ipod and reload all my music to get them to show again, then it all happens again!
I thought maybe it was using PC as my main machine and just playing music at work on mac, but this time i never plugged it into the mac after a restore.
and yes show artwork is enabled.
I cant figure it out.

[combatcupcake]

So I tried the solutions in the other thread, of 2300 mp3s on my ipod, 1 had the white glitch of no artwork and no 'drag artwork here' so i fixed that, and for good measure made sure no tracks had multiple artwork
I did this in itunes ON my ipod, ejected, all of a sudden i can see artwork again
What horrible programming!!!
This is just another reason I hate macs!

[bored.person]

i got a the vPod (30 GB, white) a while after it came out, and it worked fine until now. the video quality is pretty crisp, but i don't recommend watching lotr on it or nething.
hey, has ne1 thot of using a battery pack to increase battery life? i've seen a good one on hackaday, but i can't post the link.
this was my first iPod (not first mp3 player), and i'm pretty happy with it. it's so much better looking than the 4g.
for sum1 who asked, yes, the bottom of the 4g is the same as the 5g.
has ne1 else had ne problems with turning off? sumtimes it refuses to turn off for a while....
suddenly today, it refuses to update. it goes until a number of songs, then suddenly iTunes refuses to notice the iPod (tho windows does), and disconnects. i eject it, and go through it, in settings it shows the amount of memory used, but the songs don't show up, nor the videos, nor the pix.
plz help, i'm using iTunes, v 1.1 updater, and run windows xp with sp2.

[Kattz]

I agree that the software that is provided with the iPod is pure #####e. I've never ran anything as buggy as itunes in my 40 lears of life. Makes me so glad I don't own a Mac. If you are a Mac user, fine, no beef. But as for me, I think their GUI is a work of art, but it ends there.

The worst problem I just found for me is that in iTunes you have to go to the web and find the album cover art and then save it. Then you gotta "drag here" in iTunes. But... you have to update the artwork for each song. You can't apply cover art to an album and then itunes distribute it accordingly. Windows Media Player does all of this automatically.

I don't write code, I program robots and large machinery. But whoever wrote the code for iTunes (my opinion here) couldn't find their arse with both hands and a flashlight. I just got a trial of XPlay and it seems to work much better for us poor PC users. Going to try Anapod also.

Cheers
Kev

[TnMiPod60]

Actually what you said about having to drag the album cover art for each song in an album is not entirely true. I am able to highlight all the songs in an album and drag the cover art to it just once and all the songs that was highlighted will have that cover art.

[Kattz]

??? I can't seem to get it to work. Pls post a more detailed description, or maybe I'm just dumb.

Kev

[djdjd04]

i've pretty much tried everything i've read on these forums to keep my ipod from showing the artwork. nothing works. it still shows up. observations:

1. i've never added any artwork on my own. it just comes with some cds... i guess.
2. if i go to an album with artwork, it looks like it's about to play a song, but it freezes for about 15 seconds... skips to the track 2, freezes... skips to track 3... but no music plays...
3. i thought if i removed the artwork it might help, but i've unchecked the box, and did some other things. nothing works.

this is just annoying enough for me to send my ipod in. any suggestions before I do that?

thanks!

ps -- it's 5gen white 60gb.

[djdjd04]

Well, I read a post that helped me figure out my problem. Thanks iPodlounge!

My iPod was Windows formatted for some reason. No clue why... but I restored it, and now it's Mac formatted to work with my iMac G5 (which is the best computer EVER, by the way!)

Now the artwork shows up, no skipping songs, it's great. I had to load all 8000 of my songs/pix/videos back on, but it was worth it! Itunes just updated everything overnight, and when I woke up, all was well in iPod land!

[The Government]

^Windows format? Im think about buying one pretty soon...are you saying that I need to find an ipod that is "windows formatted"?

Also, does "5G" and "30G" have anything to do with each other. I've seen some peoples comments and I'm kinda confused

[djdjd04]

if they're talking about the video ipod, it's probably 5th generation (5G). 30G is the size: either 30GB or 60GB.

[oagersnap]

Originally posted by The Government
^Windows format? Im think about buying one pretty soon...are you saying that I need to find an ipod that is "windows formatted"?

Also, does "5G" and "30G" have anything to do with each other. I've seen some peoples comments and I'm kinda confused

The format is normally a mac-format when you buy it (I think), but if you have windows, it will be reformatted the first time you connect it to your computer, so no need to worry.

"5G" is short for "Fifth Generation", because there have been 4 previous generations of iPods so the current one (with video) is the fifth one.
"30G" (or "30 GB") is short for 30 Gigabytes. This is the amount of space the smallest of the 5G iPods can hold. The largest one can hold 60 GB (60 Gigabytes).

[TnMiPod60]

Don't worry if the iPod you got is formated for Windows if you're going to use it with a Mac. Your Mac will recognize that it is formated for Windows and will ask if you want it to format it for Mac. No biggies. As for all those "G's". the G5 he's talking about is his version of the processor in his Macintosh computer. When someone says 3G, 4G, or 5G, they're talking the different generations of iPod. So 5G would mean the 5th generation of iPod. Naturally "30G" means the iPod has a 30Gig memory capacity.

[The Government]

Yo Thanks yall. I was mad confused!!!! I have a few more questions before I purchase, but dont have time right now. I'll post them in a few. Thanks alot!

[djdjd04]

Good luck! I love my iPod more than words can say. I have a 60GB video. You can't go wrong.

[The Government]

^ That's the one I plan on getting :) 400 Bucks, Ouch.

Now on with the rest of my questions:

How do you guys feel about the sound quality? I listen to alot of music with bass (rap, hip hop) and I started to wonder about the ear phones that come with the ipod. Is the sound good? Maybe I can just replace the earphones that come with it (if possible) and use ones that I have.

(some reason I can't think of anymore questions)

[TnMiPod60]

I wasn't too thrilled with the ear bud headphones that came with my iPod for the every reason of not reproducing enough base, even when I have the EQ on the max bass setting, so I got different headphones. Much better now.

[The Government]

^ Coo, Thats what I planned on doing. Thanks. Now I think everything is set, but I've heard about some annoucement coming up...so I'll wait for that. If nothing big changes, I'll buy mine in about 2 weeks :) Thanks yall

[rsuede]

Who reckon's this thread will still be at the top by the time the 'Real' iPod video arrives....in April! I say hopefully.

Randy
my-mojo.com

[i_Fanatic]

That right guys my iPod finally came today!

First impressions wow god damn it looks soo sleek and shiny, comparing to my mini it "owns"!

So im getting songs on it now and bought a music video of iTunes to see what its like and boy its impressive!

Anyway more about that another time i littrialy just oppend it about 5 mins ago!

So anyone who bought it recently or now eaven can post there praise and excitment on this thread.

Thanks guys

i_Fanatic!

[T3rry]

haha you'll be kicking yourself when they release the real video ipod on the 28th

[kris1990]

Real ipod video?

[The Government]

Last question (I think). How many MB's or in 1GB?

[TnMiPod60]

there are 1000 MB in 1 GB.

[The Government]

^ Thank you

[The Government]

Is there an adapter to play music in my car?

EDIT: I found a car adapter that lets me use a tape deck (Is there another way??)

As far as that "annoucement". I've hard alot about it since I've been on this site. I hope they do it soon, cuz I'm about to go get that 60Gig

[T3rry]

Originally posted by kris1990
Real ipod video? it is rumored that the real VIDEO ipod (as opposed to ipod with video) will be released on the 28th with some "new and exciting apple products"

[TnMiPod60]

28th as in tomorrow?

[DCapple]

sorry for being persistent but how much the 30Gb cost? :(

[Werewolf]

To tell ya the truth, I don't really like the look of the video iPod. I saw one in Best Buy the other day and I really didn't like it. Just the shape - the thinness of it and the giant screen.... I really thought it was pretty ugly compared to the other iPods. I'm more into the 3G and color iPods just because of the thickness, shape and screen size. If the nano wasn't the PERFECT size for me then I'd have one of those.

Personally, not being a huge movie/TV kinda guy, the video feature is pretty pointless although I have to admit, cool. If I ever find that I need another iPod that can hold EVERYTHING (which my 4GB nano obviously can't do for a serious music collector) I'm going with a refurbished iPod color.

Anybody else feel the same way?

[combatcupcake]

Originally posted by The Government
^Windows format? Im think about buying one pretty soon...are you saying that I need to find an ipod that is "windows formatted"?

Also, does "5G" and "30G" have anything to do with each other. I've seen some peoples comments and I'm kinda confused

5G means 5th generation, the video ipod.

30G means 30GB really, 30 gigabytes.

They should be termed better, when speaking of ipod model it should be written as 5th Gen, not 5G, since not everyone uses GB to mean storage and shorten it to G as well.

[Fiver]

Originally posted by Werewolf
To tell ya the truth, I don't really like the look of the video iPod. I saw one in Best Buy the other day and I really didn't like it. Just the shape - the thinness of it and the giant screen.... I really thought it was pretty ugly compared to the other iPods. I'm more into the 3G and color iPods just because of the thickness, shape and screen size. If the nano wasn't the PERFECT size for me then I'd have one of those.

Personally, not being a huge movie/TV kinda guy, the video feature is pretty pointless although I have to admit, cool. If I ever find that I need another iPod that can hold EVERYTHING (which my 4GB nano obviously can't do for a serious music collector) I'm going with a refurbished iPod color.

Anybody else feel the same way?

I agree with you very much so, i think that the 20gb photo would be good for me i think it was the best design really, the 5G seems weird being thinner yet having a larger screen. Just because its thinner does not mean its better. As far as video goes as Steve Jobs said its just a bonus..a bonus that i could care less for really, which leaves me with the iPod Photo just because i want a colour screen, photos ,mean nothing to me really. The 6G ipod is supposedly coming with a touchscreen and the whole thing is going to be a 3.5" screen for videos, personally i think thats stupid. Its a whole nother product if they design it like that and if it does indeed come out with that i dont think they should be called iPods really, or the gens should start over as the 6G=1G because its a whole nother idea. In my opinion this video ipod update was not a nesacary one and if rumours are true and apple really is going to release the 6th gen on April 1st for their 30th anniversary it shows that apple even knows that this was just a test really to see how ppl would react to the video capabilities and see if they had a market for iTunes and on the wya grab alot of cash from the ppl who saw and bought right away. I dont want to sound hypocritical but i am going to buy the video iPod just because theres a month return on it and im going to take full advantage of that and see if apple does actually come out with this touchscreen ipod and if infact they do im going to return the video wait for the prices to drop again on all the gen ipods and get my Photo.

[Steph]

I'm sure this is a redundant question, but why can't the new iPods be used with firewire?

It makes charging my iPod more of a pain for a variety of reasons. Is there anyway around this? I'm planning on traveling in June for a little bit, and I can't lug a laptop with me..

Thanks for any help. :)

[chippe01]

Ummmm... buy a wall adapter? Hey, here's a better idea - get one of the inMotion docks, you can charge the iPod, AND listen to it in your hotel room. It also runs on batteries (4 x AA) for portability.

Exactly how does not having firewire in the iPod make life more difficult as far as charging goes? I don't get it? :confused:

I connect to my PC to charge at home, I use an inMotion dock at work, which charges my iPod all day, and I have several adapters from my older iPods (which can also be used with 5th Gen). I also have my 4th gen dock w/adapter hooked up to a stereo in my bedroom, and can charge it there if need be. Having USB over firewire has not ruined my life one bit.