Hi,

I'm heading to Paris in 9 days and I want to take my iPod with me, but don't want to take my laptop just to have a source to charge the iPod when the battery runs low.

I purchased the portable Turbo iPod charger thinking this would solve my problem, but as I've been testing it at home, I'm discovering that it uses 1 AA battery and only charges about 50%, if that much. I even tried a lithium battery thinking that this might last longer than a normal alkaline one.

Confession: I normally charge my iPod when the battery status bar is red.

If you travel with your iPod, what do you do when the battery starts to run low? Any suggestions would be most helpful.

Thanks!
TR

I just use a simple charger that plugs into the wall (with an adapter for Europe). Pretty cheap, simple and small.

Same as Worktowander.

Me too. It's $29 from Apple (http://tinyurl.com/2hfkhc). I got my adapter set from Target for around $10 and use it for iPod, camera, mobile phone chargers.

There is a generic iPod charger you can buy at Walmart or any electronics store. It plugs into the wall and will use the cable you normally use to charge your iPod through the USB port of your computer.

By the way, I might be wrong, but I have read that it is a bad idea to consistently run your battery that low. I was told recently by our IT guy that lithium ion batteries aren't supposed to be run all the way down and then charged like they used to because of trying to avoid getting a "memory", etc. He said it is better to plug them up daily. We were talking about laptop computer batteries, but he said that it is pretty universal now for all rechargeables in electronics. You might jog through the FAQ sections on the apple site and see if they address this issue. They address pretty much everyting at that site (love the company) and I would imagine this is something that they have answered.

Have fun in Paris!

In addition to the wall adapter, I also use a charger that can fit into cigarette lighters and power ports on airplanes. By plugging into airplane's power port, I can use my iPod during the flight over, and arrive fully charged; you can also use it if you have access to car. (Don't forget it in a taxi!) I actually bought it in a Brookstone in the DFW airport, and it saved me on a long flight to CDG. It was about $25.

It's so small that I always travel with both it and the wall charger in case I do not drive during my trip. If you decide to invest in this, be sure to check that your seat on the plane has access to a power port.

Have a great trip!

-Chels

I use a simple charger that plugs into the wall, but find that some of them break pretty easily. I've gone through a couple here at home. When we were in Argentina last summer, I had two break on me, and ended up buying a third which broke almost instantly and then a fourth which held up for the five weeks we were there. So you may want to have a second one as a back up or just cross your fingers! It was great having my ipod with me especially on the plane.

Hi all,

Thanks so much for the information and tips! I didn't realize that I shouldn't let my battery run that low. Yikes!

TR

I bought the Igo Everywhere power adapter http://www.igo.com/product.asp?sku=3759001

You have to buy the different tips for your device, but having only one charger (it does wall & auto charging) is worth it to me.

This will power my Ipod shuffle, international cell phone, Garmin Nuvi, and my regular cell phone. They don't yet have a tip for my camera but that charger is so small that it's not a problem to carry it.

I also got the splitter so I can use it with 2 units at a time.

Forgot to add that this adapter/charger is for small devices like phones, Ipods, GPS units etc. They make a different one for notebook computers and larger devices.

This is as cheap as a generic USB charger can go. $2.99 shipped:

www.meritline.com/pda-usb-travel-charger.html

You need to get the plug adapters to fit the French sockets.

Lithium ion batteries don't have "memory", so you can charge them often. But it's also not a big problem to run an iPod low, as the iPod will "protect" its battery once and shuts itself down when the voltage drops.

Wow, thanks rkkwan! We are going to Ireland in a couple of weeks and I was wondering how I would charge my MP3 player. I bought the wall charger AND one for the cigarette lighter, both for $8.98 and free shipping. I was looking at $25 or so locally.

rkwan,

Thanks for the link. I purchased the USB charger. It was super cheap!

TR

Will this work to charge a Zoon?

It is a USB charger. If you appliance charges via USB, then it should work. If it charges via something else, then no.