Okay, I like the iTunes software and I get frustrated by Sony OpenMG Jukebox. More importantly, I currently cart around a few minidiscs and the MD player but want access to more of my music.

Tempted by an iPod but am worried about the battery life. I've heard this is around ten hours but I tend to travel around for a couple of weeks at a time and don't want to have to carry another power supply.

Shoudl I forget the iPod or have I misunderstood the battery options?

Well, it's either power supply or extra batteries, because the battery in the iPod is a proprietary lithium unit.

Or actually, now that I glance at the Apple Store site, it's not extra batteries per se, but one battery pack device (made by Belkin but nicely customized for iPod) that then takes AA batteries. So it's either that or the power supply. The Apple power supply is nicely compact and light, actually.

There is one other option: if you have a laptop with a built-in *6-pin* FireWire (1394), which is the sort that provides power through the FireWire cable, you can charge the iPod from that. Apple's laptops provide this sort of FireWire connection, but my recollection is most others do not and most/all add-on PC Cards also do not. This is of course also only a reasonable option if your carting the laptop anyway.

Another option is to get an auto/air power adapter for the iPod.

There are several varieties. Be sure you get one that is for a "dockable" iPod. The original iPods had a firewire port on them that everything hooked into. The new ones have a different connector that works with the dock.

Thanks for the advice, I bit the bullet and bought the iPod. Have to say it's a full time job ripping my CDs but it's a beautiful device, right down to the packaging. This is definitely going to be a good investment, even for a Windows user like me.

I agree. I bought the 15 GB iPod a few months ago and it has been a great investment. Easier to use and care for than my mini disc player ever was.

The only issue I have is with their customer service. I have a problem with the wiring in the remote control - it only provides sound to one ear phone.

I couldn't find the UK customer service number on the Apple web site and the US customer service staff doesn't even know they have customer service in the UK! After I finally managed to find a UK number and I was told the part would be shipped out to me. It has been more than two weeks. Customer service can tell me they ordered the part but have no idea when/if it was sent out and don't seem to care.

Big fan of the iPod's functionality and style. Not so big a fan of Apple's customer service.

[This message has been edited by jja34-1 (edited 10-26-2003).]

It has changed my travel life. Now I plug in my noise blocking eytmotics, put on random play of my favorite tunes and bliss out.

I just did a car install--now I don't have to transfer CDs between my car and house, lose track of CD jackets etc. etc.

I've only ripped about 75 of my favorite CDs. Now I need to find the energy to rip the rest of my 150 CDs.