NewerTech's NuPower Video+ is a $50, 4-ounce, lithium-polymer battery pack designed to recharge your late-model Apple iPod while it plays audio or video. The battery pack claims to support up to 16 hours of video or up to 80 hours of audio (The 80GB iPod is spec'd to last for 20 hours on a standard charge when playing music). In my tests I got 47 hours of audio-only playback from the NuPower Video+ and a fully charged iPod--far short of the promised life, but lots of juice nonetheless.
To use the NuPower Video+, you must slide your iPod's docking connector onto a rigid base that protrudes from the device. Since the iPod fits pretty snugly onto the connector, I had to take my iPod out of its case before I could attach it. Also, the base is about an inch deep, which makes slipping it into a slim bag a little difficult. NewerTech throws in a silicone protective sleeve and a belt clip, but the sleeve looked pretty cheap, and I'm not a belt-clip kind of guy.
Still, the additional power it delivers means that I don't have to worry about charging so often, and the price is pretty good.
Alan Stafford
