In frequenting a few iPod forums I noted several post about battery life. There appears to be some misunderstanding out there about this. The 3G nano is rated for 5 hours of video and 24 hours of music playback. There isn’t any difference in playtimes between the 4 and 8 GB versions (Paranoidxe, perhaps you’re thinking of the iPod Classic. The 80GB and 160GB versions have very different playback times.)

Apple’s playtimes make certain assumptions about bit rates, volume and backlight settings. It also assumes that you’re not fiddling with the player. So yes, messing around with coverflow while listening to music will seriously decrease battery runtime because the backlight is constantly on. The backlight is main reason there is such a drastic difference between audio and video playtimes.

Charging the battery to 100% takes 3 hours. The iPod quick charges the battery to 80% in 1.5 hours. It then trickle charges the last 20% percent and that takes an additional 1.5 hours. When the screen says that the battery is charged it’s only charged to 80%. You need to leave it plugged in another 1.5 hours to get a full charge. That 20% difference equals 1 hour of video playback and 5 hours of audio playback.

You should calibrate the battery’s meter by fully charging and discharging the battery. Do this 2-3 times the first time. Then recalibrate every few months.

Charge the battery frequently. See www.BatteryUniversity.com for care and feeding tips.

Also, do not leave your iPod in a hot place like your car during the summer. High temperatures will destroy the battery.

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