Cons: Suction cups don't work with most iPod cases
The Bottom Line: The Belkin extends the battery life of your iPod well beyond the internal battery, which is especially useful for the Video iPod's short video battery life.
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We bought this unit for our fifth-generation (5G) Video iPod. The main drawback of the Video iPod is the battery life when viewing video, which Apple claims is 2 hours for my iPod (the 30GB model). My hope was to at least double that using the Belkin F8E464, and I have been very pleased with the results.
Battery Life for Video Viewing (Video iPod Only)
As a test, I first ran the internal battery of the iPod almost all the way down. I then fully-charged a set of four (4) rechargeable AA batteries I had (each AA averaged 2000mAh). Using the Belkin F8E464, I was able to get an additional 2.6 hours of video viewing out of the iPod, much more than I would have expected, with the Belkin still showing 50% power remaining. My guess is that I could get about 4 hours of video viewing when powered from the Belkin.
Since rechargeable AA batteries are now available in 2500mAh or better (like the excellent Energizer rechargeables), I would expect to be able to add at least 20-25% or more to that number as well. This means that with a fully-charged iPod and a single set of 2500mAh AA rechargeables, you could probably get 7+ hours of video viewing. Need more? Just bring along an extra set of AA's. Of course, the unit works with disposable AA batteries as well.
Battery Life for Music (All Other Supported iPods)
Battery life for music is much greater, of course. Although I did not test this specifically, my guess is that the Belkin will provide an additional 22-30 hours of music-only battery life (since the battery pack seems to be able to provide 150-200% additional battery life over the iPod's internal battery, and Apple claims 15 hours of battery life for music on my unit).
How it Works
When plugged in to the iPod, the iPod appears to draw its power from the Belkin, not the internal iPod battery. The Belkin does not appear to charge up the internal iPod battery. I did not test to see if the iPod would seamlessly switch to the internal battery once the Belkin was depleted. The Belkin also had a sticker on it that said it does not work in Disk Mode.
Power Level Indication
The Belkin has 4 green LEDs on it to indicate the remaining power of batteries inside (4 lights = 100%, 3 lights = 75%, etc.) Note that these lights are actually under the plastic case and they shine through. One interesting thing is that the battery indicator on the iPod itself shows full whenever the Belkin is plugged in. The Belkin has a power switch.
Attching it to Your iPod
One thing to note -- the Belkin uses suction cups to stick the battery pack to the iPod itself, which of course doesn't work if you have a case on your iPod. Also, the holder is not wide enough to accommodate an iPod in a case.
The unit itself is a little bulky, but the dock connector is on a short, flexible cable, which is nice. The dock connector on the Belkin does not click in to the iPod like some other dock connectors I have, so you can pull it out without having to squeeze the sides of the connector.
Summary
Overall, I am extremely pleased with this unit, and I think it overcomes the biggest drawback of the Video iPod -- short battery life when watching video. For the price, the Belkin F8E464 is a very valuable accessory for the any iPod, but especially the Video iPod, and especially when used with high-capacity rechargeable AA's.
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