Replace Your iPod Battery on the Cheap

It's a well-known fact that iPod batteries tend to wear out (either failing completely or losing much of their capacity) at around the 18-month mark. Sure, you can always upgrade to the latest and greatest model (iPod nano, anyone?), or ship your iPod to Apple and pay them $59 for a battery replacement.

But did you know there are also inexpensive do-it-yourself options? At Laptops for Less, for instance, you'll find battery-replacement kits--complete with installation instructions and the tiny screwdriver you'll need to pry open your iPod's case--selling for $29. Troll eBay and you'll find similar kits selling for as low as $10 (though often without instructions; visit the aforementioned Laptops for Less site and nab their online manual).



We replaced the dead battery in a first-gen iPod with one of these $10 eBay deals; it worked like a charm. The only scary part was prying open that beautiful case...but in the end it was worth the trauma.