A hospital for iPods

After weeks of hemming and hawing, wondering whether my 3-year-old, first-generation iPod Nano might magically heal itself, I have sent it to what I hope is the equivalent of a hospital for iPods. A helpful comment on this blog earlier this week led me to Milliamp, which promises to replace your iPod's battery — something I hadn't even known was possible — for about $50, once you factor in shipping and other random fees. This is a heckuva lot better than the 10 percent discount on a new Nano promised my Apple if I traded in my old one.

Though I was originally sketched out by the directive to send my iPod to San Antonio, Texas, for the operation, I realized this morning that my iPod is basically worthless to me as it is. It lasts maybe 20 minutes now before crapping out, and I'm going to need a LOT more than 20 minutes to cover 13.1 miles in a couple weeks. Plus, I found stories in papers like the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and The San Antonio Business Journal to confirm that this is a real business with a storefront and employees and Chamber of Commerce membership.

I FedExed it this morning. Milliamp promises a one-day turnaround once it arrives in San Antonio, we my hope is that I'll have it back by March 21. Keep your fingers crossed, would you?