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November 9, 2006 8:42 AM PST

Duracell all charged up to juice the Nano

by David Carnoy
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We wondered what took so long, but a major battery manufacturer is finally trying to make a play in the iPod arena. At a CES preview event in New York City, we got a peek at Duracell's new accessory, the PowerFM, which is due out soon and designed to be coupled with the iPod Nano.

Its claim to fame: The company says PowerFM is the only iPod accessory that will provide extra juice for your iPod, allow you to transmit your tunes to any FM radio, and protect your Nano with the included silicone case (it fits over both the accessory and your Nano). According to the manufacturer, it "more than doubles" the run-time of the Nano. Unfortunately, it only fits first-generation Nanos.

Duracell's triple-threat accessory is supposed to be a bargain at $79.99, but when you figure that the silicone case probably costs about 50 cents to make, we think $50 is what the thing should cost--especially if it hopes to undercut established iPod accessory makers such as Belkin and Griffin.

Hunkered down in New York City, Executive Editor David Carnoy covers the gamut of gadgets and writes his Fully Equipped column, which carries the tag line "The electronics you lust for." He's also the author of "Knife Music," a novel. E-mail David. Follow David on Twitter.
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This looks cool!
by j101ess November 10, 2006 3:02 PM PST
I would definitely get one of these for my iPod! The fact it lets you listen to your ipod on the radio without having to plug in to your car is pretty cool plus the extra battery life is a plus. Cool product.
Reply to this comment
This looks cool!
by j101ess November 10, 2006 3:02 PM PST
I would definitely get one of these for my iPod! The fact it lets you listen to your ipod on the radio without having to plug in to your car is pretty cool plus the extra battery life is a plus. Cool product.
Reply to this comment
I would never buy this.
by mgcmnky3 November 10, 2006 4:50 PM PST
Itrip does the same thing,and is much cheaper. For 7 bucks at radio shack you
can buy an ipod car charger. This looks really bad.
Reply to this comment
Lemme get this straight:
by wizardjs November 18, 2006 6:57 PM PST
iTrip: 49.99
Charger: 6.99
Case: 24.99
= 81.97, making this cheaper, not to mention saving gas money from going to
one place instead of two or three, not to mention that this works together, try
putting the case over the itrip.
Lemme get this straight:
by wizardjs November 18, 2006 6:57 PM PST
iTrip: 49.99
Charger: 6.99
Case: 24.99
= 81.97, making this cheaper, not to mention saving gas money from going to
one place instead of two or three, not to mention that this works together, try
putting the case over the itrip.
I would never buy this.
by mgcmnky3 November 10, 2006 4:50 PM PST
Itrip does the same thing,and is much cheaper. For 7 bucks at radio shack you
can buy an ipod car charger. This looks really bad.
Reply to this comment
Lemme get this straight:
by wizardjs November 18, 2006 6:57 PM PST
iTrip: 49.99
Charger: 6.99
Case: 24.99
= 81.97, making this cheaper, not to mention saving gas money from going to
one place instead of two or three, not to mention that this works together, try
putting the case over the itrip.
Lemme get this straight:
by wizardjs November 18, 2006 6:57 PM PST
iTrip: 49.99
Charger: 6.99
Case: 24.99
= 81.97, making this cheaper, not to mention saving gas money from going to
one place instead of two or three, not to mention that this works together, try
putting the case over the itrip.
Great Product
by DustH21 November 15, 2006 8:40 AM PST
I purchased all of these items from Belkin (battery, fm transmitter & case) for my iPod and it cost me over $150... and they do not even work together. I would have much rather paid $80 a product that does all three at once and looks this cool. Sign me up!
Reply to this comment
Great Product
by DustH21 November 15, 2006 8:40 AM PST
I purchased all of these items from Belkin (battery, fm transmitter & case) for my iPod and it cost me over $150... and they do not even work together. I would have much rather paid $80 a product that does all three at once and looks this cool. Sign me up!
Reply to this comment
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