If there's a better way to do things, the Japanese seem to always find them. This time, they came up with an emergency battery for the iPod and the regular Japanese mobile phone. With digital broadcast such as 1Seg keeping everyone glued to their mobile gadgets, no wonder the battery runs out before the last iTunes download is played. And we haven't even mentioned Bluetooth and Wi-fi squeezing out the juices of your lithium pack!

Princeton Japan found a heroic solution to this problem with the PMB-BP18. Weighing just 75 grams, the external battery can be attached via the USB port so you can recharge your iPod and phone. It also comes with its own viewer dock that you can adjust for better viewing angle. PMB-BP18 sells in Japan at ¥ j4,980 (around US$ 42).