My new ipod 8gb has a really short life

If you put your iPod as "shuffle" mode, then it will use up more battery since the unit has to access the hard drive more than usual.

if you put in in "repeat" it will also use more than usual battery.

So, try to put your iPod right down, but your stereo up. Also, types of music files (wmp, mp3, mp4, wav, etc) affect your battery life as well. the higher the bitrates = more battery usage.

Also, try to keep using the iPod until it goes down to absolute 0% and turns itself off. Usually, the red part will last around 8 hours in most cases.

Hope this helped! ^_^ Have a great day~