i've read that the mini comes with a usb 2 cable that can charge the battery. also, i presume that the dock connection is the same for both minis and 3g iPods since there are dock-connector accessories that work for both.

so, if you own or have access to both a mini and a 3g iPod, could you try plugging the usb 2 cable into the 3g iPod and see if it works to charge the battery and transfer files?

i asked if this would work on this forum and in the apple store here in san diego, and the answer was "no" from the responses i got. the reason was usually that the iPod needs the 12 volts that firewire provides and usb only provides about 5 volts. i just don't get why the iPod "needs" 12 volts. other hard drive players can charge through the usb (like the dell dj). anyway, i just won't be convinced that it will or won't work until someone actually tries it. i've been looking to see if i could buy the usb 2 cable for minis from the apple store or online, but it's not offered, yet.