I don’t know why I’ve resisted getting an auto adapter for my iPods. It’s not that I enjoy running out of music on the road any more than running out of gas. I’d peruse various options every time I visited my local Apple Store, but never took the plunge.

Now I’m glad I waited. The PowerJolt is available for $25, and it works with both my shuffle and the iPod photo. It’s simple. One end goes in the cigarette lighter, the other is a USB port. If you’re shuffling, just stick the device in the USB port and you’re rolling. You will be tired of your songs long before you run out of juice.

Regular iPods can use the supplied cord that’s USB on one end and a dock connector on the other. Not quite as convenient as the shuffle attachment because you still have to find somewhere to place the iPod so your best friend doesn’t sit on it. But it does get the job done. And it’s convenient having one charger for all of your modern iPods.

The PowerJolt excels for the shuffle, however. I leave the charger in my cigarette lighter, then insert the shuffle when I get in the car. I use a cassette adapter for the audio, so I take the dangling cord and plug it into the headphone port. The whole process takes about 15 seconds, and my shuffle is mounted to the dash and safely out of the way.

One thing to keep in mind… the PowerJolt sticks out from the lighter port about 2″, then you have to add the length of the shuffle itself. Fortunately, it doesn’t interfere with my stick shift, but in some cars this could be an issue. So you might want to do a little measuring before shelling out 25 clams.