Sad iPod icon with exclamation point

This sad icon has appeared on my iPod Mini since Monday afternoon and it is a horrible sign. Having checked the Apple support info, and failing to reset my iPod, my worst fear have come true. The darn thing has died, kaput, finito...

I was hoping that it can still be saved when I went to the service centre in Causeway Bay the next day. However the news weren't good, in fact, this said icon indicates that the hard disk has crashed and if I wanted to get it service, the charges would be: HK$280 for the technician to open the set and another HK$2000 to get a new replacement 'cos it can't be serviced. The lady suggested that I buy a new one instead 'cos the iPod Nano 4Gb costs only HK$1900.

Obviously I am not going to buy a new one, just yet anyway. Afterall this darn set is barely a year old (bought it on the 7th April 2005, so the warranty is over), and it's just so crappy to be without music when I am out. I need to block out all those incessant noises that are ever present in HK, and the ridiculous loud conversations H0ngkongers engage in with one another or over the mobile phones.

Besides, things always seem to break down when D is out of the country...

So now, I have been playing Virtua Tennis on the PSP, but it is just not the same.