My iPod nano 7G is just completely dead - black screen, not recognized by iTunes, not one sign of life. I know it does not...

A bit late to the game, but for everyone else: This iPod does NOT charge over USB. You have to use a FireWire cable and connect it to either your computer or a FireWire wall adapter. Apple did make a cable that allowed you to both charge over FireWire and sync over USB at the same time (iPod FireWire + USB 2.0 Cable, M9688G/A). Hope this helps, regards