Since it seems that I'm Battery Failure #1 in this thread, here is the lowdown. iRiver/Astell&Kern got back to me. Jimmy Moon is no longer with the company so the reply was just from Technical Support. I'm going to just paste part of the email, rather than try to reword it. Just for clarity, the back panel is not damaged (the edge popped in, once it cooled) so, their offer won't be needed. One huge concern is, whatever else might have died, because of the battery failure(?), might be my responsibility. Here is the excerpt:
Mr. Jimmy Moon is no longer with IRIVER/Astell&Kern, however, please rest assured, we are certainly here to support your technical services need.
Based on your description, it is a severe situation, as we would need to proceed with immediate replacement for the aging AK240 Battery, and damaged back penal.
The estimated service fee is $90.00 to complete the battery replacement service and $80.00 for the back penal. However, since the damage of the penal was due to defective battery, we will offer complimentary back penal replacement service.
Please note: the estimated figure on battery service is not final; as it was determined based user’s feedback. Depending on the overall services that are necessary once the DAP has been fully serviced, such as internal hardware, electrical wiring, and etc… the customer is responsible for the final amount that might be different from the original quote. As the final amount will reflect the actual repairment that is essential for a functional unit.
I guess as a final note, I hope my failure is unique and doesn't represent the normal passing of the battery. I'll update as the repair process, progresses.