Open Question: How do I charge my Eclipse 180 mp3 player?

The manual state that all you have to do is turn the unit on and plug it into my computer's usb port. However, I have done this several times and it doesn't charge. I just bought this device and it has received no trauma or ill-treatment since it has came out of the package. This is the 180BL 8GB version. Also, if anybody has any insight into this situation; does anybody know if there are any different firmware versions available anywhere? This thing was terrible to figure out, and takes some time to maneuver in.