DisplayMate: Your New iPad Might Not Be Fully Charged at 100%

Typically, a 100% figure on your battery indicator means it’s time to pull the plug. But this may not be true for your new iPad, according to new research by Dr. Raymond Soneira of DisplayMate Technologies.

According to Dr. Soneira, all mobile devices use a certain mathematical model for their charge indicators, which is based on charge rates, discharge rates and recent discharge history of the battery. Using these numbers, it calculates and estimates how much running time your gadget has left — which is actually pretty difficult to do since most batteries degrade slowly as they discharge, then will typically surprise the user with a quick drop-off toward the end.

Dr. Soneira says that on the new iPad, this mathematical model isn’t quite working correctly. “It should not say 100% until it stops recharging and goes from the full recharging rate of about 10 watts to a trickle charging rate of about 1 watt,” he wrote to us in an email. “Otherwise the user will not get the maximum running time that the iPad is capable of delivering.”

 Soneira says that he measured the power drawn by the AC Adapter and found that the new iPad continues to charge for up to one hour after it reads 100%. He claims that it’s not only your iPad that does this — other tablets and smartphones also lie about their charging status. So if you’re particularly scrupulous about fully charging your gadgets, you may want to leave them suckling on a source of juice for at least an hour after your indicator says 100%.

While we haven’t verified these results ourselves, Soneira’s article on the topic is pretty thorough. You can head over to Displaymate to read his full analysis yourself.

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iPad 2 Can Be Wirelessly Charged Using LaunchPort

Christina DesMarais photoApple's popular tablet can now be charged using the same technology that is built into some of the high-end cooktops on the market today -- induction.

Inductive charging technology had a big presence at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this month, and one product displayed there can wirelessly charge an iPad 2.

The LaunchPort system works by encasing an iPad 2 in a sleeve called a PowerShuttle that either mounts to a tabletop BaseStation or a WallStation. The system uses induction -- the production of an electric current across a conductor moving through a magnetic field -- which means as soon as a PowerShuttle is magnetically mounted to a station, wireless charging begins without a 30-pin cable connection.

The system is interesting on a couple of levels. The inductive charging is going to be agreeable to anyone who likes the aesthetic of having no wires. In addition, both stations let you rotate the tablet 360 degrees.

Also, the PowerShuttle sleeve that encases the iPad 2 has a built-in wave guide that amplifies sound coming from the speaker, so whatever you’re listening to actually sounds louder when emanating from the sleeve. The sleeve's magnets also let you stick your iPad onto a refrigerator or work bench, if that’s something you might find useful.

Christina DesMarais photoChristina DesMarais photoHere's an idea: Use the LaunchPort system along with a Harmony Link and now your iPad 2 is a universal remote that’s always charged for controlling multiple home entertainment center components.

To use the WallStation you’ll need a handyman to wire it behind your drywall, or hack into your wall yourself.

One knock, though.

You're going to have to throw down $350 to get the sleek-looking system. Even though the inductive charging might be worth a bit more, you can get an iPad 2 Frame for $130, although arguably the LaunchPort tabletop BaseStation is situated at a more ideal angle for actual use compared with that of a frame.

Check out the promotional video:

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