Air Voltage: Maxell Japan Announces Wireless Charger For iPad 2

Dr. Serkan Toto currently works as the first and only Asia-based writer for the TechCrunch network, mainly covering Japan-related technology and web companies for TechCrunch, CrunchGear and MobileCrunch. Serkan also works full-time as an independent web and mobile industry consultant with a focus on the Japanese market. He is sept-lingual, holds an MBA and is a PhD in economics. Serkan... ? Learn More

Hitachi Maxell, in cooperation with Murata, has announced [JP] the so-called Air Voltage for the Japanese market today, a combination of a wireless charging pad (dubbed “Energy Stand”) and jacket (“Energy Cover”) specifically for use with the iPad 2. According to Maxell, the device is the first of its kind (mass-produced).

The way it works is that users put their iPad 2 into the jacket, place it on the pad and let the Air Voltage system charge the tablet – no cables required. Maxell says that the wireless power transmission of 10W takes about 3 hours for a full charge, as long as charging the iPad the conventional way (AC adapter).

Owners can place the iPad 2 on the pad/stand either horizontally or vertically and keep using the tablet while it’s being charged, too.

Maxell plans to start selling the Air Voltage in Japan on November 25 for $196. Murata, the maker of the wireless power transmission module that’s built into the Air Voltage, has set up a detailed web page that explains the product in English (here‘s a video).

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Review: The Logitech Wireless Trackpad Is My New Best Friend

Matt is currently working as a writer for TechCrunch. Matt Burns is a family man first and attempts to be a writer second. Born and raised in the heart of the automotive world, only cars eclipse his love of gadgets. He previously wrote for Engadget and EngadgetHD before moving into the party house that is TechCrunch. He learned the retail... ? Learn More

“This thing actually works.” That was my thought a few minutes after unboxing the Logitech Wireless Trackpad last week. I had pushed my Logitech G700 out of the way and placed the new trackpad defiantly on top of my gaming mousepad. The future is here, I thought.

So here we are a week later, and I’m thoroughly satisfied with the accuracy of my early statement. The Wireless Trackpad is not perfect. I have an issue that, while totally a first world problem, could be a potential dealbreaker for those with arthritis or a generally wussy constitution.

There isn’t a better Windows trackpad
Large, well-placed buttons that are easy to click
Multitouch gesture support
Claimed (but untested) 4 month battery life

A slight learning curve

Only works with Windows
The plastic tracking surface doesn’t like finger sweat (yes, the tip of your finger sweats a bit. At least mine does)

The Logitech Wireless Trackpad is to Windows as the Apple Magic Trackpad is to OS X. It attempts to bring multitouch trackpad goodness to a desktop environment. And it does. In fact, this Logitech device facilitates the best trackpad experience I’ve ever had with Windows.

Trackpads on Windows notebooks are almost universally garbage. I have found a few that are acceptable, mainly on Acer/Gateway machines, but most are horrible (I would rather get a vasectomy than use an HP trackpad). The difference in experience between a Mac and Windows trackpad is akin to the ride of a Rolls Royce vs a Geo Metro. These well-proven preconceived notions set my expectations for this particular trackpad rather low. I fully expected it to work — Logitech makes good stuff — but I also expected Windows to hamper the functionality.

However, upon opening the Wireless Trackpad, I was pleasantly shocked to find that the device not only works, but it works well. I love it despite a few quirks.

Much like the majority of Logitech products, the Wireless Trackpad is a plug-and-play sort of device. Plug in the USB receiver and it starts working within about a minute (at least on Windows 7). I did have to download a software pack from Logitech’s website to adjust tracking speed and the multitouch options, though.

The device is physically about the size of the Apple Magic Trackpad. They both rest at about the same slight angle, but that’s where the similarities end. For better or worse, the entire glass surface of Apple Magic Trackpad is used for tracking. There’s about a centimeter boarder around the tracking area on the Logitech version and there are two large, easily-clickable buttons placed at the bottom. I prefer the buttons over the clickable surface of the Magic Trackpad, but the plastic surface isn’t as smooth as glass.

Much to my initial surprise, the trackpad works great even on my dual 24-inch monitor setup. I fully expected to hate using a trackpad with such a wide work area. It’s not bad at first, then your hand starts to cramp from keeping three fingers slightly elevated over the super-sized surface. It physically hurt, but for you, my lovely readers, I manned up and pushed through the pain and thus emerged with a new friend. This trackpad has almost fully replaced my beloved mouse.

My G700, which, for reference, is the best mouse on the market, now sits mostly unused, but still in a ready state. You see, I still default to it when I need to get something done quickly. I’ve used a mouse almost daily for 17 years so the movements are second-nature and the tracking is more precise than this trackpad can provide. But for casual browsing, the Wireless Trackpad is actually a bit more comfortable. The multitouch gestures are wonderful in a browser, and as lazy as this sounds, I don’t have to move my arm as much to traverse my 48-inches of screen real estate.

There are some caveats here. Multitouch is not built into Windows as it is in OS X so don’t expect fancy gestures in Photoshop, although two-finger scroll does seem to fully replicate a scroll wheel. Also, hopefully this is obvious, but gaming is impossible on a trackpad; keep your mouse around for Deus Ex.

The Logitech Wireless Trackpad is the Windows Magic Trackpad. Logitech built a fantastic product and it’s priced right at $50. Give it a chance, push through the pain, and you’ll likely love it. But just in case, it’s probably best to buy it from a retailer without a silly restocking fee. Recommended.

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Launch Date: September 22, 1981

Logitech designs and manufactures computer and electronics peripherals such as mice, keyboards, speakers, and remote controls.

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Toshiba’s FlashAir SDHC Cards Pack Wireless LAN

Chris Velazco is a mobile enthusiast and writer who studied English and Marketing at Rutgers University. Once upon a time, he was the news intern for MobileCrunch, and in between posts, he worked in wireless sales at Best Buy. After graduating, he returned to the new TechCrunch to as a full-time mobile writer. He counts advertising, running, musical theater,... ? Learn More

There’s a whole lot going on at IFA right now, and while big announcements like the new Wave phones or Sony’s rather odd Android tablets get all the love, the little ones deserve some spotlight too. Toshiba has announced that they will launch the world’s first SDHC memory card with Wireless LAN functionality.

I know what you’re thinking: that sounds an awful lot like what the Eye-Fis do. You’re right, but only to an extent: while products like Eye-Fi’s Pro X2 allow users to upload photos directly from a camera to a computer or a smartphone, the transfers will only ever move in one direction.

Toshiba’s FlashAir cards can do that just fine, but the real fun comes in the form of peer-to-peer transfers. Owners of FlashAir compliant cameras can send and receive photos between each other, adding an extra level of functionality that should stand to set FlashAir apart.

While Toshiba neglects to mention any pricing details, the first FlashAir SDHC cards should see the sales floor in February 2012. Only the 8 GB Class 6 model is on display in Germany right now, but expect to see a few more size options pop up between now and then.

If the FlashAir ever reaches the widespread adoption rates Toshiba must be hoping for, it’ll be easier than ever to swap embarrassing photos while on the go. The big question: is this a blessing or a curse?

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Video: “Eyeborg” Replaces Eye With Functioning Wireless Video Camera

Devin Coldewey is a Seattle-based writer and photographer. He has written for the TechCrunch network since 2007. Some posts he’d like you to read: The Dangers of Externalizing Knowledge | Generation i | Surveillant Society | Choose Two | Frame Wars | The User’s Manifesto | Our Great Sin His personal website is coldewey.cc. ? Learn More

You might remember Rob Spence, known online as the Eyeborg for his project to create a working bionic eye. We wrote about him before, and interviewed him a while back, but the project has advanced to the point where even a seasoned tech blogger is left speechless with amazement.

Spence has worked with a team of engineers to adapt an endoscope into a working in-socket video camera. It’s turned on by waving a magnet near it, at which point it will begin transmitting a wireless video signal to a handheld LCD viewer. Absolutely incredible.

Watch the video from Sky News below, but be warned that it is slightly graphic. If you can’t handle someone installing and removing an artificial eye, consider this your warning.

Just astonishing that this is even possible. But really, this is more of a general achievement in miniaturization, not bionics. Endoscopic cameras with wireless transmitters are now commonplace; the enclosure and ergonomics of the device would be the hard part of this build. What’s yet to be accomplished with an artificial eye is hooking it up effectively to the visual cortex, and that is still years away from being practical — at least, for producing any kind of detail. Existing cortical microelectrode arrays just don’t have the density required, and as a result produce something only loosely definable as an image.

The timing of this new info is part of a media push for the new Deus Ex game (of GameStop infamy), in which cybernetics and prosthetics figure prominently — which doesn’t diminish the wonder of the thing, in my opinion. They also produced a short documentary about prosthetics and research in that field that’s worth a watch as well. It’s a very exciting field and the best bit is that they’re creating things that truly improve people’s lives. A prosthetic eye is a long way off, but it’s people with passion and dedication, like Spence and his team, who drive innovation, regardless of how far off the “final” product might be.

More information can be found at the Eyeborg Project’s home page.

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Intuit Partners With Verizon Wireless To Sell Square-Competitor GoPayment At Retail Stores

Leena Rao currently works as a writer for TechCrunch. She recently finished graduate school at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, where she studied business journalism and videography. From 2004 to 2007, she helped lead Congresswoman Carloyn Maloney’s community outreach and relations efforts in New York City. She graduated from Columbia University in 2003, where she was... ? Learn More

Inuit’s GoPayment reader, which competes directly with Square, is making a significant move in the mobile payments space today, partnering with Verizon Wireless to sell its credit card readers in Verizon Wireless’ 2,300 retail stores and business-to-business sales channels.

Launched two years ago, GoPayment offers a complimentary app and credit card reader to allow small businesses to conduct charges via their smartphones. GoPayment is available for iOS, Android and Blackberry phones and the card reader simply plugs into the audio jack of a phone or tablet. The credit card data is also encrypted, (and never stored on the phone).

Now, GoPayment will be offered in retail outlets and on Verizon Wireless’ website for $29.97 but you can receive the reader for free with activation of a GoPayment account and a mail-in rebate for the purchase price. Similar to Square, the GoPayment mobile payment app is free and the basic service has no monthly, transaction or cancellation fees, and offers a 2.7 percent rate for swiped transactions. Intuit and Square actually both eliminated the per transaction fee.

While Square’ reader has been free for some time now, it was only in the past year that Intuit shifted its model to offer the its GoPayment card reader for free. A paid version of GoPayment is also available for more high-use businesses for $12.95 a month and provides rate of 1.7 percent for swiped transactions. With the partnership, Intuit is offering Verizon Wireless customers two months of free service when they select this monthly paid plan.

Verizon says that customers who purchase a smartphone for their GoPayment use will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan beginning at $39.99 for monthly access. Tablet and smartphone users require a data package starting at $30 monthly access for 2GB of data.

Chris Hylen, general manager of Intuit’s Payment Solutions division, frames the partnership around attracting small businesses that are using Verizon Wireless’s smartphones or tablets. And a move to Verizon makes sense considering that the carrier features the iPhone, Android phones and BlackBerries. It’s also important to note that this is GoPayment’s second retail availability—Intuit’s reader is available on Apple’s retail site (as is Square and VeriFone). For basis of comaprison, Square’s device is selling at the Apple store for $9.95 but users get a $10 square credit when they sign up for an account.

Hylen explains: “Rather than lose out on potential business, anyone who sells a product or a service can now easily and affordably give their customers the option of paying with plastic…GoPayment is meeting a huge need and is one of the fastest growing mobile payment solutions in the market. With Verizon Wireless, we’ll help even more people discover that they too can process credit card payments on the phones or tablets they already own.”

Of course, a vote of confidence by a carrier as popular as Verizon is sure to help GoPayment remain competitive with Square, who took an investment from Visa recently, as well as VeriFone and other smaller players like Erply.

Hylen tells us that there are number of reasons to choose GoPayment over competitors, including Intuit’s ‘trusted brand,’ the company’s ‘focus on consumers,’ 24-hour customer service support, security, and most importantly, the integration with Intuit’s immensely popular accounting software Quickbooks. GoPayment can also sync transactions with recent versions of QuickBooks. GoPayment also supports up to 50 users on one account, which is ideal for businesses with multiple employees who work in the field.

GoPayment is actually one of Intuit’s fastest growing businesses and Hylen says the service is on track to process over $1 billion in transactions for the year. Intuit declined to reveal how many businesses are using GoPayment but did say that customer acquisition has gone up by eight times since January.

Intuit says that it will consider similar partnerships in the future. I will say that the whole rebate trap does throw me off a bit, and considering that many people forget to send in their rebates, the credit option that Square adopted with their Apple deal seems like a better fit for the consumer. But there’s no doubt that an endorsement from a carrier is a win for Intuit’s GoPayment and should help boost usage.

Intuit Inc. is a leading provider of business and financial management solutions for small and mid-sized businesses; financial institutions, including banks and credit unions; consumers and accounting professionals. Its...

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