Gigabyte announced that their On/Off Charge technology now enables fast charging of the new Apple iPad (3rd Generation) devices, as well as previous Apple devices, on a majority of Gigabyte motherboards, including soon-to-launch Gigabyte Z77 motherboards. A derivative of Gigabytes’s highly acclaimed 3x USB Power feature, On/Off Charge technology allows iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices to draw more current from Gigabyte motherboard USB ports than standard USB ports allow, with the added benefit that the PC can be on, in standby mode or even off. Many mobile devices can be charged via a desktop PC’s USB ports as long as the system is connected to an active power source; however this is not the case with the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.
Gigabyte On/Off Charge comes in two flavors: a backwards compatible On/Off Charge driver that can be downloaded from the official Gigabyte utility web page, and an On/Off Charge front panel connector. The On/Off Charge front panel connector features a special controller combined with the On/Off Charge driver that allows the computer to detect the current required by iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch products. The device dictates the current it draws, so there is no threat of overcharging from Gigabyte 3x USB Power technology. Tests conducted in the Gigabyte labs have shown various charging speeds with an average charging time saving of around 40%.
