I have iPad 1st Gen and since I remember, I could never charge it on my laptop.
Now that we are discussing charging here, isn't it the case that slower you charge, better it is for the battery? A while ago, I did a lot of reading regarding AA and AAA batteries and I replaced all regular batteries with these rechargeables, majority are Sanyo Eneloop. I came across several (geeky) posts that current breed of batteries are better charged at slower rates. Faster charging will reduce its performance and ultimately its life.
@ Munky,
This Asus Ai Charger thing looks pretty interesting. Didn't know this stuff, could be handy when you travel.