Captivate Network, who specialize in providing customized, actionable information to business professionals, found in their latest Office Pulse study that 30% of employees reported being “very envious” of the devices their colleagues have and they do not. Furthermore, the survey found that 73% of employees considered their smartphones (43%), tablets (15%), e-readers (8%), and HDTVs (7%) as their favorite device.

Another fun fact: the more money you make, the more attached you become to your tablet. Here’s a table breaking down of favorite electronic devices across a few basic demographics:

Adding to the extrapolation of this data is the fact that 80% of adults surveyed desired an iPad above all other tablets which, I dunno if you’ve noticed, also happen to be one of the most expensive tablets currently on the market. Consider this a triumph of Apple’s expensive admission into their cult of personality.

While the affluent are fonder of their tablets than the non-affluent, they are also more desirous of tablets than the non-affluent. Granted, only 12% of those surveyed admitted to coveting tablets, as opposed to 32% desiring a smartphone, but the longing for tablets among the haves was much higher than among the have nots. Again, here’s the breakdown of objects people desire among demographics:

It’s no wonder tablets, and specifically iPads, are preferred among the rich: they’re the ones that can more easily afford them. Yes, I’m inferring this assertion from correlations so I reserve the right to be wrong on this, but still, it raises the question of whether tablets are desired among professionals less for their utility and more for being a status symbol. But don’t demonize the rich over this particular phenomenon because, as the report from Captivate Network explains, “Affluent tablet owners (those making more than $100K per year) are happy to let co-workers play with their device with 42 percent reporting sharing their tablet with five or more of their co-workers as compared to just 15 percent of tablet owners making less $100K annually.”

Reading this report, it’s hard not to walk away thinking that every white-collar office isn’t some muted recreation of Battle Royale. Nobody’s holding hostages and threatening to cut throats, so rest assured, taking your iPad to work won’t invite violence upon your person.

One last take-away from this data: where people like to use their gadgets. I’ll let this one speak for itself:

Yeah.

Anyways, for more adventures in office drama data, check out the infographic that Captivate Network put together using their data:

Ready to bring the shame? I hope not, because lucky for you (this time) the bringers of awesome future technology are from Team Earth (Sweden, in fact) and the awesome they’ve brought us is a slick piece of eco-friendly technology called PowerTrekk, tomorrow’s battery charger.

And here comes the best part: PowerTrekk is a darkness-defeating fuel cell charger that runs on – ready – WATER! It runs on approximately one tablespoon of WATER! You can charge your mobile electronics with the stuff that drips out of clouds and public fountains. This brilliant piece of future “cleanly and efficiently converts hydrogen into electricity” via PowerTrekk’s Proton Exchange Membrane. That sounds intense, but all you have to do is place one fuel pack, called PowerPukk, into the the PowerTrekk and “add water to provide instant and limitless power on the go.” Watch it in action:

UH-mazing.

myFC, the company that has created this device, promotes PowerTrekk as the ideal accessory for “business professionals in developing countries who seek freedom from wall charging either because they work in remote areas (where the grid is absent) or in cities where, from time to time, the electrical grid is unreliable.” Whether you’re charging your phone, camera, or even an iPod (because when you are completely removed from electricity the first thing to worry about is what jams you need to set the mood), simply plug the device into PowerTrekk’s USB port and – presto – you’re off like a battery-charging bandit. Take a look at all of it’s gadgety wonder:

So let’s recap: No power outlet? No problem. No car battery? No problem. No spare batteries? NO. PROBLEM.

The next time you’re venturing out into the wild, whether that’s an unfamiliar city or the actual wild that you see on Discovery Channel, take a look at your communication devices and ask yourself: Which one of these cute geometry-morphs do you hope to be:

As we slouch onward toward The Future, sometimes The Future meets us halfway and gives us a sample of amazing things to come. The latest teaser from the land of tomorrow promises us that, believe it or not, we will be able to listen to sound without our eardrums.

Did you blink at that? Yes. Your eyes have not pranked you.

Consumer electronics company AfterShokz have developed the next generation of headphones that use what they call “bone conduction headphone technology.” In lay terms, you don’t actually insert these headphones into your ears but rather place them in front of your ears so that the the headphones rest on your cheekbones. AfterShokz explains the science on their site:

Most of what we hear is due to sound waves traveling through the air to the eardrum, which then converts the sound waves to vibrations and transmits them to the inner ear. Sound waves can also get to the inner ear through direct vibration of the bones in the head which carry the vibrations directly to the inner ear, bypassing the eardrums. This is how a person hears his or her own voice, and also how whales hear. This pathway of sound is known as bone conduction.

You’ve likely heard the remarkable story of Beethoven composing music despite being nearly completely deaf. As it turns out, he wasn’t completely deaf – he could hear the music by biting a rod attached to his piano, which transmitted the music through his jawbone. The technology, AfterShokz says, works the same way.

This technology, which is patent pending, originated when AfterShokz created headphones using “bone conduction technology” for use by military special ops and SWAT teams (the military always get to play with the funnest toys first, don’t they?). By leaving the ears unobstructed by traditional headphones, AfterShokz headphones permitted the service members to listen to their surroundings while also staying in touch with the members of their unit via headphones.

So yeah. I can’t really wrap my mind around the concept but there it is: the Future hath cometh, and with it the ability to give us a virtual second set of ears. Those extra ears will come in three comfortable models: Sport Headphone, Mobile with In-Line Mic, and Game Headphone. I’m kind of gobsmacked just thinking about the medical and architectural applications of this technology; it feels like too elegant of a device to merely use for the purpose of music or podcasts. But at any rate, we inch ever closer to The Future thanks to the technological genius of companies like AfterShokz.

The Vita is Sony’s handheld PlayStation gaming device. “The new PS Vita 3G/Wi-Fi, powered by AT&T’s Mobile Broadband Network, will change the way you game with real-time scores and game ranking news feeds, competitive multiplayer game sessions, and cross-game text messaging with Party.,” Sony says.

Here’s a video showing off the device:

The PlayStation Vita hits the U.S. on February 22. I guess Sony is hoping people are tired of the gadgets they got around the holidays by then. It’s an interesting move considering that last year, 40% of Sony’s Christmas revenue came from the U.S and Europe.

It’s available to pre-order online through Sony, Best Buy, Amazon and Gamestop for $299.

Sure, Amazon risks loss of customer loyalty with a flawed product, but how often are the first incarnations of gadgets flawless anyway? There are always updates and room for improvement where future iterations can inspire appeal.

According to the New York Times, an Amazon spokesperson has promised an over-the-air update for the Kindle Fire within two weeks time. This update will be aimed at improving performance and multitouch navigation, and according to the Times, will allow customers to edit the list of items that show what they’ve been doing recently. On top of that, the report says there will probably be an improved version of the device itself soon, suggesting a spring arrival.

On the customer loyalty front, complaints about the Kindle Fire happen to coincide with some other issues the company faces with unhappy people – mainly businesses. This includes the whole Internet Tax thing and app that lets consumers scan barcodes from brick and mortar stores and buy them through Amazon at cheaper prices.

Sales of the Kindle Fire have started off strong to be sure. They sold 2 million in 2 weeks. Again, that price tag certainly helps, as does the holiday buying rush. It’s going to be very interesting to see how the Kindle Fire line competes over the longer term, with not only the iPad but other tablets that will continue to emerge and improve upon what’s already out there. The general consensus so far, however, seems to be that the iPad is still the one to beat. At least for those who can afford it.

View more daily infographic round-ups here.

Gadgets:

Source:LiveScience

The relationship status update:

Soda’s Evil Twin:

Created by: Health Science

“We’re thrilled to be able to ship Kindle Fire to our customers earlier than we expected. Kindle Fire quickly became the bestselling item across all of Amazon.com, and based on customer response we’re building millions more than we’d planned,” said Dave Limp, Vice President, Amazon Kindle. “Customers are excited about Kindle Fire because it is a premium product at the non-premium price of only $199.”

It’s already getting some pretty good reviews. We should have our own up soon.

The device is expected to be a hot seller throughout the holiday season, and beyond, thanks to that pricetag, which is significantly smaller than the iPad’s. Recent reports indicate that the company upped its orders to 5 million units by the end of the year.

Of course the device also faces new competition from Barnes & Noble’s Nook Tablet, which gets released this week as well, though about 50 dollars more. More on that here.

More on the Kindle Fire here.

Amazon also announced that it’s shipping the Kindle Touch and Kindle Touch 3G beginning tomorrow (November 15). This is also several days earlier than previously announced (November 21). The Kindle Touch is $99. The Kindle Touch 3G is $150.

View more daily infographic compilations here.

Sam Spratt analyzes the 5 stages of iPhone 4S grief:

The Understatement looks at public posts on Google+ from Google management:

SoadaHead looks at the Kindle Fire vs. the iPad, in terms of public opinion:

Focus looks at the most disruptive companies in tech:

LiveScience uses Pew Research data to look at the popularity of texting:

CarBuzz looks at the real cost of traffic jams:

View other daily video round-ups here.

BENM.at created an iPhone 5 prototype based on various hints and rumors that have come out:

Possibly the coolest street art ever:

Google teamed up with Dogfish Head on beer brewing (more here):

A 29 year old gets to hear herself for the first time. She was born deaf, and recently received a hearing implant. It’s being shared a lot around the tech industry:

WebProNews interviewed digital historian and archivist Jason Scott about the cloud:

A couple of closer looks at Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet from SlashGear:

A new Pink Floyd TV ad has been released in the UK. It’s kind of cool:

Next Media Animation provides its weekly wrap:

The Rick Mercer Report has some fun with Blackberry:

8,000 photos cover 80 days (via Google’s Amir Fish on Google+):

The company unveiled its Kindle Fire tablet and some new Kindles this week, along with a new innovative web browser called Silk.

Now, VentureBeat is reporting that HP is looking to unload Palm ASAP and that Amazon is the “closest to finalizing the deal.” This comes from what the publication cites as “a well-placed source”.

Such an acquisition could give Amazon an operating system in webOS. The Kindle Fire is built on Android and utilizes Amazon’s own Android market, but if Amazon gets webOS, there’s no telling where this could go.

Speaking of the Kindle Fire, some questions have been brought into the spotlight regarding the device’s supply and demand. It only costs $199. Reuters quotes analyst Brian Blair as saying, “When [Amazon CEO, Jeff] Bezos quipped that people should get their pre-orders in quick, that wasn’t just a sales pitch. That was him warning this will sell out.”

Digitimes systems is reporting that Amazon will outsource the production of 10.1 inch tablets to Foxconn electronics, which works on the iPad, as well as Amazon’s Kindle e-readers. Such tablets, it says, are expected to ship before the end of the year. The announced Kindle Fire is a 7 inch tablet.