Today’s topics include a Swagbucks survey anticipating shopping trends for this holiday season, and Panasonic updating its Toughbook 31 with a faster CPU and more memory.
According to a new survey of 1,000 U.S. adults and 500 teens conducted online by Swagbucks, a rewards- and loyalty-program company, when it comes to choosing between an iPhone and a Samsung Galaxy smartphone this holiday season, 32 percent of adults said they would choose a Samsung phone, while 51 percent of teens would pick an iPhone.
Swagbucks also found that women most want the iPhone XS Max, while men want the Galaxy S10.
However, the No. 1 electronic gift on the wish lists of adults this year is not a phone, but a computer or laptop. A new smartphone is No. 2, followed by a TV. Teens, on the other hand, want a new smartphone, followed by a computer or laptop, and then a tablet.
When asked which non-electronic gift they want, teens and parents agreed on gift cards.
Panasonic has updated its Toughbook 31 ruggedized laptop with a faster Intel Core processor, 16GB of DDR4 memory, up from 4GB, and a 256GB solid-state drive as standard equipment, replacing the previous 500GB hard drive in the earlier model.
According to Panasonic, the new processor promises performance boosts of up to 19 percent and graphics performance increases up to 42 percent. Options on the new version include 32GB of memory and a 512GB solid-state drive. Buyers can also choose to move up to an optional Intel Core i7 CPU for even faster performance.
Aimed at mobile workers in the federal, public sector and utility marketplaces, the Toughbook 31 is built to survive tough indoor and outdoor working environments and can withstand water, dirt, vibration, drops, humidity and more. Starting at $3,699, the device will be available in the U.S. starting in December.