Merry Christmas 2023 and an even better 2024
Merry Christmas 2023 – how time flies when you are not in COVID lockdown. It has been a massive year for us. We published 380 in-depth reviews, guides, hard news, and consumer advice.
CyberShack.com.au is the last Australian site (not behind a paywall) doing 100% independent deep-dive reviews offering far more tested and verified information than any competitor. Readers appreciated our objective testing and unvarnished advice. You responded by making us one of the most popular Australian consumer tech sites, with over 2 million annual reads. Thank you.
You also tuned into Charlie Brown’s Saturday morning Life and Technology radio (including free podcasts of the show) on the Australia-wide 2GB network, making it the most popular talk-back tech show on Australian radio.
CyberShack TV on Channel 9 drew a bigger audience than any other tech TV program. Thankyou to our dedicated presenters and sponsors.
Merry Christmas 2023. We wish you a happy and safe holiday from Charlie Brown, Ray Shaw (Reviews Editor), and the whole team.
Our top reviews/guides included (all of these received over 10,000 reads – some ten times that) – good holiday reading.
TV
- TCL C845 – a superior Mini-LED with the lot
- TCL C745 QLED 4K Google TV for the masses
- LG QNED86SRA Mini-LED TV – bright and colourful
- LG G3 OLED EVO 2023 Model G3PSA – the best OLED yet
- LG C2 OLED evo – advanced OLED at a more affordable price
- Sony Bravia X90L TV – is this the end of an era?
Sound
- JBL Authentics 300 – classic retro elegance, gutsy sound
- JBL BAR 1300 – 1170 Watts, 11.1.4 Dolby Atmos soundbar
- JBL Spinner BT Turntable – play those classic vinyls again
- JBL Charge 5 BT, IP-rated portable speaker – seriously good
- Sonos Era 100 – the versatile speaker
- Sonos Era 300 as rears to the Sonos Arc – superb Dolby Atmos 7.1.4
- Sonos Move 2 – portable oomph anywhere
Cleaning tech
- Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni – can a robot vacuum/mop get any better?
- Ecovacs Deebot T20 Omni – faster, cheaper, and better
- Eufy X9 Pro robot vacuum and mop – one of the best of 2023
- DreameBot L20 Ultra is a very smart, efficient robovac/mop
- Hobot Legee D8 and Lulu mop cleaning station
- PoolBot B300 Pool Cleaner – advanced, cordless, automatic pool vacuum
- Hobot-R3 window cleaning robot does a great job
- Ecovacs Winbot W1 Pro – clever little robot window cleaner
- Tineco Floor One S7 Pro – an upgrade to an already good vacuum mop
Smartphones
- Motorola Razr 2022 – A full-featured Fab Flip for percipient people (s
- Moto g84 5G – how does Motorola do it?
- Motorola Edge 40 2023 – Edge benefits at a lower cost
- OPPO Find N3 Fold – the most advanced foldable smartphone in 2023
- OPPO A17 – as low as you can go
- OPPO A98 5G 2023 – a class leader in many ways
- OPPO A58 4G 2023 – all you need in a smartphone
Home Network
- Telstra Smart Modem 3 – not all that smart or fast
- TP-Link Deco PX-50 Mesh/Powerline Wi-Fi 6 AX3000 – the perfect 10
- Netgear M6 Pro 5G mobile router MR6550-100APS
- Netgear Orbi 860 Tri-band, Wi-Fi 6 AX6000, Mesh router
Portable power – off-grid
- Anker 757 Powerhouse (1229Wh) Portable Power Statio
- Anker Everfrost 50 fridge and freezer – Baby, it is cold inside
- Bluetti AC2A 300W – a pint-sized portable power station
- BLUETTI AC60 portable power station – packed with added value feature
- BourgeRV 50L portable freezer or fridge
Consumer advice
- Is there a safe way to charge Lithium-ion batteries?
- Does insurance cover a lithium-ion battery fire? Maybe and probably not
Guides
- Confused about TV tech? That’s just what they want!
- How to tell if you have good music – sound signature is the key
- How to buy a soundbar that meets your needs?
- Five tips for better TV sound – Dolby Atmos for beginners
- Seamless whole-of-home Wi-Fi now easy with Wi-Fi 6
- Crappy NBN FTTN Modem – here are a few better ones
- ECOVACS ROBOTICS – the future of robots for domestic duties
- Five tips for choosing a robovac/mop
- Window cleaning robots – sparking windows can be easy
- Buying the right fridge
- Portable Power Stations – power on the go
