Not all are IT related but, in the spirit of Christmas, I can be a little flexible.

Dyson  think its newly design vacuum cleaners are going to be very popular. In fact Stephen Withers, iTWire journalist and part-time vacuum guru, reviewed these this week. I have to admire the technology and Dyson’s PR Executive, Charlie Stack, for his tenacity and absolute commitment to the brand. Suck it up and pay the price for the best-damned cleaner on the planet. (Dysons new filter system left) 

BlackBerry was wishing everyone a White Q10 Christmas and had a very elaborate display replete with very BlackBerry Santa, his elves, and a BlackBerry ice-carving (pictured). I am not sure everyone will be wishing for a Z or Q10 this Christmas, but 10 points for trying. BlackBerry also hinted at a trade in scheme that might make the festive season brighter.

Sharp by name and nature had a boom box that looked very much like an industrial strength, shoulder to air, missile launcher. The mil spec GX-M10H weights 7.6kg, pumps out 100w RMS, has flashing warning lights when destroying your hearing and will add new meaning to the term ‘boombastic’. I had an entertaining chat with Sharp’s national Marketing Manager Mark Beard about the near future of smart TVs, and he is firmly of the opinion that size matters and 60”+ is the new 40”. Mark feels that Australian consumers will look for maximum size for their buck, hesitate to pay the premium for 4K (at this size it does not matter he says) and Sharp’s 60 and 70” ($3,999 and $6,499 respectively) will be segment leaders this Xmas. “After all who has a lazy $11K to buy an OLED?” he chided. Note that Sharp also have 80 and 90” models as well.

The ‘best in snow’ was the new Holiday smart Lights from Moorescloud. These Xmas tree or external smart lights are controlled wirelessly from a smartphone, laptop, or tablet. At an introductory price of $129, the 50 globes on a seven-metre cord will provide millions of colours and endless patterns. Initial apps include popular football team colours.

Brother was there with a sewing machine that looked very similar to an A380 airbus, but it did not take my fancy. Its new range of A3 multi-function, inkjet printers with a very small footprint look to be popular this Christmas. They print using the long edge of A4 (297mm) which is the short edge of A3. Prices range from RRP $249-$299 and if you pay cash at the Good Guys, you pay much less.

Lenovo, a corporate PC, tablet and notebook maker, was a little out of place at a consumer show with their serious looking, former IBM ThinkPad. There are hints of a new range of consumer notebooks and tablets for Xmas. On display was a 27” all-in-one tabletop PC replete with paddles and a special games interface. Expected to sell from $2-2,500, the well-specified table top tilts to a desktop. Could be a nice one for the Christmas table (top).

Last, but by no means least, was the Husqvarna robot mowers that are included here, because some have GPS and can be controlled from your smartphone. Priced from $1,999 to $4,999 I can only say that no price is too great to unshackle men from mowing, especially during our hot Christmas.