Testfreaks.com.au was launched last week in Australia following hot on the trail of Testfreaks‘ success in the U.S. and Europe. The website is a consumer review site that aims to bring informative technical and opinionative reviews about the latest gadgets. It’s in beta mode, which means you get to help them out by providing feedback on what improvements (if any) the site could have. (Paid Review)
Testfreaks Goal
Testfreaks Australia was developed by the hugely successful price comparison website, Pricerunner. Their goal with Testfreaks is (ref: e-consultancy.com):
to build the world’s largest review web site, both in terms of completeness (number of reviews) and audience.
Testfreaks Australia Website
At the moment, the Testfreaks Oz site has four main categories of gadgets: Cameras & Camcorders, Home Audio, Phone and Video and Television. The homepage also features the most popular products and reviews so you can keep up with the latest.
By clicking on one of the reviewed products, e.g. Nikon D300 Digital SLR Review, Testfreaks presents more detailed information such as technical specifications, best prices, video reviews, manufacturer’s description and Freak Grades.
Testfreaks’ Freak Score
Speaking of Freak Grades, the Testfreaks team have put a lot of effort in coming up with an algorithm that attempts to give a fair and accurate score based on a couple of factors. Here’s a detailed explanation of the Freak Score calculation:
The FreakScore is calculated with an algorithm that factors things such as how old the product is, when each review was written, and the characteristics of the particular category. It also puts different weight on different sources, e.g if Cnet or DPreview has reviewed a product and rated it 10 out of 10 that will have a big impact on the FreakScore.
I will personally keepin’ an eye on Testfreaks Australia as they grow and anticipating some great reviews on a gadget that I am painfully waiting for; the Canon 5D Mark II Digital SLR!
