MarcForrest.com

Month: July 2010

  • Vodacom MiFi Device

    After a week with the beloved iPad, I am starting to see the bigger potential for the device. admittedly in the beginning I was a naysayer (sorry to all), but after using it for the last week, I truly see the bigger picture.

    That said though, my biggest gripe about the iPad is the WiFi. Well, I suppose I can’t really call it a gripe, I think it’s got more to do with the fact that South Africa still hasn’t seen the WiFi wave that you have in say America or Europe. Internet access is hard to come by in SA unless you have an ADSL line, which means you can’t use a mobile device, or 3G. although the higher spec iPads do have 3G connectivity, the model I received is a WiFi unit.

    So that’s that were the Vodacom MiFi device comes in. The awesome team at Vodacom kindly sent me a MiFi device to use with my iPad, and WOW, what an amazing piece of hardware. The MiFi is a 3G broadband router which is capable of speeds up to 7.2MB/sec, AND it also acts as a Wireless hotspot. What this means is that you can have 5 wireless devices connected to the MiFi hotspot, all sharing the 3G connectivity.

    So I picked up the MiFi (marketed as the Vodafone MiFi 2352) yesterday from the swanky new Vodacom offices in Umhlanga Ridge. They have just completed the building, and it looks awesome, although no where near as pretty as Vodaworld :) Earlier in the day, I had bought a pre-paid simcard for 99c (Bargain), which I had to RICA before I could use it. Surprisingly the RICA process was pretty painless, and I did all my sims, and I was out in 5 minutes. I then loaded the sim with a prepaid data bundle (R88 for 110MB). Once I had the new gadget in my hands, I put the sim card in, switched it on, and it just worked. Boom. Just like that. No config, no setting up, no messing with advanced settings. It JUST worked. Easy.

    Once the MiFi is up and running, you can search for a wireless hotspot using the iPad, or any wireless device, it will pop up with the name of the MiFi, usually something like VodafoneMobileHotspot_XXXX. It will then ask you for a WEP key password. They key can be found on the back of the battery compartment, and once you have entered it, it stores the key and keeps you connected. You can also change settings by navigating to http://vodafonemobilebroadband.hotspot/ from any of the connected devices, which will allow you to log in and change some of the options.The rechargable battery lasts up to around 4 hours, so you can use it while you are on the go.

    And that’s it really. It is by far one of the easiest pieces of equipment I have ever needed to set up. I am looking forward to getting out and about and using the MiFi device, and seeing what it is capable of. You can pick up a MiFi device from most Vodacom retail outlets, for around R2500. The price may seem steep, but it is well well worth it if you travel and need constant internet access. If you don’t come right, pop me a mail, and I will try to point you in the right direction. I will also post some of my findings in the future about the MiFi and how it handles the networks and the different devices.

  • A weekend at Honeywood Lodge – Bliss

    A couple of weeks ago, I received an email from the owners of a place called Honeywood Lodge, Ian and Sharon, inviting me and the famdamily down to their self-catering accommodation for the weekend.

    Honeywood is situated just a bit north of Port Shepstone, on the KZN South Coast, in a suburb called Sea Park. We arrived on the Friday evening at about 6ish, and were met by Ian at the gate as we drove in. He showed us to our cottage, which was gorgeous. The apartment consists of an upstairs and downstairs section, and can sleep 4 people comfortably. The kids slept upstairs, which was huge excitement for them.

    Once we had settled down, we popped up to the exclusive boutique restaurant they have on the premises, called “The Cellar”. The restaurant is headed up by exec chef, Dylan Smith, who used to be the head chef at Harveys & Society in Durban. Both these restaurants have great names for the best food in Durban, and The Cellar matched that tenfold.

    Everyone was so accommodating at the restaurant, and went out of their way to make us feel comfortable. Dylan made the kids a delicious spaghetti pasta dish, while Les & myself shared a Chicken Livers starter and each had the most divine fillet steak. Really one of my top 10 steaks I have had in my life. We even got our own special table outside, so the kids could run amok.

    Once we had settled the kids down, we managed to catch some of the soccer, before flaking out for the night. The next day we took the kids to see Toy Story 3, which is such a brilliant movie. We eventually got back to Honeywood in the afternoon, and spent it relaxing and the kids exploring the property, which is set in a gorgeous green forest. They had a ball running all over the place, and really enjoyed themselves, with the all the secret pathways. I also managed to chat to Ian, who told me that the whole setup at Honeywood was only completed in September last year. He also explained how all the rain water collects and drains off into a tank where it is filtered and reused, saving loads on water bills. They also use solar-powered geysers which help with the electricity consumption.All very eco-friendly

    Eventually we had to bid our farewells to Honeywood Lodge on Sunday morning, in the pouring rain no less. Overall we had a great weekend away, and it is something we as a family need to do more often. We both came back feeling revitalised and just a whole lot more relaxed. I would highly recommend a weekend away at Honeywood Lodge, even if you are traveling from up north. The venue has also hosted a couple of weddings, and can be used as a conference venue for team building events as well.

    Honeywood Lodge has a couple of really great specials running at the moment (till Nov). During the week(Monday to Friday morning), they have the self-catering units available for R500 a night. The restaurant is also open from Wednesday to Saturday. If you would like to go down over the weekend, you get Dinner(any 3 courses on the menu) & Breakfast at The Cellar, as well as accommodation for R400 per person per night if you are 4 people. If you are 2 or 3 people, then you pay R500 per person. These deals are well worth it, because you are getting your meals included as well. Be sure to mention you saw them on MarcForrest.com :) 

    If you would like to visit Honeywood Lodge, check out their website at http://honeywoodsa.co.za/ or you can drop Ian & Sharon an email at [email protected]

    A big thanks to Ian & Sharon and the team at Honeywood for hosting us for the weekend. We will see you soon :)