MarcForrest.com

Category: On The Marc

South African Sony Xperia Z2, Z2 Tablet & SmartBand Launch

I had the awesome opportunity to join the guys & girls from Sony South Africa on Monday night, at the launch of the new range of very (very) cool Sony Xperia products.

The evening opened with a couple of drinks & snacks and networking, which was then followed by a “theater production” involving actors introducing the devices & some amazing dancers with some awesome moves.

The launch of the Sony Xperia Z2, Z2 tablet & SmartBand products come just over a week after they were launched at the Mobile World Conference in Barcelona.

The Xperia Z2 devices are a new generation model of the successful Xperia Z products launched last year. Except, this years model gets a VERY well deserved and decent spec update.

The Xperia Z2 phone offers wide variety of features including a 20.7MP camera, 4K Steadyshot video recording, 5.2” Full HD TRILUMINOS display AND is fully waterproof. Throw in the standard Sony Walkman, Movies & playstation apps and you have a full offering smartphone. But, the kicker for me was the 3200 mAh battery which can offer up to 720 hours of standby time.

We got to play & test the devices after they were launched, and I can honestly say, the Z2 is a fantastic phone. When the Xperia Z was

launched last year, I was convinced it was the one phone that could push me to move to Android OS, and after seeing the Xperia Z2 I am even more convinced. I’m sure one day I will take the plunge :)

The Z2 Tablet is a mirror image of the phone, and offers pretty much the same functionality (bar the camera) The one thing I noticed about the tablet was it’s weight. Really light, and comparable to the iPad Mini’s weight.

The other gadget that was launched at the evening, was the new Sony Smartband. The Smartband is essentially a band you wear onyour wrist, which tracks your life. And every move you make. The band syncs with the Xperia Z2 and gives you an overview of your every day life.

Overall, I am really impressed with the Xperia Z2. It beats some of the other Android devices which are on offer at the moment, and the OS offers loads of functional which isn’t on your standard Android OS. Local availability and pricing hasn’t been announced as yet, but we should be looking at around an April Launch. Who knows what may happen then :)

Stay tuned for a review coming soon…

March 6, 2014
Excellent Park & Fly Service at King Shaka Airport

Over the last couple of months (read: last 14 months) I have done my fare share of travelling every 2nd week to Joburg. Last year I did a record 68 flights throughout the year ! So I am almost an airport pro :)

During this time I have seen it all. There are some rather interesting characters who fly, from the aunty who bought a full bucket of KFC onto the plane and shared it with her family, to the suited CEO of a JSE listed company who still can’t figure out how to put his carry on luggage into the overhead storage.

But one of the cool tricks I recently found was the awesome Park & Fly service at King Shaka Airport. The service is pretty simple, email the day before you depart with your car details. Their Driver then meets you at the departures drop off and then when you arrive back, they meet you at the same point (departures drop off on the upper level) with your car washed & cleaned and waiting for you as you walk out the door. The car is stored off-site at a secure lot which is about 9km away. I have taken a look at the lot before, and it is secure

The cost of the service is pretty comparable to the long term parking prices at King Shaka, but the added advantage of being met right at the drop off, as well as the clean car afterwards, makes a HUGE difference in time. I have cut my commuting time down by about 15 minutes with this.

Below is a comparison of the charges

You can contact the Park & Fly guys on [email protected] or call them on (032) 944 4008. You can view all the info about their service on their website http://parkandflykzn.co.za/

Disclaimer: This post is not a sponsored post

January 27, 2014
Gadgets & Gizmos – Dec 2013

Every 2 months I am fortunate enough to have the opportunity to contribute a Gadgets & Gizmos column, to 2 amazing KZN magazines, The Ballito & The Umhlanga from the team at Fabmags.

Last month I had a double pager in both the Magazines with 7 cool gadgets that I have come across over the last couple of months.

The Gadgets I reviewed included the brand new Olloclip 4-in-1 lens for the iPhone, the iStabilizer Flex Tripod & the awesome range of Smaak screen protectors from the team at Above & Beyond.

Click the image below to download the full PDF of the column

January 7, 2014
Loving life at Mo-Zam-Bik in Ballito

Disclaimer: Before I write this post, it needs to be known that I was not asked to write this post in any way, and is a true reflections of my experiences at this establishment.

Living in a small town like Ballito, we see loads of restaurants popping up, then closing down just as fast. Many of these open just before “season” begins in December and then close after the Easter holidays.

There are a couple though which have stood the test of time, and my favorite over the years has to be a place called Mo-Zam-Bik, which first opened in 2005. This awesome little spot is so simple in terms of decor and originality and honestly serves some of the best food in the country.

This photo of Mo-zam-bik is courtesy of TripAdvisor

A few weeks ago, I decided to take a look at Trip Advisor to see what was happening in Ballito, and noticed that Mo-Zam-Bik was the number 1 rated restaurant in the area. So, I decided to add my 2c worth, and it was only my 2nd or 3rd review on Tripadvisor.

Here is my brief Mo-Zam-Bik review:

Being a local in Ballito there are a number of restaurants, and every time we visit “one of those other restaurants” we always say we should have just gone to Mozambik. Brett and his team are seriously world class!
Go for the Trinchado for starters and the Peri-Peri chicken for mains. You won’t be sorry !
The only negative here is that I can’t eat there every day :)

A couple of days, I noticed an email from Trip Advisor saying the owner had responded. I only managed to read it a couple of days later, but this is what it said:

Hi Marc F,

Thank you for the great review. You said the unfortunate thing is you can’t eat here everyday. Please contact me on my email or pop past the kitchen or phone me in the next couple of days. I want to cook for your family everyday for one week to say thank you for all the support(I’m very serious). Have an awesome week!

Regards,
Brett

Woah!! How cool is that. Firstly, I wasn’t expecting a response, but secondly such an awesome gesture. So, naturally, I called Brett up and we had a chat, and the next night we went down there for our first dinner. And once again, they didn’t disappoint. Brett said we didn’t have to come 7 days in a row, which was great, and have been a few times already. The service is exceptional, and reading most of the other reviews on Trip Advisor, you will see I wasn’t alone when I made that comment.

The reason I am writing this post is 2 fold. Firstly, the time Brett takes to answer each and every review on Trip Advisor is paramount to his business. Online is often used as a platform for people to moan about bad quality and service, in all industries, but engaging back with your end customer is so important. Brett gets this right online and offline, and makes time to visit each table in the restaurant, even when it is packed to the brim.

Secondly, the post is about how awesome this spot is. They have a couple of branches over Gauteng & KZN, so make a plan and go try it. You really won’t be disappointed. I can highly recommend the chicken livers for starters, a beef Trinchado or baby chicken (the best chicken ever) or even the line fish is beyond amazing, for mains.

Once again, a huge thanks to Brett and his team for this opportunity. Your establishment is seriously world class! Good luck for the “season”, know it’s only gonna be more awesome than the last ;)

December 10, 2013
Uber – Not your average “taxi” service (Free Promo Code)

I’m sure by now you would have heard about the new service Uber, which recently launched in South Africa. Uber is your own private driver. As simple as that! And it’s awesome!

(Promo Code – UberiGuyZA– R150 off your first ride in an Uber vehicle. Details below)

You “order” your Uber driver using the iPhone, Android or Uber Mobile website (Blackberry or any phone with a browser), and get picked up in a luxury vehicle (think C-Class Mercedes, BMW 3 Series etc), and within a couple of minutes you have your own personal driver at your door. One very important thing to note is that Uber isn’t a taxi service. Uber is your own personal driver. So if you want to head to Cape Town from Durbs, he can do that (sure it may cost you a few R’s, but it is possible)

I have used the Uber service a couple of times over the last few weeks, in both Joburg & Durban, and I can honestly say this is one of the best services I have ever used. From the guy offering you a chilled bottle of water as you get into the car, right through to the invoice being emailed to you as you leave the car, this is truly a world class service.

So, Uber has officially launched in Cape Town, Durban & Joburg in South Africa. I did a quick comparison to see what the prices are in the various cities, and to be honest they are VERY reasonable for the service offered.

Below is a quick comparison of all the prices in SA, and compared to some of the other cities around the world that Uber Black is available in

(Updated 10/1/2014 – Joburg Rates & Exchange Rates)

* JHB rate is based on either R3.90 per min OR R10.90 per km depending on speed
* DBN & CT rates are per min PLUS per KM
* Flat rate is a charge from the city Airport <-> City CBD
* 10km trip is an estimate using the Uber Fare calcultor
* $/R = R10.15 & €/R = R13.63
* Mozzie cab is a taxi service based in Durban

As you can see the rates are very reasonable and compare quite well to other services & the rest of the world.

As I mentioned above I have an awesome promo code available to any new Uber users. When signing up simply use the code – UberiGuyZA – and you will get R90 off your first uber ride, anywhere in the world ! You can also click here to sign up using the code.

Have you used Uber yet ? What are your thoughts around the service? Comment below :)

[app url=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/uber/id368677368″]

November 22, 2013