MarcForrest.com

Category: Tech News

  • Win a copy of Halo: Reach for the Xbox

    Win a copy of Halo: Reach for the Xbox

    Remember the other day I told you about the Xbox Kinect that launched in South Africa. Well the guys from Xbox caught wind of the post, and very nicely, offered me a copy of the latest popular Xbox title, Halo Reach to be given away on my site.

    Here is a little bit of info about the game:

    In 2552, the Covenant discovered the planet Reach, humanity’s last line of defense. The UNSC mounted an unparalleled assault against the alien war machine, and at the heart of this conflict was Noble Team, an experienced group of accomplished soldiers prepared to meet the enemy head-on. Now, with the addition of the team’s newest member—Noble Six—this squad will face its most challenging mission yet: the defense of Reach…in what may well be the twilight of human existence.

    Halo: Reach, easily the biggest and most ambitious Halo title yet, includes an intense, pulse-pounding Campaign, an addictive and frenetic Multiplayer, a riveting four-player Co-operative Firefight mode, the massive ForgeWorld experience, and a Theater mode to capture it all. With more modes, maps, missions, and features than ever before, Halo: Reach represents the complete Halo experience—a tour de force of stunning visuals, powerful story, epic encounters, and more replayability than any Halo title to date!

    The guys over at IGN have given the game a 9.5 which is one of the highest scoring games ever !! The game also sold over 3 million units in it’s first month in the US.I also played the game for a couple of minutes (hours) at Tech-Ed where they had a couple of demo units on display.

    To win a copy of Halo Reach here, all you need to do is leave a comment below, and I will randomly choose the winner…simple hey :) The competition closes on the 25th November at 12pm. Winner will be chosen using Random.org…

  • Giving the Nokia N8 a run

    Yesterday I received a package, and when I opened it, found a brand new Nokia N8 to use for the next 2 weeks. The review is part of a promotion at the moment where Nokia selected 60 people from around South Africa to give the phone a run for 2 weeks. They will also be selecting 2 of the best reviews to keep the phone.

    I am going to try to do a comprehensive review once my 2 weeks is up, and my main goal is to see if I can use the Nokia, alongside the iPhone4.
    My first impressions of the phone was that it was pretty slick. The phone matched up size & weight wise to the iPhone4. The packaging was different what we have become accustomed to in the sleek Apple packaging, but that said, the Nokia does come with a lot more accessories.The other thing that grabbed my attention was the 12MP camera the phone has. Nice !

    I’m not going into much detail, for now,  but what I can say so far, is that I am very impressed with the phone, after playing around with it for a couple of hours.
    I will be tweeting updates using the #N8ReviewZA hashtag during the course of the next 2 weeks, and when I am done, will do that review. Standby :)

  • ESET Cybersecurity for Mac

    On Monday morning a really large package arrived for me at reception. After ripping the packaging off, I was presented with a couple of really cool gifts from the chaps over at ESET. ESET are one the worlds largest antivirus companies, and have been around for a couple of years. Included in the package was a disk which had the latest offering from the guys, ESET Cybersecurity for Mac.

    To give you a better idea about what the product is about, this from the ESET cybersecurity website:

    It is a generally accepted fact that Mac/Linux-based operating systems are safe, compared to Windows® platforms. However, no system exists in a vacuum and writers of malicious software are hard at work looking for weak-spots and devising exploits that can run across multiple platforms. Additionally, third party applications run on Mac systems can become easy targets for hackers. Unprotected Macs in a networked environment, where cross-platform sharing is taking place, can act as malware carriers.

    ESET Cybersecurity shuts down all attack vectors, neutralizing threats designed to attack Windows or Linux systems, along with emerging exploits against the Mac platform – to keep your sensitive data and identity protected around the clock.


    I installed my copy on my machine earlier this week, and had no issues at all. In fact, the setup & activation was so simple, it was over in a flash. Once I had activated my copy with the username and password that I had received, I rebooted my machine, and ran a full scan. The scan took about an hour and a half, and found no threats (sjoe) :)

    The very cool thing about this software, is if you run a bootcamp Windows partition, or use a virtual environment, you have full access to the Windows NOD32 antivirus software, under a license called “Unilicence”

    If you have a Mac, I would highly recommend grabbing yourself a copy of ESET Cybersecurity. A 1 year licence for 1 computer costs around R355. The Apple Retail stores around the country are also stocking them at the moment. You can also download a 1 month free trial from the ESET site to give it a run before you buy it.

  • XBox Kinect & XBox Live launch in South Africa

    I have never been much of a gamer. Mostly because I have never found something I have really enjoyed. I bought a Wii a while back, but never really got into it.

    But after seeing the Xbox Kinect in action at Tech-Ed a few weeks ago, I have to admit, I am very very keen to get one. The whole concept is brilliant, and especially for the kids, it is appealing, as there are no controllers which could accidentally get flung through the TV Screen.

    Last night Microsoft launched the XBox Kinect & XBox live  in South Africa. Kinect is an addition to your existing XBox, which is essentially an RGB camera which picks up your body movements. Similar to the Wii, but without the controllers. XBox live is a service which allows you to interact with friends over the internet, as well as play games against them.

    With the launch of Kinect there are a couple of great specials on at the moment.

    Kalahari has a XBox360 4GB with kinect for R3,599.
    Makro has the same deal for R3,699
    Musica & Take2 also have a couple of cool specials – XBox 360 250GB & Kinect & Kinect Adventures game for R4,299
    They also have a great special on without the Kinect :

    • Xbox 360 250G
    • Forza  3
    • Alan Wake Live Token
    • Live Chat Pad
    • Extra Wireless controller
    • Wireless headset
    • 3 Month Live Membership
    • 800 Points Live Card

    For only R3,499. You can also buy the Kinect separately from Kalahari for R1,899

    So far the following games are available for the Kinect on Kalahari: ( They all go for around R333)

    If you do pick up a new XBox, I suggest you also follow @Xbox360 and my mate @GlennZA on twitter.

    Are there any other specials I have missed ? I know I’m very very keen to make my way over to Musica shortly :)

  • iTunesUSA introduces payment via EFT

    Remember a while back I told you about the local site called iTunesUSA.co.za which sells iTunes vouchers at very reasonable prices ?

    Well, they have just introduced a new payment method  into their site, through PayFast, which allows you to purchase your vouchers using EFT through the site. Which means…no need for a credit card !!

    To make use of this awesome feature, once you have selected your voucher and go through to the payment section, select “Pay via Internet Banking“, as your option. You will then be given a selection of ABSA, FNB, Nedbank or Standard Bank. Once you have selected your bank, you are redirected to login to your internet banking, and you can make the payment. Payment is then sent through immediately.

    The beauty about this is that the iTunes voucher is delivered immediatly after you have made the payment. No 2 day waiting periods, and no need to fax proof of payment. I know I will use this option quite a bit.

    Another option which the guys offer is payment via UKash vouchers. These are vouchers you can buy at Pick n Pay or Checkers, and then all you need to do is enter the voucher number when making payment. Simple.

    If you have any questions, leave a comment below, and I will get the guys from the site to answer for you :)