I still remember the days when my brother and I were so addicted to MMORPGs. In fact, during our "peak," we played for 18 - 20 hours straight, ate, and played again until we couldn't stand it anymore. This went on for days and to tell you the truth, it was not a pretty sight.

I remember looking like a zombie then.... Our eyes having bags so big, owls were no match for it. We also kept 350 pesos a month just to play online and be part of the thousands who play at night (since we attended school during the day). This was the life of an online MMORPG gamer...

Fast forward to 2007 -> My brother is quite busy studying (as he is going to be a doctor soon) and I am now working (for Hardwarezone, of course) with MMOs at the bottom of my things to do.

But what if I told you gamers out there that some scientists are comparing MMORPG Addiction to... Gambling?

I recently attended the "Beyond Freedom in Boracay" Event of Toshiba on behalf of Hardwarezone Philippines last March 19 - March 21, 2007. While it was tiring, I really had fun and I was able to find out what's new from Toshiba.

Allow me to share to you what transpired during those three days...

Day 1 (March 19, 2007)

I arrived in Boracay around 8 in the morning and this sandcastle made by some locals welcomed us...

I've had this experiment in High School before wherein I had to catch a ruler that was dropped by my laboratory groupmate.

Of course, I really had a very bad reaction time then. But now I think it is time to get back and prove that I have a fast reaction time...

How come? Well, if you want to win fabulous prices just by playing your favorite games (like DOTA and Counter-Strike), better head to Market! Market! two weeks from now (March 30, 2007).

This is because Gigabyte will be hosting a LAN event over there and they are giving away a LOT of prizes...

The event will start at 10:00am and will end at 8:00pm. Here's just a list of what's going to happen during that day:

- A Whole Showcase of Bands

- Gigabyte DIY Contest

- Cosplay Contest

- Audition Dance Contest

- Counter-Strike Game Tournament

- Warcraft III: DOTA Game Tournament

- E-Games Free Play

And much. much more! So if you do not have anything else to do on March 30, 2007 (mark it in your calendars folks!), then head to the Market! Market! Activity Center. We will be there to cover the event and we do hope to see you guys there as well!

Are you an Atari boy? IF the answer is yes, then I am sure you know the game called Pong. Its a simple game actually... All you have to do is to try to "hit" the ball, return it to your opponent, and hope that he won't be able to return it back.

Yes, it is quite similar to a game called Table Tennis but not quite. Anyway, if you want to relive your Atari days, then here's just the shirt for you...

How clean is your keyboard? Here's a short but effective experiment...

Lift your keyboard from your table and give it a tap. Better yet, hit it against your table...

Now, tell me what you see...

I did it once on my office keyboard and found skin flakes, bread crumbs, and other disgusting things. Of course, I tapped it again and again just to remove all the dirt stuck in the middle of the keys. Time consuming, yes. But clean? Probably not.

Just today, Hardwarezone Philippines has received yet another unit from our friends at Samsung. It is called the X510, a champagne colored mobile phone that is designed to tickle your senses.

Details on this phone (and our quick take) after the jump!

While there are a lot of mobile phone mock-ups in various malls today, I think that this one SHOULD be the furniture to get people talking.

It's called the MegaPhone, a mobile phone that you can display just about anywhere...

This thing has a width of 45cm, depth of 19cm, height of 123cm, and stands a whopping 170cm when placed on a podium. In order for you to have a clearer idea, its size when placed in a podium reaches 67".

Unlike any other mock-up phone displays that I've seen all over the Metro, the thing about the MegaPhone is that it is a fully functional mobile phone. You can use this to call and even text the people that you know. Moreover, it also has these features to boot:

- Large colour display, touch screen for pen-based phones

- Touch buttons with keyboard encoder

- Fully embedded standard phone with real functionality

- Personal computer as a control centre

- Bluetooth and USB connections

- All needed cables and chargers

- Delivered with an impact resistance box for the safe transport

- Easy to transport podium equipped with wheels

It will probably cost you an arm and a leg, but it would be nice to have a fully functional phone that you can show off and display. If you want to know more, better click this link right here. As for me, I'll just stick to my handy mobile phone thank you. :)

Most of us do not bother to learn how to use MS Paint as there are other "powerful" programs out there that can provide better features and functions. However, it is good to know that there are still some who are able to draw awesome images using this taken-for-granted MS program. What made me say "Wow" is just the fact that he drew it from scratch...

Anyway, take a look at the video and you'll find out what I mean...

Great huh? A drawing of a Shelby GT500 just by using MS Paint. Too bad I don't even know how to harness the power of Paint and use it only when I need to paste something after print screening... Oh, PS does that task better... Hahha. O well.

Tired of having to use your right/left hand just to use your mouse? Then better buy this new product from Xoxide.

It is called the Logisys Black Optical Finger Mouse and this product aims to make all the ball/optical/laser mice out in the market today obsolete!

How?

While you guys may think/say that "Oh, that won't happen to me!" I would just to take this opportunity to share some scams that happened to some people I know...

Feel free to discuss other scams that you know after reading this entry. Hopefully, by doing this, everyone will be able to keep their eyes open and will be vigilant should they come across a scam or two...

I've heard about some handhelds being modified to be able to play homebrewed games. I've also seen some handhelds that use their "hard drives" to play games without the need for any disc or cartridge. While there is a big risk of 'bricking' their consoles, there are still a lot of people out there who dare...

While this achievement may be enough for some people, others find it 'easy.' Allow us to show you why...

See? This person is able to run the power-hungry Windows OS to his PSP. Talk about sheer talent! There are also other l33t people out there that put in other operating systems (like Linux and MAC OS) and show it to the public via video steaming, but looking for that is up to you. :)

So now the question is, would you take the plunge too? Or will you just simply let your PC at home do all the processing for you?

May I interest you readers in purchasing a PS3 for a measly 500 Pesos?

Yes. You heard me right!

PS3 for cheap!

What a steal!

If you don't believe me, then look at the photo!

There is a "snoop" within all of us. From gossips, checking out other's belongings, to reading personal IMs and e-mails - knowing someone's DDS (deep, dark secrets) gives us a feeling that we have a certain "advantage" over others.

Of course, like any other spy (like the infamous Spy vs. Spy), we must first have the tools to fully satisfy our spying needs.

If you really want to know what's going on, then better get to the heart of one's tech lifestyle: the computer.

Ho~! I've never seen a computer as fast and as good as this!

If you want a laptop that can handle the latest games, make video editing as fast as it can get, store all your files conveniently, and connect to the internet lightning fast, then I suggest YOU DO NOT BUY THE COMPUTER THAT YOU ARE LOOKING AT!