Come Join TOYCON 2012 this coming June 15, 16, & 17!

The Philippine Toys, Hobbies, and Collectibles Convention is coming back on its 11th year! Earlier today, I excitedly attended the press conference in SM Megamall and learned about a lot of cool stuff.

In the conference room, we witnessed the most awaited cosplay battle of the century -- the battle between Marvel Heroes and DC Heroes. It was evident how much effort both teams really exerted in creating their wonderful costumes. Particularly, I was very impressed about the detail in Iron Man's. Although it was just a sort of exhibition "fight" and no winners were declared, I'd vote for The Avengers because I think their costumes were better than those of their competitors'.

Since I listen to K-Pop, I also enjoyed watching the wonderful act of the trio who performed this kind of music. Some of the songs were quite familiar to me and I'd say the performers did great on the dance floor.

Aside from the entertainment, we also got to check out various toy collections that I inspected closely. There was this rare collection of Hasbro stuff that included a lot of GI Joe figures and models from the 80's to the current generation. You'll be able to see these exclusively showcased at the TOYCON so look for them there.

For the past ten years, TOYCON has been highlighting the best of all things pop-culture including movies, anime, comics, gaming, and pop-culture collectibles and memorabilia. 

Honestly, I haven't attended any TOYCON in the past but this year, since I have more time and can travel on my own already, I'll make sure to grab the opportunity to be there. I have always been a fan of Anime, Western Comics like Marvel and DC, and of course Video Games which, I'm sure  I'll see to see a lot of in this year's TOYCON. I heard they are adding a lot of cool stuff so this time, I'll definitely make it.

By the way, Warner Bros. Consumer Products and Pacific Licensing Studio are co-sponsors of the event where it will feature the latest products and merchandise of the highly anticipated film "The Dark Knight Rises" which will be released on July 19, 2012 in theaters and IMAX.

Alongside the TOYCON, there will also be a "DC Comics and The Dark Knight Rises" on ground event at the SM Megamall Events Center. You may also want to check out in store promotion of the DC Comics and Dark Knight Rises merchandise at all SM department stores from June 1 to July 31, 2012. For every single receipt purchase of P500 worth of merchandise, customers may win 1 of 2000 movie passes for the Dark Knight Rises movie and an entry pass to the DC Comics/Dark Knight Rises event on June 16 and 17.

So if you're a toy aficionado or collector, jot down June 15, 16, and 17 on your calendars and head on over to SM Megamall's Megatrade Halls 1, 2 and 3 from 10AM to 9PM! Since it's also Father's Day weekend,don't forget to tag your dad along and have a good time! See you there!

For more information, please log on to www.toyconph.com or visit their Facebook page.

Event Coverage: Microsoft Family Day

There's no better way to spend a hot Saturday with your family than going to something as cool as the Microsoft Family Day where me, my mom, and Dad had fun. Last week, we joined other families as we celebrated our weekend with technology at the Microsoft Office in Makati. We were even given shirts to wear for that day.

Children and their parents got to look, touch, feel, and try some of the latest items that use Microsoft products. I saw different brands and high-tech gadgets and gizmos like laptops, cell phones, computers, and many more that were really advanced and cool.

I had a lot of fun checking out the different booths and trying out some of the products. I even saw a mouse that folds up and can fit in your pocket with no wires so that you can always have it with you wherever you go. And then there was this touch mouse that has a sensitive surface such that when you move either two or three fingers on top of it, you can already control what's on your computer screen. You don’t have to move the mouse at all!

I really enjoyed the Microsoft Family Day because there were so many things that I got to try like playing games using the XBox Kinect. It's not like the regular Xbox 360. It is better! With the new XBox Kinect, you can play the latest video game releases of Microsoft through movement sensors. There is a camera especially designed to sense your every movement so that instead of using a controller, you just use your body to play with it physically. It was so much fun to play with.

It was a blast doing the various activities. I even got to play angry birds and watched the Windows 7 commercials in a theater. I had a great time and I hope I could someday have some of those products on display for my own use.

Gadget Review: MyPhone T23 Duo

My old phone has been acting up for weeks. I told my mom last month that I’ll be needing another one soon. She told me to save for one and that she’ll add more funds if ever. On the last week of March, we saw an announcement at MyPhone’s Facebook page about a one day sale of the T23 Duo.

So, last April 1, on my way home from school, I met with my mom at Festival Mall where we checked out MyPhone’s booth on the 3rd floor. The T23 Duo caught my eye because it has an impressive User Interface. It was beyond my expectations. I bought a white one because there were only two units left. We paid P2488 for the phone and P450 for a 2GB SD card.


When we got home, I immediately transferred songs in my new cellphone. At first, I can’t see them in the Media Player. So I searched for help online and found out that I needed to put the songs in the music folder so that they would be recognized by the T23’s media player.

Here’s what I think about the T23 Duo three weeks into using it:

PROS:

• The price tag is very affordable for a touch screen phone
• Large 2.8" 240x320 QVGA screen with 256k color range
• Expandable memory with a Micro SDcard slot for up to 8Gb
• 2 Mega Pixel Camera
• Java Capable - Lets you install games and applications
• Long battery Life - Battery will last for 1 1/2 day playing music non stop
• 15 widgets to choose from
• Dual Active sim cards
• USB charger for easy charging
• Good sound quality and nice look
• Very functional headset


CONS:

• Picture and Video Quality are not so good for a 2MP camera
• Cannot add more themes and widgets. I hope there’s an update.
• Cannot set wallpaper to default.
• Volume and vibration controls are under so many sub menus.
• No option for qwerty keypad
• Need to switch from alphabet to numeric when inserting numbers unlike other phones that let you insert numbers when you press a button for 3 secs