Let's face it. Most of us don't pay much attention to mice. Maybe we don't want the horrid, mental image of rodents running amok in houses. Or probably we just take them for granted. After all, they're not as important as our precious notebooks, PCs, or whatnot.

Well, it seems like Logitech is one company that takes mice seriously (the computer ones, mind you).  Their new products, the MX and VX Revolution (thanks eCoustics.com for the pictures) are stocked with nifty features that spell more convenience for its users.

One, both MX and VX Revolution offer the free-spin mode, which enables the mice to scroll continuously for seven seconds; and in effect, allows users to go over really long documents twice as fast with fewer scrolls. Another is the One-Touch Search button which works like a built-in search engine. When the user highlights a particular word or phrase, the said button will automatically search for matches online or within the computer system. Both mice are cordless, and have an ergonomic design; adding plus points to consumer convenience.

Come to think of it, even if we have computers with mind-blowing specs, if our mouse isn't working, then we won't get our job done (unless you want to spend the whole day using hot keys). And it's nice to know that Logitech is keeping that in mind. Speaking of which, it seems that the company's nifty innovations might change your mice perceptions forever. Well... not really, but they're still pretty cool.

It seems like a chapter taken right out of your regular horror book. Somebody commits suicide, and mysterious messages appear urging others to do the same.

Thing is, this isn't a horror story, but such an incident occurred (or is still happening) among a group of Dutch teens, where various SMS are sent to their respective mobile phones, daring them to commit suicide. People trace it to the suicide of a girl last March at a school in Enschede, a city in the north-eastern province of Overijssel on the German border.

"Who dares to?" was the repeated text message. Basically, this SMS was sent to various Dutch teens. Curious, a fourteen year-old responded that she will, only to receive another SMS asking details as to how exactly she'll commit suicide. "It got really scary, so that I told my parents, who told the school," said the 14-year-old.

Hermann van Engeland, who specializes in child psychiatry at Utrecht University's medical centre, thinks it's some sort of a dare. He adds that suicide and talking about it somehow raise status among the young.  Why, you ask? Well, Van Engeland is as clueless as we are. Also, this kind of mindless "fun" (for the sender of the SMS, given that there's really someone doing this) definitely shows "dangers of modern, instant-communication technology."

People might be doing it for kicks, but it seems that this is not everybody's idea of fun. Hopefully those scary SMS will disappear soon; a girl committing suicide isn't funny at all.

So you're in the middle of Chapter 4 of your thesis, which is due tomorrow. It's 1:30 in the morning, you haven't gotten any sleep for three days, and everyone in school keeps saying that you're starting to evolve into a zombie. With caffeine as your life source, you struggle to type paragraphs based on Althusser's concept of ideology, but at this hour, you feel like your mental processes are slowly going down. It doesn't help that your thesis adviser is known as the ferocious dragon lady, who will bite your head off if you don't churn out a decent copy of your first draft first thing in the morning.

You glance at the clock and decide to take a break. Break here means a thirty minute dose of Zuma.

Apparently, more and more people turn to casual games for relaxation. So if you think casual games are lame, think again. A recent survey conducted by Real (a casual game developer) shows that casual games are definitely a way to unwind. Curious on the said survey's statistics? Here's a quick look of some of the research stats:

Women over age 40 who play casual games:

• 67 percent play casual games at least four times per week
• About half (47 percent) play every day
• About 60 percent or more would rather play a casual game than talk on the phone, knit or do other projects at home (such as building or painting)
• About 50 percent would rather play casual games than go to a movie or spend time cooking

Men and women ages 18 and over who play casual games:

• 64 percent do so as a way to unwind and relax
• 53 percent do so for stress relief
• 42 percent cite the activity as a way to keep his/her mind sharp
• Among those with children, 75 percent see educational benefits for their children who play casual games
  

According to Jennifer Louden, best-selling author and lifestyle expert, "It's a wild concept, but I see this trend as a way for women and men to establish mental balance and embrace a healthy form of comfort," Louden said.

So it seems that there's more to casual games than a lack of gore, violence and special effects. Next time you feel drained, you might want to give these stress relievers a try. But probably not until you've finished that very important draft.

Nokia's luxury line of mobile phones, Vertu, expects strong demands this year. Apparently, a senior official has reported that Vertu is "struggling to increase production to keep up" with the demand.

Wow. If Vertu is swamped with demands, then the world's filthy rich has a lot of money to spend than we could ever imagine in our wildest dreams.

Let's see. A Vertu mobile phone could cost up to $5,130.02 USD, which is roughly around 4,000 Euros. Now, Vertu is reported to sell "tens of thousands" of units at present. Feel free to do the math.

"We are not in the hundreds of thousands yet, but our aspirations are there," says a Vertu senior official.

However, even if they're selling like hotcakes to the rich, there are still signs that the expansion might be slowing down a bit, especially in the key U.S. consumer market. (Maybe they're into the real blings they can wear and show off. Just a thought.)

You might have seen our previous articles on the BlackBerry Pearl, previously known as the Blackberry Stealth. This model has caught quite a lot of interest from people, and has created quite a buzz even before its release.

Now you could stop with your BlackBerry Pearl speculations. The said model has already been approved by the Federal Communications Commissions for use in the US, which consequently led to confirmation of some of this smartphone's features.

You might have come across Remi's article about this model a couple of days ago, where she mentioned some of its features: In addition to the usual PIM and push email capabilities, this BlackBerry's got a camera, microSD for expansion, EDGE for data...

Those features have been confirmed thanks to the documents filed by RIM (to FCC). Moreover, the said gadget will be the first BlackBerry to play music and display video on its 240 x 260 pixel display. It will also make use of RIM's SureType system, where each key handles two letters, instead of a QWERTY keyboard. The BlackBerry Pearl is expected to be released on September 18 for $199 USD.

Random trivia: The name "Poker" originated from the German word pochen, which means to knock. How exactly is it connected to the game? We really have no clue. But we could revert to the Dutch, as the said word means to "brag" in their dialect. Now, if you think "bluffing" resembles "bragging," then the name of the game makes sense.

Speaking of which, you might want to show off your bluffing/bragging skills using your mobile phone. Well, to your friends, that is (how in the world could your bluff your mobile phone's CPU?). Bragging or not, you can now enjoy your favorite card game in your mobile phone with Xing Poker from Xing Mobile. Xing Poker is compatible with all MIDP-2 phones with a screen size of 176x208. You get to pay for the download, but you don't have to worry about extra charges after that.

This is another good reason to spend some quality time with your mobile phone; you can play one mean poker game or just simply harness your hustler skills while in transit. Now, you could play poker wherever you go anytime you want to (provided that your mobile phone is with you). Meanwhile, enjoy the lovely screenshots we have for you.

It seems that there are lots of new stuff getting cooked up for Windows Mobile Phone users. Curious about what this new stuff is? Here's a sneak preview on some manufacturers' plans for this year.

Companies such as HTC will feature the Windows Mobile 5 PPC PE (PocketPC Phone Edition) where most units feature 128 MB of ROM and 64 MB of RAM, camera phones, WiFi and Bluetooth, and even GPS on other models. Designs range from "top-heavy" units to ones that have small built-in QWERTY keyboards.

Better improvements (such as 2 GB of RAM) are expected with Windows Mobile 6.0, which is slated to be released on the second half of 2007.

Most users who like multi-tasking devices might look forward to this, but for those who prefer gadgets that are tailored to perform specific tasks, don't worry, you'll never run out of standard mobile phones designed specifically for phone calls.

Last June, we reported on a Bluetooth watch from Citizen. If you liked the idea, but didn't like its rather bulky design, maybe you'd want to try out the Chronotech Bluevoice.

Basically, it's also a Bluetooth watch just like the one in Citizen. However, it's designed pretty much like a normal watch, which is sort of an advantage over Citizen's VIRT Bluetooth Watch, aesthetically-speaking.

So how does it work? Simply detach the hands-free unit and use it like a regular earphone. With it, you could keep track not only of the time, but of your mobile phone calls as well. It's available in analog and digital models.

The analog ones cost $127.95 USD and come in Black, Black/White, Gray, Navy, Green Sparkle and White Sparkle. The digital models are available for $119.95 USD and come in Black, Navy, Gray, Blue and Pink. To order, just visit their website or call 1-800-432-6865.

Hmmm... it seems that Nokia is really taking the word, "multi-tasking" seriously. One of their latest models, the N93, is marketed not as a mobile phone with a camera, but a multimedia computer instead. It seems that this phone boasts of DVD-like quality movies, which you can shoot and edit in this particular model.

In fact, actor Gary Oldman gave it a try. Today, he released his short film, "Donut", made from the N93. What exactly is it? It is a two-minute long short film that features a "round reflection in rippling water set to a haunting soundtrack".

Moreover, Nokia is urging N93 users to shoot their own shorts (short films, not the ones you wear) and post it on the Nokia Nseries Studio for everyone to see. So if you're thinking of being a world-class short film auteur yourself, maybe you could start a career now and do a Gary Oldman. In the meantime, why don't you take a look at what he did? Click on the download link below to satisfy your curiosity.

Donwload: [Gary Oldman N93 Short Film]

Nothing much has been divulged about the Cingular Treo 750, aka Treo Lennon. Rumors say that it has a digital camera, UMTS, HSPDA, WiFi and might run on Windows Mobile 5.0. Unfortunately, details about its release are fuzzy too.

But imagine if the rumors turn out to be true, it seems that the future will be interesting for Treo fans. And the future for Treo models will definitely be bright. The addition of WiFi support in the Treo Lennon may even entice most Treo skeptics to go ahead and grab one for themselves, giving the brand quite an edge in the competition. But then, it's not that surprising as we're talking about Treo here, which is quite popular for its oh-so-many features. What features would you want to have in your Treo? We sure have lots of ideas about what the newest Treo model should have.

So while making your Treo-feature-wishlist, why don't you have a look at these pictures taken on the sly (although blurry) of the Treo Lennon. We know you want to get the latest dish on it, and we will give it to you once we get our hands on them. Meanwhile, enjoy these supposed Lennon pictures while waiting for its actual release.