The 3Dconnexion SpaceNavigator for Notebooks is one of a kind input device that lets you take control of the Z axis as well the usual X and Y.

Basically, you can push knob down, twist it, pull up and even tilt it, giving you the greatest control in 3D environments. And you don’t have to worry about the device favoring only the right-handed majority since USB controller is as ambidextrous as it gets. This is immensely useful in Google Earth, AutoCAD, Adobe PhotoShop, Maya and now Second Life.

After some practice, navigating around cities in Google Earth is a breeze, particularly with 3D buildings turned on. And those buildings, created in Google SketchUp, are much easier to create and manipulate without having to constantly use the keyboard to change perspective or select different tools.

Unfortunately, there’s at least one trade-off for the SpaceNavigtor for Notebooks’s added portability. In considering the weight of the mouse, the designers obviously had to strike a balance between portability and stability-and I’m not sure they got it quite right. For starters, the SpaceNavigtor should be a bit heavier. On several occasions, particularly when I was twisting or lifting the mouse, it moved slightly, which it’s not supposed to do. If the designers had really wanted to make the device lighter while ensuring stability, a suction-cup bottom might have been better. Even just making the rubberized material on the base more tactile would have helped. The rippled rubber that backs most mouse pads might also have been a good possibility.

[VIA and VIA]