By Evan Ackerman
3DConnexion has released a new version of its SpaceNavigator peripheral, which is a 6-DOF 3D navigation device that lets you control panning, rotation, tilting, and zoom with one hand, great for applications like CAD or Google Earth. The new model is designed for notebook use, and is smaller and lighter than the original without sacrificing any functionality. The thing is, though, that the SpaceNavigator depends to some extent on a heavy base to function properly. If the base is too light, it won’t keep steady when you’re yanking the thing around. The notebook version is only about half the weight of the full size version, which means you might have to be a little bit more gentle with it.
Somewhat paradoxically, the SpaceNavigator for notebooks costs $129, whereas the larger and heavier less portable but equally functional (and prettier) original SpaceNavigator only costs $59. I guess that’s because the notebook version includes a “travel case for effortless transport.” I love these things, but unless you’re carrying it everywhere, I’d save yourself some money and get the slightly bigger one.
[ 3DConnexion ] VIA [ Ogle Earth ]
