New navigation device from 3Dconnexion

3Dconnexion, a subsidiary of Logitech, announced a new kind of peripheral for navigating virtual 3D spaces on Tuesday.

The SpaceNavigator offers an alternative to the mouse movement and keystroke combinations currently used to navigate 3D environments or to move 3D objects.

The device was developed in conjunction with Google so that it could work natively in Google Earth and Google SketchUp -- a 3D modelling program. It can, however, be used with other 3D modelling programs like AutoCAD, according to Logitech.

Using six optical sensors, the 3D SpaceNavigator is not a replacement for a mouse, but is intended for use in the mouse-free hand -- if you use the mouse with your right hand, you would simultaneously use the SpaceNavigator with your left. Users move through a 3D space by gripping the top of the SpaceNavigator and sliding it around, twisting it like a dial, tilting it, pressing down on the centre or slightly lifting it from its base, according to the California-based company. The device can also be used to manipulate 3D objects -- enabling zooming, panning and rotating.

3Dconnexion will be offering a personal version with online support -- the SpaceNavigator PE, for €59 (£40), and a professional version with online, email and phone support for €115 (£78).

This is not the first 'form-follows-function' development to come from Logitech this year. The company has introduced several changes to its products, reflecting evolution in software and the Web 2.0 environment. In August, Logitech released several peripherals kits intended to work in conjunction with Microsoft Vista, a broadband phone service and applications in photo, video and audio creation.