mouse

Today 3D Connexion announced its SpaceNavigator, a 3D mouse for notebooks that lets you zoom around within any 3D environment you’re creating. It’s a fraction smaller than the original SpaceNavigator mouse. The company claims it’s supported by over 120 applications, including Google Earth, 3ds Max, Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended, Microsoft Live Search Maps, and 3D CAD. To navigate throughout each world, you can either push or pull up/down on the device, push forward, pull backward, or pan left and right. You can even twist it to rotate the environment currently on screen.

We just got one of the units in our office, and we’ll have a review up shortly. So far, we’re big fans of the smooth controls and sturdy base. We can say for certain that we definitely wouldn’t replace our regular mouse with the SpaceNavigator, like we could with the Sandio 3D Game O2 mouse, but it’s a pretty cool addition to a standard keyboard/mouse combo in Microsoft Live Search Maps. Stay tuned for our full review of this $129 peripheral.

I don’t know who names gaming peripherals, but I could do a better job. Razer, famous for creating funky-named gaming mice like the Habu, Diamondback, and Boomslang announced a new mouse today: the Salmosa. Salmosa? Is that supposed to be some sort of dangerous mutant salmon?

If I named gaming mice they’d have real names like the Razer “FaceSplitter.” The Razer “Grenade” (it could be forest green). The “CageFighter Pirate.” Or the Nunchuck…The “ChuckNorris NunChuck” would sell pretty well. It could have a small (red) glowing stamp of the Texas Ranger’s face on the palm rest.

The new mouse was launched in Germany at CeBIT, but is available in the United States for $39.99. It’s really not a bad deal considering you get an 1800 dpi 3G sensor for faster gaming reflexes, but I personally like gaming at a higher sensitivity, in the area of 4000 dpi, which the more expensive Lachesis offers. There are also three programmable buttons for macros and on-the-fly adjustments just like on the Logitech G5 and the Lachesis. The Salmosa is probably best suited for gamers that don’t like high sensitivity, new gamers, or desk jockeys looking for a little flavor in their mouse.

The Salmosa is also supposed to be one of the lightest mice in its class, but I’ve never found myself complaining about a mouse being too heavy. It will be available in Q3 of 2008; about the time I’ll figure out what “Salmosa” means.