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Looks like a more flexible (and wireless) version of Griffin's PowerMate[1]. Well, more flexible at least. http://griffintechnology.com/powermate-bluetooth htt

Looks like a more flexible (and wireless) version of Griffin's PowerMate[1]. Well, more flexible at least. http://griffintechnology.com/powermate-bluetooth http://griffintechnology.com/powermate-bluetooth I used to use the wired version of this one. More specialized for 3D navigation, but pretty configurable, just like the rest. http://www.3dconnexion.com/products/spacemousewireless.html http://www.3dconnexion.com/products/spacemousewireless.html

wlesieutre 12y ago
I also use the wired SpaceNavigator. For a long time they weren't usable at all outside 3D apps. Prior to v10 of the drivers, they were adamant that all software developers should support it natively instead of letting it emulate joysticks and other already supported devices. Definitely got more useful when they added that. It's a fairly different piece of equipment though, I'd compare the SpaceNavigator to a joystick or thumbstick (with 4 extra degrees of freedom) moreso than a knob, despite looking like one. I've never had much luck getting a balance of speed and accuracy with it, movement either feels slow, or you crank the sensitivity up and it becomes hard to do small motions accurately. Kind of like a gamepad as compared to a mouse; you have a quarter inch of motion and a few degrees of tilting to work with, and you can't map all of the different speeds you'd like to move at into that space. I like knobs because they allow for a great mix of speed and precision. I know what half a turn does on my computer's volume knob, and I can do it a lot faster than "push the spacenavigator sideways a bit, hold it there until the volume is where I want it, then let go." Which isn't to say the SpaceNavigator is a bad device. It just serves a different purpose. IMO Flow's biggest competitor is the touch wheel on Wacom's Intuos line. Among professionals who spend time in Photoshop, they're extremely common. No such wheel on a Surface though, and having a few shortcuts that I can map without hooking up the keyboard would be a nice addition. Hoping this pans out!

wlesieutre 12y ago

I also use the wired SpaceNavigator. For a long time they weren't usable at all outside 3D apps. Prior to v10 of the drivers, they were adamant that all software developers should support it natively instead of letting it emulate joysticks and other already supported devices. Definitely got more useful when they added that. It's a fairly different piece of equipment though, I'd compare the SpaceNavigator to a joystick or thumbstick (with 4 extra degrees of freedom) moreso than a knob, despite looking like one. I've never had much luck getting a balance of speed and accuracy with it, movement either feels slow, or you crank the sensitivity up and it becomes hard to do small motions accurately. Kind of like a gamepad as compared to a mouse; you have a quarter inch of motion and a few degrees of tilting to work with, and you can't map all of the different speeds you'd like to move at into that space. I like knobs because they allow for a great mix of speed and precision. I know what half a turn does on my computer's volume knob, and I can do it a lot faster than "push the spacenavigator sideways a bit, hold it there until the volume is where I want it, then let go." Which isn't to say the SpaceNavigator is a bad device. It just serves a different purpose. IMO Flow's biggest competitor is the touch wheel on Wacom's Intuos line. Among professionals who spend time in Photoshop, they're extremely common. No such wheel on a Surface though, and having a few shortcuts that I can map without hooking up the keyboard would be a nice addition. Hoping this pans out!