Just because you are stuck in an airport lounge does not mean you have to give up in-air navigation with your mouse. Gyration this week rolled out its M2000 Travel Air-Mouse at DigitalLife. The unit weighs 3.9 ounces. It comes with an RF receiver that stows in the mouse for portability.

Packaged with a laser desktop sensor, the unit operates at 2.4GHz and has a working range of up to 100 feet (30 meters). Like all Gyration’s mouse products, the M2000 Travel Air-Mouse works both in the air and on the desktop.

“People are increasingly mobile these days, as evidenced by the dominance of notebook computer sales, and aren’t always tied to the desk”, says Greg Smith, vice president for marketing and OEM sales at Gyration. “The Travel Air-Mouse was designed with this in mind, providing the business traveler or ‘digital couch potato’ with the freedom to control their PC and entertainment without the need for a desktop surface.”

The M2000 uses Gyration’s new UltraSense motion-sensing technology, for improved in-air cursor control. The M2000’s technology differs from Gyration’s previous gyroscope technology in that it offers much tighter cursor control and more degrees of freedom during in-air use.

Lefties can rejoice in the M2000’s ergonomic, ambidextrous design. It is equally user friendly from either side. A quick hand motion can control volume, skip a song or launch a presentation special effect.

The M2000 has assignable feature buttons and is hyper-sensitive when scrolling.

As part of the package, users get Gyration’s presentation effects (GyroTools) which are activated by hand motions. Swipes of the hand can be used to change volume, skip music tracks, advance presentations, etc.

Smith says the M2000 is scheduled to be on shelves at consumer electronics retailers in Q1 2008. It will be available by itself at an MSRP of $69.95 or with a compact, wireless keyboard at an MSRP of $99.95. It will also be available online at www.gyration.com.

Smith says the mouse’s new UltraSense motion-sensing technology will give users enhanced freedom and flexibility when performing mouse actions in the air.

We’re planning on getting a hands-on with the new air mouse at the forthcoming International CES in January, and we’ll give you our impressions then.