A multimodal pointer method, comprising an elongated, graspable, control shell (301) which has a rotatable, multi-axis control ball encoder (302) positioned so that it may be used in multiple modes, with a minimum of two function keys (307, 308) that can be used in all modes. The device may either be used at various orientations in-air, or be used in-air against a surface, or may be used downward on a side on a surface and used as a mouse, or be alternately used upward on a side as a trackball, and, in a preferred embodiment, may be used upright on its base (335), or on a cooperative static or dynamic, surface or suspension base stand (339, 338) which introduces other cooperative features. The method further comprehends the incorporation of a second, front or side-mounted pointer device, typically a single-axis wheel encoder (328) or a multi-axis auxiliary control ball encoder, and other programmable switches, and may be used either wired or wirelessly using incorporated or intermediately connective data transmission components.