Safa's PMPs haven't always done that much to distinguish themselves from the masses of nondescript players out there, but it looks to have stepped up its game slightly with its new G3 model, which not only looks decent enough, but packs a still-not-all-that-common accelerometer to boot. Apart from that somewhat notable feature, you can expect to get a 3-inch touchscreen, 4GB or 8GB of storage, a built-in microphone, an FM tuner, support for all the usual audio / video formats, and a promised 15 hours of battery life for audio and four hours for video. No word on a price or release date just yet, but if Safa's past PMPs are any indication, you can expect this one to remain a Korean-exclusive.

[Via Le Journal du Geek]

Our anonymous engineer friend over in Ageo, Japan sure loves to make him some gadgets -- among his many projects he's already built a couple other MP3 players, and now he's back with a tiny, motion controlled device that plays tunes from an SD card. Housed in a set of speakers (switching from stereo to mono when the satellite is unplugged) this thing uses an accelerometer for its interface: the user can skip ahead, skip back, change albums, pause, loop, turn down or crank up the sound by tilting, tapping, or setting the thing down. This is a strictly D.I.Y. affair, so if you want to get your hands on one you'll have to hit the read link for the parts list, schematics and firmware. Captured on video after the break.

[Via Slashgear]

Apple has added to its legacy of zany patents a head-mounted display with head-tracking technology intended to reduce viewer fatigue and disorientation (and induce nausea, if we're lucky) by simulating a theater or other viewing environment. The wearer of the device can pick a seat in the fake theater and then manipulate the image, zoom in and out, and look around thanks to an accelerometer and gyroscope built into the goggles. Few of these patents make it to market, but if you're eager to throw social acceptability out the window, there are already iPod and iPhone-compatible head-mounted displays on the market -- you'll just have to do without the positioning gimmick until Apple is crazy enough to actually sell this thing.

[Via TUAW]

When pumping out unimpressive point-and-shoot cameras, one sure-fire way to grab some attention is to innovate around the UI. That seems to be Olympus' approach with its new semi-rugged, Stylus 1050 SW ($300) pictured above. Able to withstand drops from 5-feet (1.5-meters), temps as low as 14 degrees F (-10 C), and submersion to 10-feet (3-meters), the new 10.1-megapixel shooter with 3x zoom and 2.7-inch display also packs an accelerometer for Olympus' new motion-driven "Tap Control" -- tap twice on the back, top or sides with your bulky, gloved hand to switch the camera into different modes. Pretty smart, actually... let's hope it takes quality images too. Of less interest is the skinny new 16.5-mm Stylus 1040 ($200) offering all of the 1050's guts without the Tap Control and weatherproofing. Last up is the Olympus SP-565 UZ ($400). It bungs the 10 megapixel sensor and 20x zoom from Olympus' SP-570 UZ into the 8 megapixel, 18x SP-560 UZ introduced this time last year. All three cams due in October. See the 1040 and SP-565 UZ after the break.

Update: Speaking of unimpressive, Olympus also outed its 8 megapixel FE-20 (£120 / $221) with 2.5-inch LCD and 3x zoom. We managed to escape our ennui just long enough to post a picture after the break.

Read -- Stylus 1050SW
Read -- The rest