From Japan comes this curious cube-shaped MP3 player, which is entirely motion-controlled. It's actually very clever, even if it does seem to do away with the portable aspects of an MP3 player. Tip it and tap it to advance or go back through your music, and flip it face-down to stop play all together.

From the designer:

The MP3 player does not have any buttons nor dials... and it has an acceleration sensor instead of the mechanical switches. Therefore all playback commands to the player are given in defined motions, such as inclination, tilt and shock. The player detects the motion with the built-in acceleration sensor and recognize it as a playback control command.

The thinking behind it is probably a little too outside-the-box to ever be a fully realized product, but it's an interesting concept, and one that's already making it into some other gadgets. The iPhone, for instance, has several apps that take advantage of a firm shake — whether to access a random song, or find you a place to eat. Check out the video above to see the motion control in action.

Via Hacked Gadgets