Apple’s hyper-popular iPod has entered the next-generation with touch-screen technology on the iPhone and iPod Touch. This opens the gaming-realm to a whole new dimension of interaction that isn’t just limited to touch sensitivity but also the use of a built-in accelerometer that tracks the positioning of the device. Thus, the iPhone/Touch knows not simply whether to display pictures in portrait or landscape but what position it is in regard to a flat plane.

To fully appreciate how innovative such a notion is pick up a copy of iPhysics for the iPhone and iPod Touch. What iPhysics offers is the software to create various scenarios in which shapes and objects interact with each other in an accurate physical environment. So, that may not sound to impressive to you but what developers have done so far is nothing short of spectacular and is sure to appease the gadget-lover in all of us. The program initially comes with to ‘games.’ The first is a Sandbox-mode in which you use the touch screen to draw shapes that then materialize into the on-screen world. For example, you can trace the shape of a box with your finger tip, watching a line form inits wake. Once the final line is connected the box appears and depending on how the device is titled, it will begin to fall. Tilt the iPod in the other direction and the box will slow and begin to slide in the other direction. You can add as many shapes as you please, from simple lines, to circles, to more complex shapes. All these objects interact with one another and conform to the tilt of the iPod. Well this is more of a tech-demo of the iPhysics engine, it is truly fascinating to watch and play around with.

Where iPhysics truly shines is in the accompanying Crayon Physics. The objective is simple, a ball and a star are placed somewhere on screen and you must, by any means, get the ball to the star. Doesn’t sound to fun eh? Well, consider that all the objects are in a real-time accurate physical environment and that you can add any number of shapes. And while the simplest scenarios have you making a box and dropping it on the circle to roll it to the star, others require greater ingenuity, such as building ramps and springboards, to creating steps and a scoop to carry the ball up them. You can even move, drop, and throw objects. Essentially this game allows for your creativity to flourish and winning some of the more challenging scenarios can be extremely rewarding.

So, if you have an iPhone or an iPod Touch and want to see what its really capable of check out iPhysics and you’ll see some of the most advanced and innovative gadgetry available today.