One of the great things about CES is that all sorts of companies from all over the world introduce new products, often in categories you don’t expect. One I’ve been looking at lately is Danish company GN Store Nord’s Intelligent Headset(Opens in a new window), which takes a different approach to wearable computing.

This is a high-quality stereo headset with the ability to let you hear sounds as if they are coming from all around you—ahead, behind, above, below, and to the sides, based on your location and head movement. The result is a headset that knows much more about where you are and where you are heading. It uses an integrated GPS the company says is twice as accurate as the typical smartphone, as well as a compass, gyroscope, and accelerometer that all track your head movements. This allows the headset to provide “3D sound” that moves with you.

The promise of the Intelligent Headset is that it should enable mobile applications that can know exactly what you are looking at, so that for instance, a city tour application such as the forthcoming Urban X can tell where you are and where you are pointing, and then give you more information on whatever you’re looking at. GN Store Nord A/S is developing some of its own apps, and is partnering with others on creating more applications.

The first demo application available is a game called Zombie X, which lets you hear zombies approaching you from different directions and lets you shoot at them. It’s an interesting concept for a game, and trying it out on an iPhone with the Intelligent Headset I was certainly able to make out the multiple directions the sounds were coming from.

Another 3D audio application due to make an appearance at CES is True3Daudio, which sounds like a very different way of hearing music. With it, you can either walk around or use the app to move through a virtual concert space and hear the difference in sounds and instruments from different locations. The initial version will feature Giovanni Gabrieli’s Sonata XX, which was written for 22 instruments divided into five spatially separated choirs; it should be perfect for this kind of application. The company promises more to come.

To me, the real possibilities lie in more sophisticated applications in areas from education to advanced gaming. Although most of these applications are still in the development stage, the concept is compelling.

I tried out the headset as one of the contenders for Last Gadget Standing. Although it didn’t make the finals, the 3D audio demo will be part of Mobile Apps Showdown(Opens in a new window) which will follow. My guess is that whether it’s in a specific product such as the Intelligent Headset, or integrated into other products, 3D audio is going to be a big deal going forward.