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from the nothing-up-my-sleeve...-oh,-wait. dept.
Google and Levi's have designed a "smart jacket" with a touch-sensitive cuff that can control a smartphone:
More than a year after it was announced and two years after we first saw a demonstration of touch-sensitive fabric, the Levi's jacket with a smart sleeve is finally going on sale. I've been wearing this Levi's Commuter Trucker jacket for a few days now and it's very nice. It fits well and looks great. And by swiping or tapping the fabric on the left cuff, I have been able to control my smartphone.
Whether those things add up to a $350 value — the price of this jacket — is entirely a different question. It's targeted at people who commute by bike, and I think the only people beyond that target market are going to be a few techies and people who just really like jean jackets. It works with both Android and iPhone, by the way. A standard Levi's trucker jacket costs $148, though Levi's has been quick to point out that designer denim jackets can run well over $400. I'm no fashion critic, but I can tell you I'm impressed with the fit and look of this one.
When you talk to both Levi's and Google, they're very eager to tell a design story about this jacket, not just a technology story. It comes out of a partnership between the clothing company and a small division of Google dedicated to experimentation. We've seen lots of weird projects inside Google's ATAP, but most of them (like the ill-fated Project Ara) have ended up getting scuttled.
According to Google, the jacket can only be washed "up to" ten times:
This might be more of an interesting notion to think about if you watch the promotional video for the new piece of smart clothing as it's referenced as being washable as long as you remove the smart tag which connects to the fibers and to your phone through Bluetooth. This is also mentioned in the official blog post about the jacket when it was announced as being available this week, so you might think that removing the tag would be all that's needed, but if the wash limit is correct than[sic] any customers who pick this up might have to be a little more careful with what they spill on the jacket to ensure it stays as clean as possible.
It's also noted that the wash limit is merely "up to" ten times, with it being stated that the experience could vary from user to user, with various factors like wash cycle and usage playing a part in how many times the jacket can be washed.
Also at Google's Blog, SFist, and 9to5google.
(Score: 2) by VLM on Friday September 29 2017, @03:02PM (3 children)
You're missing the "up to" marketing. Kind of like my phone battery could last "up to" 24 hours meaning no way in hell that thing will ever under any circumstances regardless of settings or use, last longer than 24 hours.
So lasting "up to" ten washings means it probably won't survive even one washing, but they guarantee it'll be trash by the tenth wash.
In summary don't confuse marketing "at least" with marketing "up to". Its a disposable jacket, one use, for all practical purposes.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 29 2017, @03:10PM (2 children)
That's true, but for denim 10 washings is a matter of a few years. Denim can easily go months without being washed without issue. Especially if it's not meant to be worn next to the skin.
Not particularly defending this, but chances are you wouldn't want to wash more than ten times anyways as by that time the hardware would be obsolete anyways. If it turns out to be just 5, it's still probably OK for the target customer.
(Score: 2) by VLM on Friday September 29 2017, @03:26PM (1 child)
Yeah, uh, I mentioned having lived thru the 80s with heavy metal friends and DnD friends who wore denim jackets and they needed washing more than they got, so ... I donno about all that. "I think you're washing too often" is not a phrase often heard when playing DnD back in the 80s. Nobodies girlfriend ever said "your DnD buddies smell too nice, so I'm not going to play with you guys".
I suppose it depends on climate, there's always "that guy" who has to wear his metallica patch jacket every freaking day because he loves metallica even when its 95F and sweaty outside. Kind of the climate/HVAC opposite of the "I'm a ron john surfer dude" who wears board shorts in January when its -10F outside. Its a good thing teenage bodies are resilient because teenagers are pretty stupid. Possibly there is some genetic component of teens providing cheap endless entertainment for older folks observing teens, give parent age people something to laugh about in the later years of raising children to boost the overall success rate somehow or something. There's a lot more WTF reaction while being a parent than most non-parents realize.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 30 2017, @04:02AM
It depends on the climate, but smell is the main indicator that you need to wash denim. The other one being stains.
In the modern era, we have febreeze that can deal with the smell in most cases.