Google's Next Wearable Is A $350 Levi's Jacket That Controls Music By Brushing Your Sleeve

AMONG THE MANY announcements at Google I/O in 2015 was one that seemed like a fantasy (go.pcworld.com/gglefabric): connected clothing that could control music and lights, and even interact with images on a nearby screen. Dubbed Project Jacquard (go.pcworld.com/ jacquard), Google proved it was serious about the tech by partnering with Levis to make a denim jacket that it showed off at last year’s I/O, and now we finally know how much it’s going to cost.

- Michael Simon

 

And it’s not horribly expensive. Although it is a couple hundred dollars more than the Commuter Trucker Jacket (go.pcworld.com/levisjacket) on which it is based, the $350 jacket is set to go on sale in the fall (pushed back from its original spring launch), and is presumably the first in a full line of smart clothes.

Google demoed the jacket at SXSW, and like a smartwatch, the technology is concentrated on the part of the sleeve near your wrist. The jacket (go.pcworld.com/jacquardjacket) tracks the motions you make and transmits them back to your phone via a removable tag that neatly fits into the cuff.