- Google and Levi’s recently announced a collaboration through the launch of a new smart denim trucker jacket. These are the details.
Google and Levi’s announced a collaboration through the launch of a new smart denim jacket. Integrated into the new Levi’s jacket is Google’s Jacquard technology, which utilizes a Bluetooth-enabled tag that clips into the left cuff of the jacket. And this Bluetooth tag acts as a touchpad for controlling music and apps.
This is not the first time that Google and Levi’s partnered on a smart jacket. They also partnered on a smart jacket a couple of years ago. This time around, the tag is smaller than the previous version and it is still washable like the previous version. The tag vibrates when it senses notifications. With the Jacquard app, you can control which apps you want to work with each of the gestures. The gestures include swipe up, swipe down, double-tap, and cover.
“Two years after we first launched Jacquard, the technology has become smaller and more discrete, more affordable and more useful,” said Levi’s vice president of global product innovation Paul Dillinger. “But the premise and purpose remain the same: You can keep your phone in your pocket and your eyes on the world around you, staying connected without being distracted.”
So you can play music, answer phone calls, take photos, activate Google Assistant, and check your calendar with those gestures. The smart jacket also has an “Always Together” feature for sending alerts if you get separated from your phone while wearing the jacket.
The jacket is available in different washes (colors) and sizes. The standard version of the jacket is priced at $198. And there is a “sherpa” version available for $248.
Ivan Poupyrev, Dr., the Director of Engineering, Advanced Technology, and Products at Google, pointed out that products like this could alleviate concerns around too much screen time. Here is a promo video for the smart jacket:
“Right now there’s a bit of a backlash against screens and people being so focused on the phone,” he explained Poupyrev via Mashable. “The vision behind this is ambient computing and the idea of ambient computing is very opposite to the idea of the phone. The idea is that your functionality has multiple touch points, and you can access the same features, but from many different things.”
You can buy it from the Levi’s website or the following stores:
3rd Street Promenade: 1409 3rd Street, Santa Monica, California / (310) 3934899
Nordstrom at The Grove: 189 The Grove Drive, Los Angeles, California / (323) 930-2230
Levi’s Plaza: 1155 Battery Street, San Francisco, California / (415) 677-9927
Market Street: 815 Market Street, San Francisco, California / (415) 501-0100
Valley Fair: 2855 Stevens Creek Boulevard, Santa Clara, California /(408) 956-9124
Portland: 2307 Northwest Westover Road, Portland, Oregon / (503) 229-0501
Soho: 495 Broadway, New York, New York / (646) 613-1847
Times Square: 1535 Broadway, New York, New York /(347) 809- 5241
Nordstrom Men’s Store: 235 W 57th Street, New York, New York / (212) 843-5100
Berlin: Kurfürstendamm 237, Berlin, Germany / +49 30 8855 3898
Regent Street: 176 Regent Street, London, England / +44 20 7292 2500
Paris: 76 Avenue des Champs-Élysées, Paris, France / +33 1 5353 0570
