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Google's first partner for smart, sensor-laden clothes is Levi's
Remember when we said yesterday that Google's Project Jacquard would lead to the advent of touch-friendly pants? Well, we were more right than we thought: During the Google ATAP address here at Google I/O 2015, Technical Program Lead Ivan Poupyrev confirmed that the search giant is teaming up with Levi's to help bridge the gap between Jacquard's technically complex fabrics and the seemingly arcane world of fashion. "We think about Jacquard as a raw material that will make computation a part of the language which apparel designers and textile designers and fashion designers speak," he said. "We want digital to be just the same thing as quality of yarn or colors used," referring to how fundamental these sorts of connected considerations should be.
Google's Project Jacquard wants to put a trackpad on your pants
The ATAP division of Google is known for some the most innovative ideas to come out of Silicon Valley. It's the home of the Project Ara modular phone and Project Tango. So it's no surprise to find that Project Jacquard has a large single piece of fabric with conductive yarn woven in that works like a trackpad. The Jacquard team said that more information about its technology would be revealed at tomorrow's ATAP session, but it already looks promising.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: serpentine solar, sustainable studios and shape-shifting shade
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. This week we warmed up for cool days ahead by taking a look inside an incredible igloo made from 322 recycled refrigerators. We also showcased several feats of architecture that harness high-tech systems to achieve exceptional levels of efficiency - the ultra-modern world's most sustainable broadcasting studio, and Santiago Calatrava's shape-shifting pavilion for the Milwaukee Art Museum. We also saw transportation get a solar-powered supercharge as designer Mans Tham unveiled plans for a serpentine photovoltaic skin for the Santa Monica Freeway. If that seems a bit ostentatious for your taste, then check out this award-winning plan to create roads using sand and bacteria instead of oil. And speaking of eco infrastructure, this week we were thrilled to see the launch of the world's first wireless electric vehicle charger in the UK. We also showcased several new horizons for ultra-efficient lighting as we shared our top ten picks for stylish LED desk lamps, and took a look at a new interactive night light adorned with fun illuminated Glo balls. Finally, we were blown away by Levi's new WaterLess jeans, which can be produced using up to 96% less water than de rigueur dungarees.
LG's Xnote Mini X120 Levi's Special Edition for Deadheads and truckers
When your netbook is too bulky to fit in the back pocket then sometimes, not always, but sometimes you just have to bring the back-pocket to the netbook. Meet LG's Levi special edition of its Xnote Mini X120. It's exactly like the regular X120 running XP and Splashtop-powered "Smart On" OS only now with Levi graphics and an obligatory denim laptop sleeve just as you'd expect. More pics after the break because sometimes a man needs more than a monkey.
Orange France gets exclusive on Levi's 3G slider
Not just jeans friends, ModeLabs Group's Levi's handset is also all about the 3G experience, at least for Orange France users. This clunky slider features triple-band GSM, 2100MHz UMTS, 2 megapixel cam, Bluetooth, FM radio, and a microSD slot to extend the storage for your digital media. Orange is even offering to fill your memory card slot with a 1GB card and give you somewhere to put it with a Jean pocket-shaped case if you get there soon enough. We saw Levi's first branded set some time ago and it's encouraging to see them stepping up with faster data services -- well at least UMTS. Who knows, we may one day see some on this side of the world.[Via MobileBurn]
Levi's phone passes FCC on way to Mexico
We're still not sure what to make of the way this thing looks -- nor the fact that the FCC was supplied with the gaudiest gold version, nor the fact that Levi's decided its name fits well embossed on the front of the cellphone -- but alas, here it is. Turns out the ModeLabs-designed phone is being manufactured by South Korea's Ezze Mobile Tech and it rocks out with GSM 850 and 1900. Don't get too stoked about an American release, though; the user's manual clearly identifies Mexico as the intended target, but we imagine Americans and Canadians should have no trouble getting it working in their respective necks of the woods. Just don't get caught slipping it into another brand's pockets, k?
Levi's to make jump from jeans to phones
Perhaps hoping to cash in on the apparent success of other joint ventures pairing the equally fickle fashion and cellphone industries, Levi's European outpost has announced a partnership with ModeLabs of France to slap the beloved Levi name and likeness on a series of handsets. The deal should come to fruition next year, though terms and product details were not announced (why must you torment us so, Levi?). This isn't the first time ModeLabs has done the fashionphone thing, so there's an inkling of hope these guys know what they're doing here -- but if we end up with something like a denim-clad RAZR, we're going to throw a fit.[Via I4U News]
CNET Asia reviews Levi's RedWire DLX Jeans
CNET Asia has taken Levi's iPod enabled RedWire DLX jeans for a spin, and surprisingly (to me, at least) they liked them. The jeans get high marks for the integrated controller, redwire connectivity, and comfort. The included Levi headphones, though, aren't very good and the special pocket for the iPod has no additional padding to keep your iPod safe.
First pictures of Levi iPod enabled jeans
Jan wrote about this way back in January, and now pictures have surfaced. As you can see these Levi Jeans feature iPod controls, an iPod pocket, and a red cable connector (for the controls I imagine). Pricing is not yet available, though we do know they'll be called the RedWire DLX.Update: I only read English (I blame my parents) so I didn't notice that these jeans are available for 200 Euros in the Levis stores located in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Eindhoven, Brussels, and Gent. So, get a plane ticket and get your hands on some 'smart jeans.'
