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Clothing For Gadget Guys 154

Andru Edwards writes "In an article looking at the advancements in clothing for gear loving professionals, it becomes apparent that you no longer need to sacrifice your gadgets for style. SCOTTeVEST has recently released a sport jacket, khakis, and tie all specifically tailored with hidden pockets and compartments for businessmen who don't want to leave their tech at home. The clothing includes an integrated tunnel system which allows you to hide all the wires affiliated with your devices within the lining of the item, aptly dubbed the "Personal Area Network"."
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Clothing For Gadget Guys

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  • Weight (Score:5, Insightful)

    by fembots ( 753724 ) on Sunday October 31, 2004 @01:19PM (#10679492) Homepage
    Besides the bulky (non-fitting) feel in these jackets as mentioned in the article, I would imagine it's going to be heavy carrying so many items with you.

    Maybe there's a reason why traditional clothing has fewer pockets, so that you are not obliged to bring everything out.

    And where's a TEC Dress for women? Or is the market for female already competitive enough with big handbags?
    • Re:Weight (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Kjuib ( 584451 )
      well... If you are like me and carry the gadgets anyways, then you are use to the weight. The problem comes in with wires going places, and the fact of looking like a geek. So, these clothes would be a nice addition and make things a little easier to carry around.
      • Wouldn't the simpler solution be to make one multipurpose gadget instead of clothing to carry a lot of single purpose gadgets? Of course, that solution probably won't come from a clothing manufacturer.
        • Chances are good this single multipurpose gadget would then be too big to fit into any of the pockets of normal clothes. In addition these would lead to the "one function breaks - have to buy completely new multipurpose gadget" problem
    • Re:Weight (Score:5, Funny)

      by fireboy1919 ( 257783 ) <rustypNO@SPAMfreeshell.org> on Sunday October 31, 2004 @01:34PM (#10679578) Homepage Journal
      No, that ends up not being a problem.

      See, you have to sell all your tech stuff to afford the jacket and pants. What you actually end up putting in the pockets is tissues to wipe your eyes while you mourn the passing of your beloved gadgets.

      As far as womens clothing, have you ever seen a dress with pockets? Or shirts for women with shirtpockets? Not that they'd necessarily make dresses for women, but it shows the point: you don't get a lot of pockets on dresses. And yet, somehow, womens clothing is often more expensive.

      How can they compete? Their clothing has (unsightly?) pockets, unlike the apparently desirable non-functional women's clothing.

      What they should really do is make lingerie, since women wear that for guys anyway. Just picture it: first, think of the most attractive woman you've seen in lingerie. Now imagine that inside that lingerie has hidden gadgets in it. To me, that attractive woman is now much more well-endowed.

      Of course, this would only work based upon the assumption that geek guys have significant others, so...I don't know. Probably wouldn't work.
      • Re:Weight (Score:5, Funny)

        by karnal ( 22275 ) on Sunday October 31, 2004 @01:48PM (#10679661)
        inside that lingerie has hidden gadgets in it.

        Lingerie already has hidden gadgets in it. It's called boobies.

        Just gotta get the lingerie off her.....
      • As far as womens clothing, have you ever seen a dress with pockets? Or shirts for women with shirtpockets? Not that they'd necessarily make dresses for women, but it shows the point: you don't get a lot of pockets on dresses. And yet, somehow, womens clothing is often more expensive.

        Actually when i come to think of it, the less women clothing has of anything, the more expensive it becomes. Which is quite contradicitive to the "it has raw material which cost us..." theory.Pretty funny
    • only if you're puny to begin with har har! /joke.

      seriously though, the jacket looks good. lots of pockets. i hate jackets that don't use the inside well enough(just sewing some pockets there costs next to nothing anyways and really helps around.. most of the time they seem like they're meant for a cig pack or something only)..

      women have purses that they use for _everything_, and carrry around to _everywhere_...
      • women have purses that they use for _everything_, and carrry around to _everywhere_...

        Not by choice.

        I have one small purse. In it I carry my money, my ID, and a leatherman. (I'm a geek. I can't help it--a leatherman is just so useful.) If blankety blank women's clothing designers would put POCKETS in their clothing, I'd go completely purseless. It's a pain to have to always keep track of where my purse is and it interferes when carrying other items.

        I'd love to see more practical, decently professio
        • well, my apologies.

          but i know women who use clothes with pockets(about the same amount of pocketability as my levi's have, enough for a cellphone, wallet and such).. and carry the purse around, and seem to do so by choice most of the time(because they for one reason or another need, or think they need, a crapload of stuff).

          (briefcases don't really compare.. you wouldn't carry one to a bar for example.. not that i carry one anywhere though)
          • hell, if not for the social faux pa I'd wear a purse with me. It gets annoying having a cell phone in one pocket, my big ring of keys in another, my pda somewhere else (actually I don't even take it with me because it's so hard to find a place for it)... the list goes on and on.
    • Re:Weight (Score:2, Interesting)

      I have one of these, and the weight is actually barely noticable while you're wearing it. They did something with the shoulders that distributes the weight a bit like a backpack would.
    • Unlike men's clothing designers, who have largely ignored the need to tote around technology (leading to a market for TEC products), handbag designers have responded quite rapidly to the need to tote around massive quantities of technology.

      Most handbags sold today have specific compartments for phones, PDAs, pens, etc. About six years ago, before I went to college, I worked selling handbags at a big name department store, and even then, there were quite a few bags with specific cell phone pockets, because
      • Men carry backpacks, briefcases or messenger bags. A purse or something similar seeks a niche that I, and I suspect most men, don't need filled. If the gear is small -- wallet, keys and a cell phone -- it goes in the pocket. For anything larger, like a laptop, I'd rather have one of the bags mentioned. I think they're more practical than a purse.
    • It's quite handy.

      I have 2 microphones in the croakies on my glasses, the thin wire runs down my shirt to the minidisc recorder or portable DAT recorder in my kakis pants pockets. I love the E pants, you can not tell the items are there.

      this way I can get a great stereo recording at any concert or bar event I go to.

      I love violating copyrights!
  • Wait a second (Score:5, Insightful)

    by gustgr ( 695173 ) <gustgr@gma[ ]com ['il.' in gap]> on Sunday October 31, 2004 @01:20PM (#10679499)
    it becomes apparent that you no longer need to sacrifice your gadgets for style

    Since when do the nerds/geeks worry about clothing style?
    • > when do the nerds/geeks worry about clothing style?

      When picking up chicks, of course. Uh... On the internet.
      • I guess you just understood the entire point of life ;) It works a whole lot better in bars than on the net...

        I just wear cargo pants and can fit about all I need in them and still have a few pockets available. I just don't carry magazines with me all the time. Still, those clothings look quite good if your boss doesn't accept punk-style clothings.

    • Re:Wait a second (Score:1, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Since when do the nerds/geeks worry about clothing style?

      Some of us have real jobs, and make real money.
      • real geeks spend all that real money from their real jobs on other real technology and wear only vendor and logo wear to work and have a huge collection of 'collector items' of companies that no longer exist.
    • Since puberty.
    • Since when do the nerds/geeks worry about clothing style?

      Since some of us want to have more than a plutonic relationship with a living breathing female human.
    • Since when do the nerds/geeks worry about clothing style?

      If someone thinks an over-priced anorak and a pair of escaped-from-the-70s slacks, which would get you thrown out of a baked bean can barcode collectors convention for being embarassingly nerdy, will give them style, they are probably safe from any need to worry.

      It's not even good nerd-fodder, wires are SO 20th century!

  • Oakley sunglasses (Score:4, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 31, 2004 @01:20PM (#10679501)
    even oakley are getting in on the act...

    http://www.oakley.com/catalog/eyewear/thump/

    a very nice pair of shades, with a built in mp3 player.
  • Isn't it amazing how technology simplifies our lives?
    • by Aloekak ( 172669 ) on Sunday October 31, 2004 @01:44PM (#10679632) Homepage
      From the story: "The clothing includes an integrated tunnel system which allows you to hide all the wires affiliated with your devices within the lining of the item..."

      Quote: Isn't it amazing how technology simplifies our lives?

      Oh, I can certainly see how this would simplify my life. Picture this:
      1. Get Vest, Kahkis, Backpack.
      2. Hide mp3 player, digital camera connected to laptop in backpack, etc.
      3. Run wires for headphones and other gadgets.
      4. Go board plane.
  • by atomic-penguin ( 100835 ) <wolfe21@@@marshall...edu> on Sunday October 31, 2004 @01:26PM (#10679531) Homepage Journal
    "Is that an iPod in your pants or are you just happy to see me?"
  • by FiReaNGeL ( 312636 ) <`moc.liamtoh' `ta' `l3gnaerif'> on Sunday October 31, 2004 @01:26PM (#10679533) Homepage
    For that price, I can buy a nice trenchcoat (personal style, they don't have it) and sew interior black pockets for almost nothing. Customizable, killer look. But I agree that its a cool vest, if it fits your style.

    The best part from their product description :

    "you can even fit a laptop in the back pocket!*"

    Hmmm... what about no? Greatest Idea Ever(tm).
  • A primitive solution (Score:4, Interesting)

    by InternationalCow ( 681980 ) <[moc.cam] [ta] [lesneetsnaveciruam]> on Sunday October 31, 2004 @01:27PM (#10679536) Journal
    Come on, with modern fiber technology we could do better than that. We could at least have the wiring integrated into the fabric, so you could just plug in all of your gadgets in a few handy sockets sewn into the pockets. And while we're at it, why no Bluetooth and 802.11 b/g integrated? It could even be washable. After all, clothing such as that is already being prototyped (here [wearable-electronics.de]). I don't think that there is a market for the stuff that is being plugged here. I myself am decked out with electronics every day and I would only exchange my current solution (belt clips and doctor's smock with lots of pockets) for true wearable electronics.
    • It may be possible, but has it been achieved outside a lab yet? A prototype is often an experimental model to see if it will work right and to test market interest. There is the practicality aspect, like whether it works, is reasonably affordable to the target market and whether it is reliable.

      The link you gave is partly for a concept design only introduced a couple months ago, I think it is too much to expect it to be available to a retailer in the next year, never mind in several months or now. There
  • by Anonymous Cowdog ( 154277 ) on Sunday October 31, 2004 @01:27PM (#10679538) Journal
    I'm looking forward to the day when these kind of personal area networks forward packets for each other in a store-and-forward system. Send email from here to there, bouncing off the jackets of a bunch of geeks you don't know. The packets are stored until a node one step closer to the destination is detected, then they are forwarded.
    • When would those geeks (including me) be outside walking around to forward packets?

      Oh nevermind, I forgot a Computer Show is coming in early November :) /me burns Karma on that one
    • Sounds like a great idea, but how do you know if someone is closer? Regular email servers don't move around - so they know where all the other servers are. That's not the same with people...
      • Same principles as cell phones or community wireless.

        If everybody is a store-and-forward wireless node, obviously this works.

        Can you imagine the hacking fun?

        "Oooh, look at that blonde babe over there - I'll hack into her email server and change all the headers to porno invites!"

        • I would imagine some decent encryption(public key?) would be required.

          I would like to see a ipod-sized wifi/bluetooth 'router'... It plugs in or creates a PAN(personal area network) of all your stuff, but also acts as a router for when you want to email someone from your pda, your pda(default gateway/aceess points) knows to send email to your wifi box, that then does the encryption and auto-discovery of other wifi boxes, access points, etc.

          Each wifi box would carry packets for a set ammount of time, say,
    • But which pocket is for the packets?
    • Do you really want that many geeks reading your email?
    • It would be pretty slow, why not just use mobile phones to either send text messages or connect to the internet?
    • Hey, nice to see other people thinking about similar things! Only here on /. :)

      My idea I am pondering about is that many people get a store-and-forwarder box (the size of a cellular phone maybe), which has a
      - a message entry pad
      - a small LC display

      and contains

      - an infrared sending diode and
      - a receiver for IR remotes (TSOP17xx - really cheap ~50ct).
      - And a standard, low cost 8 bit uC (ATMega or similar) plus
      - additional SRAM (for storing and forwarding messages)

      The network links would be very slow (a fe
  • by WarPresident ( 754535 ) on Sunday October 31, 2004 @01:28PM (#10679544) Homepage Journal
    Or are you just a terrorist?

    If you're planning on flying, please, please, please don't be in front of me on line at the insecurity checkpoint with one of these chock full of gadgets.

    Looks neat, though.
    • As a matter of fact, i've travelled several times with my iPod in my jacket just like this. ( headphones out the coat hook loop, remote hanging down the sleve at fingertip access, and iPod in the pocket)

      No trouble at all.
    • Ah, but the advantage of a jacket or trenchcoat is you can take it off to run through the x-ray scanner, rather than having to fumble around and empty out pockets.
      • I've had one of the Scott eVest 2.0s for at least two years now. Last time I went to the Smithsonian (American History) they actually had me empty out the pockets after puting it on the belt. Must have taken me about 8 minutes unwireing the headphones and all.

        Don't count on security just scanning the thing and letting you through. Chances are that if you DO have a lot of stuff in it (PDA, headphones, etc), the xray is just going to make them more suspicious.
  • I've always had issues with too much things in my pockets;keys,ipod,palm,handphone,etc..

    wearing cargo all the time ain't cool either.
  • Really people, I love tech.. but this is pure tool box.
    • Scott eVest v3.....$129.99
      Scott ePants.......$129.99 (est.)
      Hardware to fill pockets... in the thousand$
      Getting padded down by the law enforcement agency .... Priceless.
  • POTUS! (Score:4, Funny)

    by blether ( 817276 ) on Sunday October 31, 2004 @01:29PM (#10679552)

    From the site:

    Rumor has it that the POTUS himself spotted one of these garments on a Secret Service Agent and insisted on one of his own - complete with a presidential seal.

    That says all you need to know.

    • From the site:

      Rumor has it that the POTUS himself spotted one of these garments on a Secret Service Agent and insisted on one of his own - complete with a presidential seal.

      My BS meter went off on that one. The Secret Service isn't likely to allow "non-issue" gear with all of the other stuff they gotta be concerned with, like where to stow the Uzi and still look non-chalant... Take note... in contrast to his predecessor, this prez is rarely, if ever, seen wearing the presidential seal on his clothing.

    • Re:POTUS! (Score:3, Informative)

      by Rescate ( 688702 )
      I don't believe it either--if he really had one of these jackets, he could have run the wires better than this. [motherjones.com]
  • All of these can fit into your pocket, but I don't even see why you need all of that. But I don't have an IPod and I guess I never take any equipment like this with me, a camera maybe sometimes. A small cell phone on the other hand is always with me and the wallet too. Rather than that... what, a key chain?

    Maybe the pockets in the clothing are not good enough, maybe pockets in our bodies can be looked at (no matter how discussting that sounds :/ Go go gadget photocamera - and it comes out of your head
  • FBI Pants (Score:2, Informative)

    by Nikkos ( 544004 )
    For those looking for good quality and style, do a search for 5.11 FBI pants on Google.

    They're a cross between normal kahkis and cargo pants, and they are very comfortable to wear.
  • by Anonymous Coward
    I wonder if the rate of cancer in geeks and nerds will go up drastically as the result of all the radiation that these gadgets give off.. especially when carrying so many so close to the body at all times..
  • So when a tech guy gets laid off from the IT dept after being outsourced to India and is begging for money on the street, is his Personal Area Network - handling legal?
  • by Timesprout ( 579035 ) on Sunday October 31, 2004 @01:33PM (#10679572)
    Your mobile ?

    Your Sat phone?

    Your PDA?

    Your iPod?

    Your USB key fob?


    Oh... so you _are_ happy to see me then
  • by MsGeek ( 162936 ) on Sunday October 31, 2004 @01:44PM (#10679630) Homepage Journal
    Mine has a "night camo" (various shades of blue+black) pattern, but otherwise it's just like this:

    http://www.greatoutdoorsdepot.com/apparel-vest-saf ari-black.html [greatoutdoorsdepot.com]

    Mine was also cheaper because I got it from my local Army/Navy Surplus store rather than from an overpriced online vendor.

    Wearing one of these spares me the need to bring along a purse or a fannypack or backpack or whatever. I wouldn't trust a laptop to the back pocket, but I certainly trust everything else I haul around to this kind of vest.

    The only thing is that people ask me for press credentials a lot when I wear it...
  • by boringgit ( 721801 ) on Sunday October 31, 2004 @01:55PM (#10679695) Homepage
    Imagine the scene - you have been out avter work for a few drinks, met up with a lovely lady (guy - whatever your taste). Things are going well, you are back at her place...

    Passions are rising, you are ripping off each others clothes, then you realise that she is just about to hurl your trousers (pants), containing a months paycheck worth of kit across the room.

    I have as many gadgets as the next geek, but by putting them in a bag I get to rip of my clothes with wanton abandon! (not that I get the chance as often as I would like!)
  • by Anonymous Coward
    Appearantly President Bush is one of the first ones to wear and advocate such a suit:

    http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/10/29/bul ge /
  • ... is a network in my, *ahem*, "Personal Area".
  • The classic leather motorcycle jacket has always worked for me, cell in either side pocket, pager in lower front outside pocket, and a PDA in the inside pocket.

    Plus it looks indimidating, though I would like something a little more low key sometimes.
  • Now all we need is something to convert the kinetic energy we generate by walking into electricity so we can charge on the go. Instead of air pockets in our shoes, why not little springs and generators?

    Oh wait, nerds don't walk anywhere except to the snack machine. Well, I guess that's good enough because they probably have docking stations for all their goodies at any place they plan to be stationed for more than 8 hours.
  • by throughthewire ( 675776 ) on Sunday October 31, 2004 @02:17PM (#10679792) Homepage
    One of my friends posted a link to a review of Koyono's BlackCoat-T [pocketnow.com] in her blog [blogspot.com] this morning. $29 or 5 for $125.

    Personally, the older I get, the less crap I want to carry around with me - much less on me. I stopped wearing a watch years ago. One really good, small PDA/cell phone is all I want or need - and I don't want to have to work to dig the thing out from some hidden pocket.

  • by ShatteredDream ( 636520 ) on Sunday October 31, 2004 @02:26PM (#10679853) Homepage
    You could just wear cargo pants. Plenty of pockets for your gadgets and a good pair costs no more than $20.
    • The problem with wearing cargo pants all the time is that you have to eventually take htem off and wash them. That, and when a person sits down, it's often that part of the cargo pant pocket gets 'under' the leg, and you can potentially crack/bend anything in those pockets. That, and when walking/running anything hefty in a pocket sends to bang about in a fairly uncomfortable manner.

      Don't get me wrong: cargo pants rock. They're just not practical for gadgets.
  • by JakiChan ( 141719 ) on Sunday October 31, 2004 @02:43PM (#10679947)
    That's hardly a new term, since that's also used in describing Bluetooth networks (i.e. your phone, PDA, and headset all talking wirelessly). And personally, I like the idea of this stuff all talking wirelessly anyway.

    However, given how fat I am, my Personal Area Network is probably a Wide Area Network....
  • You can put your weed in there.
  • by mr. methane ( 593577 ) on Sunday October 31, 2004 @03:16PM (#10680143) Journal
    .... Broadcast Enabled Digital Personal Area Network.
  • by xtal ( 49134 ) on Sunday October 31, 2004 @04:06PM (#10680379)
    I hate having stuff in my pockets. It seems to be a function of age, but I really loathe having my pants and jacket looking weighed down. I want to have my jacket modified so it has some combat-style webbing hidden in it; this is how you can carry a lot of things without weighing down the coat itself. That stops you and the coat from looking stupid. The tailoring might run you a few dollars though.

    However, long time ago I realized the best solution is to trust in the almighty batbelt. The trick is just to keep the batman factor as low as possible. A nice coat will cover everything. I have a backpack for the rest.
  • by Tino ( 1418 )
    I could use a jacket with pockets better suited to what I'm going to put in them, but this thing -- in all its versions -- is just too ugly for me to wear.

    I'd like to see the pockets and 'personal network' features in a jacket that doesn't look so high-tech and awful. The whole point of getting all that garbage off your belt and eliminating the pocket-bulges is to look like less of a goober, after all.
  • I don't know about you guys but I need help down there. That's why I and Kenny Loggins stuff our pants.

    Now, with this integrated tunnel system, the next time I go out I can stuff a very long one and it'll snake all around me.

    Wait til they get a load of me now!

    m

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