Levi's has created another smart jacket powered by Google's latest Jacquard tech and this time it wants both men and women to slip on the connected gear.
The new Commuter Jacket now comes with or without a sherpa lining with pricing starting at and that extra lining setting you back . Like the first jacket though, you'll only be able to wash it ten times.
In terms of that Jacquard hardware, Google has now managed to shrink the battery-powered tag that gives the jacket its smart powers to more than half the size of the original tag.
That discreetly hidden away tag works in tandem with the interactive yarn Google and Levi's has integrated into the sleeve to create touch and gesture sensitive areas.
That then allows wearers to control their smartphone and connect to a variety of services as well as accessing features like music control or Google Maps for navigation. Additional features now include the ability to check your diary or the weather.
Like its predecessor, you can expect to be able to use similar gestures to dismiss phone calls by swiping over the sleeve, control messages, double tap to get directions, swipe up to see nearby places and swipe down to change music playing from your phone. It will also be able to read out your messages aloud, either through your paired headphones or the phone's own speaker.
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New gestures now support the ability to take a picture with your paired phone with the sleeve tag blinking and vibrating to indicate that the camera has been activated. A new alert system when you leave your phone behind is also being added.
Levi's first Commuter Jacket launched in 2017
Google and Levi's unveiled its first smart jacket collaboration in 2017, two years after the smart clothing tech was unveiled to the world in 2015. When we put it to the test, we gave the $350 jacket a 3 out of 5 score as the gorgeous gear left us wanting it to do more.
Since then, Google has rolled out updates to enhance's the capabilities of Levi's jacket adding Find Your Phone and flashlight features. The latest Jacquard tech also more recently found its way into a pricey Yves Saint Laurent backpack.
It seems that some of the new features to roll out with the second generation Commuter Jacket will also come to the first gen jacket too. Though it's not clear which features those will be.
We don't know the precise launch date for Levi's second Commuter Jacket, but we will update this story once we know more.
Via: Wired
How we test
By Michael Sawh
Michael Sawh has been covering the wearable tech industry since the very first Fitbit landed back in 2011. Previously the resident wearable tech expert at Trusted Reviews, he also marshaled the features section of T3.com.
He also regularly contributed to T3 magazine when they needed someone to talk about fitness trackers, running watches, headphones, tablets, and phones.
Michael writes for GQ, Wired, Coach Mag, Metro, MSN, BBC Focus, Stuff, TechRadar and has made several appearances on the BBC Travel Show to talk all things tech.
Michael is a lover of all things sports and fitness-tech related, clocking up over 15 marathons and has put in serious hours in the pool all in the name of testing every fitness wearable going. Expect to see him with a minimum of two wearables at any given time.