Fibretronic made a blazing start into the 2008 Wearable Electronic year with the introduction of the CONNECTED-wear program.
The uniqueness of this new system from Fibretronic is the separation of the textile component, the keypad that goes into clothing and fashion accessories, from the control electronics, the small box that is talking to the iPod, cellphone or audio player in your pocket or bag.
The consumer activates his/her garment or bag according the needs by purchasing an electronic module from the CONNECTED-wear product range which will be available from selected retailers and online.
Initially the CONNECTED-wear modules will be available for iPod, MP3 player and music phones.
The flexibility of selecting after the purchase of a garment or bag the product compatibility comes from the standardized system of the CONNECTED-wear range. Such a standardized systems allows the mix and match of modules and clothing as well as the addition of new functions as they are developed for future products and make so your clothing or bag purchase compatible with future generations of personal electronic devices.
The benefits of CONNECTED-wear are huge:
- Low entry costs for apparel manufacturers allowing them to integrate the controls in a wide range of garments and soft goods.
- The customer decides which electronic module he/she wants to work with the CONNECTED-wear garment.
- The electronic modules can be transferred between CONNECTED-wear enabled garments.
Soon we will find hand-tags on clothing and bags informing us about the CONNECTED-wear readiness of the product that adds interactivity to our fashion.
My article about the outlook of Wearable Electronic in 2008 is not even 24 hours online but with this announcement from Fibretronic I feel confident that my expectation of meeting and exceeding the VDC forecast for 2008 is well in reach thanks to new concepts like the CONNECTED-wear system.
