October 27, 2006 If you were hankering for one of those iPod-infused jackets but they didn’t have anything in a suitable style to begin with, things are looking up, as the Kenpo Jacket for iPod range has just added 15 new styles and more than a dozen colors including bubble jackets (some with fur-lined hoods), sleek sprinter’s jackets, snowboarding jackets and windbreakers. From snowboarding to a night on the town, wearers can pause, skip tracks and adjust volume, without fumbling with awkward zippers and gloves, or hard to get to pockets, all the while leaving one’s iPod tucked away in the jacket's inner padded pouch. There's also a new locking feature that prevents the settings from being changed due to accidental bumping.
Allowing iPod-users to wear their music on their sleeve, Kenpo's technology enabled line of jackets employs ElekTex patented "smart fabric" touch pad technology to transform the sleeve into a 5-button electronic control panel for use with all iPod models (expect for the iPod Shuffle). The discreetly placed 100% fabric interface utilizes touch-sensitive buttons that are identical to those found on an iPod, meaning wearers can play, pause, track forward, track back, and change the volume levels without ever removing their iPod from the specially designed, padded interior pocket. Absent of any wires or a metal contact, the jacket is machine washable, completely self-powered and requires no batteries.
Kenpo's Jacket for iPod is available in 15 men's and women’s styles, has a suggested retail price range depending on style from US$89 to US$189.