Levi’s Project Jacquard Commuter Trucker Jacket has made a comeback and it’s unlike most fall clothing around. It’s a successor of the Commuter Trucker jacket that was released two years back with some welcome changes. With this piece of clothing, you can get a host of things done with a simple tap or swipe. This can especially be helpful for cyclists, who are the company’s main target.
To recap, Jacquard is Google’s digital technology for smart apparel, footwear, and other essentials. Using unique material, the search giant and its partners integrate connectivity into clothes and accessories.
In this instance, the sleeve of Levi’s jacket has Jacquard Threads which can respond to your touch gestures.
In addition to the special functional threads, the Commuter Trucker Jacket has a flexible and discreet Jacquard Tag. The tag can be wrapped around your wrist and features Bluetooth connectivity.
Using it, the jacket can communicate with the companion app on your phone. The tag is removable and can be juiced up via USB. When you get a notification, the sleeve vibrates and the tag lights up.
Get Things Done On The Fly With Simple Strokes And Taps
With Levi’s Project Jacquard jacket, you can dismiss calls, listen to text messages, and get directions without needing to take out your phone. Of course, there is only so much you can get done with the jacket.
You can assign up to five “Abilities” with the help of the Jacquard app that’s available on both Google Play and Apple’s App Store. For instance, you can toggle noise cancellation on your Bose headphones or control media. In all, nineteen abilities are available right now.
Compared to the first jacket which carried a $350 price tag, this one is a little more affordable. The standard one costs $198, while the Sherpa Jacket that’s better suited for colder environments will set you back $248. It will also apparently be more widely available than the first iteration.
Compared to the first Commuter Jacket, this one features two major improvements. Firstly, the whole sleeve is not made of the Jacquard threads. Instead, a Jacquard fabric weave has been inserted within a small area of the cuff of the left sleeve. Moreover, the threads are armed with improved algorithms. This way they are able to provide better protection against accidental touches while managing to be less stiff.
And of course, since fewer of the special threads are used, the manufacturing cost has come down. The other notable change is that the Bluetooth tag is smaller and fits into the cuff easily. Despite having a smaller footprint, it features improved battery life.
Levi’s Project Jacquard Jacket Doesn’t Seem To Offer Any Unique Utility
When the Trucker Jacket was first released, smartwatches weren’t commonplace. At that time, it probably failed to make a mark because of the high price. Now that the price has been slashed, the landscape has changed and cheaper wearables and hearables are available.
Thus, it remains to be seen if this jacket will be any more successful than its predecessor.
On the bright side, even with all that tech woven in, you can wash the jacket multiple times, per Google and Levi’s. Moreover, the dongle is not tethered to this specific jacket, it can also be used with other wearables. Levi’s also promises upgrades, which means consumers will get more bang for their bucks.