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Google and Samsonites smart backpack is a better use of Jacquard

The idea of a smart jacket that would help you interact with your phone while you biked to work actually seemed kinda clever.

It was interesting to see the Jacquard tech incorporated into something other than a jacket, even if it cost too much for most people.

Unlike on the YSL backpack, where the threads camouflage into the strap, the Samsonite versions white stripes contrast against the black background.

To connect the backpack to your phone, youll have to slot a thumb-sized dongle into the strap, just like you would with the jacket.

While it was slightly unwieldy on the sleeves cuff, this module sits unobtrusively near the bottom of the backpacks strap.

There arent any new tools available on the Jacquard platform -- you can still only do things like skip or pause your music, ask Assistant a question or drop pins to remember places youve been.

Backpacks are also slightly more versatile than jackets -- whether its 100 degrees or 10, you can always carry a backpack.

One thing the jacket does better, though, is that when the modules LED lights up in a specific color, its easier to see on the sleeve than on the backpacks strap.

It would be more useful if Jacquard offered more skills, especially since its easier to interact with the backpack strap than the tiny face of a wearable.

Original article