The age of wearable tech is upon us, and its looking surprisingly hip. A far cry from the dorky looking Google Glass, a new piece of fashion tech is coming to market. Behold ‘M’ a smart trench coat from Motiif. The spiffy looking jacket combines a Wi-Fi hotspot and a smartphone charger into its waterproof design.
The M will utilize Karma’s pay-as-you-go network for a data connection, which piggybacks off of Sprint’s network. M owners will receive 1GB of free data per month for the first three months of ownership. After that, 1GB of data climbs to $14 per month. Sprint’s 4G LTE is still not available in as many markets as Verizon and AT&T, but works pretty well in urban areas where the jacket will more than likely be worn.
The charging pocket, which resides in the chest region will be optimized for the iPhone 4 and 4s, iPhone 5 and 5s and the Samsung Galaxy S3 and S4. Since the Galaxy S4 is a pretty big device, Android phones such as the HTC One and LG G2 should fit into the pocket as well. Motif promises wireless charging support for the charging pocket, which would require special cases for smartphones without wireless charging capabilities. And the coolest part? Once the M is out of juice, all you have to do is hang it on it’s hanger which sports wireless charging. Pretty sweet.
As for battery life, the M will provide up to six to eight hours of Wi-Fi use, and three or more smartphone charges, depending on the model.
Pricing for the M is yet to be announced, but we can expect to see the price float around $300 or $400. The M is still in development, and is expected to launch in February 2014.
Motif is readying an alpha tester program, which will select a few testers to wear the coat for a few weeks and give feedback to the design team. Sign ups for the alpha testing program are now open, so head to Motiif’s website to sign up for the program.
[Via: Laptop Mag]