Cellular phone attire is nearly ready for the mass market if a recent design contest is any indication.

When Pelephone and Samsung got together to encourage fashion design students to combine cellular phones and other digital devices into their designs, they sponsored a special project for students at Shenkar College of Textile Technology and Fashion -- www.shenkar.ac.il.

The winners unveiled at Shenkar's annual fashion show included such innovations as a wearable digital phone set with screen and keyboard belts plus wearable antenna; cellular phone sets with push buttons incorporated into t-shirts; and modular fashions with cellular phones as part of the detachable clothing details. Other entries included a cellular phone for the deaf with a sign language screen and platform-soled shoes, with a telephone dialing system.

Established cell phone makers are combining cutting-edge style with digital handsets as well. Ericsson is developing sophisticated green and metallic wristband smart phones, which will use Bluetooth technology. Nokia has long been a trendsetter and the first to discover the secret that good design really matters when coupled with functionality. And finally, Candie's Inc. and Motorola Inc. have partnered to co-create accessories for Motorola mobile phones targeted at the Gen Y consumer. The Candie's/Motorola signature mobile phone accessories line will allow each user to personalize their phones. Hollywood, California-based Orang-Otang Computers recently won a patent on a mobile phone that you load up your sleeve and pop into your hand with an instant snap of the wrist. The company also has secured patents on devices that do the same with a digital audio recorder, a camera and a universal remote control.

Talk

With the constant stress involved with our lives, we too often make the wrong nutritional decisions that can contribute to increased health hazards. The next time you think about grabbing a Coke instead of a glass of water, consider these findings from a University of Washington study:

Water

1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.

2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.

3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%.

4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied.

5. Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.

7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.

8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

Are you drinking the amount of water you should every day?

Published: March 12, 2002

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Kathy Lamancusa is a trend strategis, professional speaker and author who tracks the forces that impact our lives. Over 1.6 million copies of Kathy's books are in print, and she has appeared on numerous television and radio shows including Oprah! She is a public speaker who can offer organizations entertaining and enlightening peeks into what is coming and what is shaping change so that they can better reach their own customer bases.