The following is an excerpt from a report titled "5 Technologies to Watch" published by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).

Fashion apparel lines are being re-examined with technology in mind. Because pockets were becoming too bulky with wallets, keys, handheld organizers and phones all vying for the same space, many clothing brands are creating pants with numerous pockets with hidden space for computerized date books, cell phones, and pagers. Dockers’ newest Mobile Pant is called a "communication storage device" with three concealed pockets to hide gadgets. Dockers says that the lower pockets can be unzipped in .15 seconds for quick access to important cell phone calls.

"You’ll be surprised how much RAM you’ll have in your pants," touts the company fliers with a price tag of $52. Other companies are developing their own lines of pants, jewelry, and wearable computers to tap into the trend. Lee jeans has its own mobile clothing line. Swiss Army Brands is rolling out urban technical wear that has room for both a pocketknife and cell phone. And Jansport’s school backpacks have added pockets for cell phones and other gadgets.

Not to be left out, Palm Inc. teamed with Sanyo Fashion House to create Palm-ready raincoats, with a special pocket big enough to hold a personal digital assistant (PDA). Prices range from $185 to $695. The fall 2001 collection for men and women featured a Palm logo button securing the pocket.

Talk

Snowden McFall, in her book Fired Up!, talks about how to succeed by making your dreams come true.

"Where do you begin?

"Have you ever known anyone with enthusiasm and a sincere desire to change, but who didn’t know where to begin or even what their dream might be? This is quite common. Many people have little or no idea how to best use their talents. They don’t know how they can make their rough ideas take shape and become something much bigger. While many people have interest, commitment, and curiosity, they often need to gain clarity about what they really want. So where do you start? It’s really very simple. Start with what you enjoy doing in your life.

"The people who are happiest in their lives, who are consistently successful and "Fired Up!" about their lives, regularly schedule what they love to do into every day, every week, or every month depending on the activity. They manifest their dreams by regularly focusing on them and taking action to support them."

McFall, S. (1998).Fired up!. Nashua, NH: North Bridge Press.

Published: May 6, 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.