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[MUSIC PLAYING]

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- It's been almost
three years since Google

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and Levi's first announced
their smart jacket,

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back at the height of the
tech industry's obsession

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with wearables.

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The Levi's Commuter Trucker
Jacket with Google's Jacquard

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had a refreshingly
simple premise.

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It's a garment targeted at
cyclists-- or, you know,

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jean jacket wearers--

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who can shell out
$350 to avoid having

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to repeatedly whip out their
phone during their commute.

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It has touch-sensitive
fibers woven into the cuff

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so you can swipe or tap on your
wrist to carry out quick tasks.

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Jacquard's not here to track
your fitness or run your life.

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It just wants to make
your commute a bit easier.

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Because of that,
the first iteration

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focused on a relatively
narrow set of applications.

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You could tap or
swipe on the left

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cuff to control your music,
have your incoming messages

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read out to you, or find out
where to make your next turn.

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A Bluetooth dongle tucked
away in the sleeve talks

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to your phone to
make all this happen.

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Since launching
Jacquard, Google's

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added some small updates,
letting you find your phone

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or make the Bluetooth
dongle light up--

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but nothing super exciting.

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Now, it's finally getting
an update that brings

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a few more useful features.

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You can bookmark places you
pass in the Jacquard app

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and get alerts when your
Lyft or Uber are arriving.

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If you own a pair of Bose
QuietComfort 30 or 35

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headphones, you
can use your jacket

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to toggle noise cancellation.

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These aren't
groundbreaking changes,

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but they are useful
in specific scenarios.

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I definitely
appreciate it knowing

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when my ride was
arriving without having

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to stare at my phone.

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The jacket vibrated when my
taxi was on the same block,

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giving me ample
time to go outside.

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I set my sleeves to
bookmark my location

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when I brushed outwards from
my wrist towards my fingers.

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And what about saving
places, like sample

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sale pop-ups and restaurants
I wanted to check out?

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For people who like
exploring their cities,

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this is also a useful addition.

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The new updates work, as do
the other existing features,

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as long as your jacket
remains linked to your phone.

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But the connection between
the Bluetooth tag and my Pixel

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2 frequently dropped out,
rendering the garment useless.

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- Unable to determine
your location.

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- When the jacket does
perform as it's supposed to,

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though, it almost
feels like magic.

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I really appreciate the
convenience it adds.

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The battery life on
the Bluetooth tag

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is a respectable two days,
and it's so unintrusive

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that I often forget it's there.

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At $350, though, the
Commuter Jacket isn't cheap,

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and it's about twice the
price of the dumb garment

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it's based on.

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But it's a high-quality,
durable piece

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of clothing that's stylish
enough to match most outfits.

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For now, it has a
limited audience,

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but the Jacquard platform
holds plenty of promise,

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especially as Google
continues, bit by bit,

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to explore ways to
make it truly useful.

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