German clothing manufacturer rosner and Infineon Technologies AG recently presented a jointly developed product: a
men's jacket called "MP3blue" that features built-in functions such as mobile telephony via Bluetooth and an MP3 player.
The electronics are an integral part of the clothing. The electronic features are controlled by a textile keyboard
incorporated on the sleeve. This new product for technologically progressive, fashion-conscious men can be ordered
via the Internet at www.mp3blue.de.
"The mp3blue is the world's first lifestyle jacket that implements the concept of complete integration of electronic
functions," said Dieter May, responsible for Strategy and Emerging Business at Infineon. "Our novel wearable
electronics concept gains momentum and we are looking forward to develop further clothes with integrated
electronics solutions."
Since the clothing company rosner GmbH & Co. was founded in 1967, its collections have emphasized personal
style, quality and comfort. "The mp3blue jacket is the result of the work of our motivated and highly qualified teams,
aiming to be a pioneer for trends and new types of products," said Oliver Stollbrock, head of rosner's Wearable
Electronics department. "We have succeeded in bringing a product combining fashion, fun and functionality to market
maturity, building on Infineon's basic technology."
The official product presentation will take place during the CPD fashion fair in Düsseldorf, Germany. Electrically
conductive fabric is sewn unnoticeably into the mp3blue jacket, where they connect a compact electronics module to
a textile keyboard on the left sleeve, to the headphones and the microphone, which are integrated into the collar.
The module contains an MP3 player with 128MB of memory, a Bluetooth gateway to control a mobile phone and a
rechargeable battery that can supply power for up to 8 hours. As soon as the person wearing the jacket makes a
call, the stereo system automatically becomes a headset; the music is also automatically interrupted when calls come
in. When washing the jacket, one only has to take the electronic module out of its holder.
Studies performed by the Venture Development Corporation predict a global turnover of over 1 billion euros for the
year 2007 for the "intelligent textiles" market. The foundational technology developed by Infineon opens up new
markets and channels of distribution, which the company intends to expand significantly by leveraging its position
as a market leader.
