Interest piece in how technology is encroaching ever tighter into personal lives.

Clothes that track your every move could fill Apple fanbois' wardrobes after the fruity tech titan patented new wearable technology. The designs, approved yesterday, describe "smart garments" with embedded sensors and a two-way communications link to an external database.

Based on the existing Nike+ iPod trainers, the new patent extends the idea beyond running shoes. Ski-boots, shirts and trousers were cited as potential pickings for sensor. The patent also includes descriptions of potential new functions which go far beyond what is currently available on the Nike+ range.

The patented sensors would track "garment usage" and "detect wear patterns":

[theregister.co.uk...]
We may not need a smartphone to access information, maybe just our pants or a Maxwell Smart shoe phone (138 episodes, 1965-1970).