Remember when wearable computers were all the rage? Well, we’ve come far from the days of geeky head-mounted displays and backpacks stuffed with electronics. Killa is a Vancouver-based interactive apparel firm that specializes in turning the common into wearable consumer electronics. In 2008, for instance, the company introduced a line of coats, including a pea coat, that had iPod controls sew into the sleeve. Now Killa is remaking the ordinary World War II satchel.
The bags, the first in the Killa Vintage series, are actual World War II items from Germany – with a bit of updating. Touch pad controls connect to your iPod via Bluetooth. Also, the bags include a solar panel from Germany’s Solarc. Along with a unique upgrade of 50 year military gear is how and where the solar iPod bags can be purchased. First, sales are limited to 20 per year and only to buyers able to visit Killa’s Vancouver store.
Now solar backpacks for iPods aren’t new – a number of companies offer them, including O’Neill Europe, Voltaic Systems and others.
