Your Lapel Is Ringing

June 22, 2004 | Source: Business Week

Wrist-watch phones, minute handsets woven into clothes, and more are already on sale in Asia. Expect to see them in the U.S. over the next 12 months.

You’ll see cell phones that are cleverly disguised in watches, bracelets, jacket lapels, backpacks — any imaginable place that will make gabbing a fashion statement.

NTT DoCoMo is developing a technology called FingerWhisper that uses a hand’s bone structure. When a call arrives, the phone sends vibrations through the bones in the index finger. When the finger is slipped into the ear canal, those vibrations turn into voice. The technology also would allow users to dial phone numbers or send text messages by tapping their palms in certain ways.