Lots of people seem underwhelmed by the new mini iPod, believing it to be over-priced and under-Giged ('only' 4GB of storage), are can't understand why it is only $50 less than the 15GB iPod. I think they are missing the point - I believe the miniPod is one of the first instances of technology becoming jewelry. One just has to look at the colour choices to surmise that it is aimed at the fashion-conscious, and (at the risk of gender stereotyping) at the ladeez. Wearable technology is going to go mainstream this year, perhaps the most obvious example being the ever-smaller and prettier bluetooth headsets. Apparently in PR circles this is a hot prediction and the buzzphrase 'techstyle' has been coined by someone.
Small, hi-tech gadgets have always been somewhat jewel-like - I remember inspecting the insides of my first MiniDisc player (back before portable music machines were hermetically sealed...) and goggling at the Faberge-Egg like complexity of the internal components. I imagine that if you showed an iPod to an Egyptian Pharaoh he would have swapped most of his treasures for it. Gadgets are now getting small enough that they are morphing into 'accessories' more than ever before.
I haven't checked, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that there are already USB storage earrings and pendants. If not, I'm going to design some...
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