Levi's RedWire DLX Jeans

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By Edvarcl Heng, CNET Asia
Sep 17, 2006

From underwear to panties, iPod apparel has been vastly popular. So much so, there're even togs for the iPod to cloak itself with. So trust Levi's to join the iPod bandwagon with its own clickable denim. It's the perfect amalgam of cult brands, Levi's and iPod--casual chic paired with geeky glam.

Design
The Levi's RedWire DLX Jeans is essentially a dock plus remote control for the iPod. The big draw here is that you can wear it. Now we are no fashion clotheshorses here at CNET Asia. We like to carry our tech, not don it.

	Fitting good.

But the DLX did strike a chord with us. We rather think Steve Jobs pairs Levi's with his trademark black turtleneck sweater (that's a geek thing). The material is rather like a pair of Levi's 523s. Tough and with a yielding woven pattern. In affirmation of the MP3 player it carries, the DLX's detailing are colored a classic iPod white; from rivets to the button-fly and right down to the use of white embroidered threads.

But that's all part of the cosmetic trimmings. The real piece de resistance here is the white rubber click wheel affixed on the DLX's watch pocket. It's the central control nub for the iPod while it's resting in an inner pocket.

But unlike the iPod's Click Wheel, the Levi's version does not have a touch sensor. The nub that protrudes out from the middle is a five-way joystick; up/down for volume, left/right for track skipping and clicking it dead center pauses the track or if the iPod is off, it also turns it on.

	The nub we'd all love to pinch.

The control nub was intuitive. It was hardy and seemed durable, even after our rather rough handling. The rubber surface of the click wheel does attract a fair bit of fluff and its whiteness makes it all the more obvious.

The earphone jack is situated behind the watch pocket which is detachable when the DLX is in need of a wash.

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