The Burton Bluetooth Jacket: Wearable Tech by Burton and Motorola

When the 2005-06 snow-ready fashion hits the shelves, I predict the first product to fly off them will be Burton's latest wearable tech, a $499 Bluetooth-enabled snowboard jacket they developed with Motorola.

The coat, a techier version of Burton's 2004 iPod jacket, comes complete with a control panel at the wrist (green button to answer, red to hang up), caller ID and headphones in the hood. Drop your iPod into a wired top pocket, your cell into a Bluetooth pocket and control both from your sleeve.

Wanna rock out while chatting with your cross-country bros on the chairlift or keep your digits toasty in their mittens while scrolling through your Black-Runs-Only playlist? Done.

But should you really be doing either? I'm not so sure.

Necessity is the mother of invention.

But I don't see the necessity of having caller ID on your jacket sleeve.

The cool factor, I see. And aren't mothers supposed to be the sensible ones?

I think it's more likely the fathers of invention are dreaming up this my-jacket-can-beat -up-your-jacket line of outerwear.

Avalanche beacon in the sleeve ... iPod in the top pocket ... cell in the left ... camera ... digi-vid ... any room for the snowboarder in there?