A Glimmer of Hope To The Problem

This is a serious problem. One either needs a better pocket or must remember to take it out of the pocket before sitting down. While it may appear the simplest and obvious solution, the preemptive take-out has many down-sides: 1) risk of forgetting to put it back in when standing up and leaving, 2) exposing the cell phone to risk of spillage and/or damage, and 3) becoming a distraction. Therefore, the preemptive take-out is clearly not adequate and work on a better solution is justified.

For now, let's make the assumption that all belt clips and european carry-on bags are either too ugly or bulky to be considered as viable solutions to this problem. While they may get the job done, each one carries a fashion stigma with it. Belt clips give the appearance of a gadget utility belt, especially when paired with cameras, additional cell phones, or music players. Man bags can make the owner appear unnecessarily cluttered, insecure or worst of all, feminine.

We could start evaluating the design of the pocket, but I think it is fundamental to first question the location of the pocket. Why does the pocket need to be below the waist? The answer is that nearly all men's pants come equipped with pockets, but only a subset of all shirts do. Clearly, the type of shirt a man wears is dependent on situation and personal style, and in combination with the awkwardness of belt clips and man bags, these issues of situation and personal style are clearly obstacles that must be confronted in any solution to the problem. For example:

- the blazer or jacket with an inside pocket is what I call the "best case scenario" solution. When the event and/or weather permit, the cell phone is hidden in a pocket above the waist. But you must have the best case scenario to implement it -- a man wearing a blazer does not sit on the ground indian-style nor does he wear it during the summer months or in warm climates.

- the shirt chest pocket is what I call the "best body scenario" solution. While not as stealth as an inside jacket pocket, chest pockets are easily accessible and, with a thin device, can be as subtle as carrying a pen in the pocket. The only drawback is that a cell phone (like a heavy ink pen) can make a baggy shirt pull away from the body, cause the pocket to sag, or in extreme conditions become lopsided about the neck. A fitted shirt is required such that the pocket is supported by the shoulders instead of the neck, and the chest is tight enough to keep the pocket taut. The downside is that not every man is fit enough to wear a fitted shirt.

- the shirt arm pocket is what I call the "remember the 50s" or "very rare shirt" solution. The cool kids wearing their white t-shirts and slicked back hair carried their smokes in their shirt sleeve. They rolled it up twice with the pack trapped in between. That could be done with a cell phone, at least with a short-sleeve shirt (that's one flaw). The other (and I've tried this) is that it is hard to ensure that the phone won't fall out during the bouncing of everyday life such as hurrying across the street or riding a horse. That's were a true pocket is needed on the arm instead of a make-shift one, and that is a very rare shirt, indeed.

With the above analysis, it becomes clear that there are situational solutions where pockets are already available and completely adequate (including others not discussed here such as the cargo pant pocket and the sweatshirt belly pocket). So the next questions to ask are: 1) for those many situations lacking a pocket solution, is there a common denominator, a common obstacle that prevents an obvious solution, and 2) when we define that, can we apply what we've learned to address that common obstacle and, hopefully, a widely used solution?

From Donald Desander, Boston, MA