I can’t recall how many times mobile phones and mp3 players have slipped out of the front pocket of my shirt.  Always ending with that cringe inducing thud as my precious device hits the cold hard ground.  There was even one incident involving a turtle pond and now-gone iPod Classic that I can’t bear to go into.

If someone was videotaping all these moments in my life it would have made an excellent opening to a commercial for K-Pocke (pronounced like pokemon), a pocket designed so that nothing slips out.

The patented function of K-Pocke seems simple enough. It’s a double layered pocket that allows you to slip items (especially smartphones) in through the slits on the side.  Once inserted the items are trapped inside the pockets they won’t come out not matter how much shaking or bending over you do – that didn’t sound right.

There’s also an “outer pocket” accessible through the top if you like doing things the old-fashioned way, but beware of slippage.

When you want to remove your items you just pinch it out through the bottom as easy as popping out a button. It’s a fantastic concept that fixes a fundamental problem of daily life.  Even with button shirts mobile phones and other items can still find their way out sometimes.

There appears to be one flaw with K-Pocke, however.  Whoever designed the colors and patterns seems to be legally blind.  I don’t claim to be a paragon of fashion but even my highly primitive sense of color is hurt by these designs.

Probably the key to K-Pocke’s future is some more reasonable combinations than what they have available now.  But the K-Pocke Shop has only been open since 14 June.  Perhaps with a wider variety of colors they can avoid the fate of the pocket protector: highly useful but socially debilitating.

Source: K-Pocke via IT Media (Japanese)

Watch the K-Pocke in action.

An example of a K-Pocke polo shirt available from the K-Pocke store.

This is probably their most subtle design at the moment.