Geekspeak: August 13, 2001

Here at eWeek Labs, we are constantly on the lookout for products that will be of value to IT workers. With that in mind, what in the heck are we doing reviewing a pair of pants?

What indeed! Well, um, these arent just any pants; theyre the new Dockers Mobile Pants. Although cargo pants may be the height of geek chic to some, others prefer to stick with traditional khaki business pants. But if youre carrying a cell phone, PDA, MP3 player and extra batteries, regular pants wont cut it.

Trying to solve this problem, the $52 Dockers Mobile Pants include three hidden pockets, one inside the front right pants pocket and two on the outside seams. All the pockets are large and mesh-covered.

In tests, the side pockets in the seam turned out to be surprisingly comfortable for carrying a PDA, as the device stayed to the side of my leg and didnt impede movement. But dont expect to pass unnoticed. The bulges from the devices were clearly evident, so people can tell you have a PDA in your pocket.