Jacket sorts portable devices

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The new Evolution Jacket from Scott-e-Vest ($150 at scottevest.com) is designed for people who have not discovered that a single mobile device can now take calls and pictures, and play music. The jacket has so many pockets (25), zippers, and Velcro, it should come with its own manual.

The Evolution lets you hide your gadgets here-and-there about your person, while keeping them near enough to your fingertips to shuffle tunes and find your camera in an instant. For someone like me, who is chronically disorganized (I have not seen my cellphone in two days), the Evolution might come as a relief.

The jacket uses Scott-e-Vest's "Personal Area Network" technology to keep your digital business in order. Don't get excited. That simply means the Evolution has a network of sewn-in eyelets and channels, so you can neatly thread all of your cables inside the jacket's zippers and magnetic clasps.

The Evolution, which has a removable hood and sleeves, has a certain "Members Only" look about it. Not that there's anything wrong with that. My wife, Lisa, might call it "dull, but functional." The Evolution has been keeping me warm during some of our recent, blustery weather. The jacket is supposed to be waterproof and breathable. But unless you unzip the jacket's sleeves a bit, and pull back the hood, you are in for one warm, and steamy, fall walk.

Baby boomer alert: The Evolution has magnetic clasps that close a strip of fabric over the front zipper. For that reason, Scott-e-Vest warns pacemaker users not to wear the jacket.

Mobile Phones

Classy, clever Tilt from AT&T has price advantage over Advantage

If you are comfortable pecking-out e-mail and SMS messages on a tiny keypad, and can function in a Windows Mobile world, consider making the AT&T Tilt your next mobile phone.

The Tilt, made by HTC, reminds me of another HTC handset, the Advantage, which I told you about last August. Like the Advantage, the Tilt is a Windows Mobile 6 device with a full QWERTY keypad, built-in WiFi and a 3-megapixel digital camera. At seven ounces, the Tilt weighs roughly six ounces less than the Advantage. And the Tilt's current price, $300 (with the requisite AT&T contracts), is less than half that of the Advantage.

Despite the Tilt's small screen, which you prop up like a kickstand, I found the text in the Windows menus, Word docs, and Web browsers easy to read.

Of course, when your screen is less than three inches across, you can only view so much text at a time.

The Tilt's backlit keypad has rounded, hard plastic keys that help limit errant keystrokes. But the keypad (as with others in the Tilt's class) is too wide for typing with your thumbs, and too narrow for typing with your fingertips, at least for more than a few minutes.

The Tilt supports a number of e-mail services. You can even use it to connect to your company's Blackberry e-mail servers.

The Tilt also makes a decent playmate for airport layovers and coffee breaks in hotel lobbies. (I am a sucker for Ms. Pac-Man, which you can download to the phone.) It also supports Bluetooth stereo, which makes watching YouTube videos more enjoyable.

Mobile Services

Door-to-door directions to your cell

Dial Directions (dialdirections.com) is an easy-to-use service that fires text directions to your mobile phone. It is also useless if you have a cold, or if you live in certain towns outside Boston.

When you dial in to the system, a chipper woman's voice prompts you to state your destination and you starting point. Desperate to avoid taking the Jamaica Way (I call it "Blood Alley") to Emmanuel College last week, I spoke the name of my starting location, in Milton.

Dial Directions either did not recognize my pronunciation of "Milton," or it currently does not support directions from my hometown. Within Boston, I expect you will have better luck. The service is free.

Innovative last week

Majesco game to balance left and right brain

I've read that left-handed people are more likely to die accidentally, because they are using tools designed for their right-handed overlords. (As a southpaw, I've destroyed plenty of circular saw blades and fountain pens, because I tend to push things, rather than guide them.)

Majesco Entertainment (majescoentertainment.com) claims that its new Nintendo DS title, Left Brain Right Brain, will strengthen your hemispheres and increase the dexterity in both your hands. Even if you do not buy Majesco's line, you'll probably have fun trying to make your weaker hand more productive.

TECH LAB Watch Mark Baard demonstrate some of the technology he reviews at boston.com/business.