That won't fit in my pocket
How pocketable are pocketables? When the Pocket PC first hit the market, many debated the accuracy of its name after trying to slip the handheld into the back of their jeans. Since then, nearly every mobile gadget description has included at least a line or two about its portability: "It’s so light, you’ll forget it’s there!" "So small you can carry it everywhere!" "Easily slide this into your pocket!"
Given the dimensions of most portable gadgets, it seems the "average pocket" is one that is sewn onto men’s clothing (I guess baggier really can be better). This is not good news for women. According to my closet, skirt pockets can barely hold a cell phone, slacks pockets are purely decorative, and jeans back pockets are for IDs and receipts. If I want to carry along any of my gadgets, I have to make room in my purse (I’ve even swapped out my wallet for my Game Boy Micro!).
So how small does something have to be to be considered portable? Pocketable? Mobile? Honestly, I don’t really care. I think we’re all just being a little too nitpicky about catchy marketing terms. After all, mini vans aren’t really miniatures. Jumbo shrimp is an oxymoron. And when PDA campaigns boasted of putting various features "into the palm of your hand," how many outraged consumers sent photocopies of the actual size of their palms to manufacturers?
