We know Dick Tracy and his cell phone watch which has already been made into an actual product for quite some time already - now here’s yet another wacky idea taken off Maxwell Smart who hides a phone inside his shoe. I suppose those were the days where everywhere we went were pretty clean as folks had a higher degree of civic consciousness, putting chewing gum where it belongs instead of being a sidewalk hazard to strollers and joggers. ArchPort Shoes aims to literally take one step at a time by incorporating a cell phone into their shoes sometime down the road, but they are still a long way off from there at the moment. Wouldn’t want you to have chewing gum stuck to your hair now, do we?

At the moment, ArchPort Shoes have managed to include a wallet feature into the range of ArchPort sandals and athletic shoes, where the wallet’s is located in the sole. This concept, according to Matt Potts (founder and president of the company), is “radically innovative” as it offers a comfortable place to carry stuff and valuables without risking theft or robbery. The wallet compartment is actually a removable cartridge that can carry some cash, several credit card-sized items and with enough room to store at least one key. Looking further into the future, the cell phone version will have a fair number of challenges to meet, although current handsets are already pretty capable of handling the impact of everyday walking and running.

Potts won’t stop at just a cell phone shoe though, as the thinks ArchPort has the potential to throw in GPS transceivers, computer data, remote controls, wireless MP3 players, battery modules, heaters and miscellaneous gadgets placed in platform shoes, skateboarding shoes and various types of footwear. I guess I’ll never look at shoes the same way again.

Press Release