Forget innovation, here's some skinnovation

For some people, fashion is the antithesis of innovation - Steve Jobs famously only wore black turtlenecks, blue jeans, and sneakers. That's not to say that we don't see fashion folks innovating (Ralph Lauren's digital vision, say, or DVF's collaboration with Google Glass) and fashion retail is full of crazy little ideas, both in real stores and their online counterparts. But a fashion-beauty mashup? A pair of jeans that make your skin soft? That's a first. And so, let us line up and applaud the jeanius marketing people at denim clothing manufacturer Wrangler. Among the company's new products for 2013 are "Denim Spa" jeans (pictured on unnamed model), which launch at asos.com on the 28th. They will come in three softener variations: Aloe Vera, Olive Extract, and Smooth Legs (the cellulite-busting model, according to Wrangler). You can get the jeans in three different washes and three different styles - that's 3 softeners * 3 washes * 3 styles = 27 different combinations, and it could go up even more if that was available in coloured denim. But thankfully it isn't, because 27 is already an overwhelming number of choices for anyone. But the new jeans would take care of that grim prospect of applying body lotion before putting on your jeans, and I for one would rather get the hose again than put some stupid lotion on my skin. And speaking of skin, smartphone apps that claim to be able to tell if a person's skin lesions are cancer may not be as accurate as advertised, according to a new study. "It seems so appealing," lead researcher Dr. Laura Ferris, assistant professor at the Department of Dermatology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, told NPR. "Unfortunately, our data suggest that maybe these apps aren't quite there." The research, which was published in JAMA Dermatology on Wednesday, showed that only one out of four popular smartphone apps that purported to evaluate a person's risk for skin cancer was found to be statistically accurate. However, that particular app costs US$4.99 (or equivalent in other countries) per submission and takes 24 hours to deliver a result, whereas the other inaccurate ones were free or had a low cost.