(Credit:
Geek Stuff 4 U)
If you just gotta have USB Warm Gloves, Japanese e-tailer Thanko has finally released a new fashion model, four years later. The latest gloves (2,500 yen, $27.75) come in white with faux trimmings for a more feminine elegance. Not forgetting the tech nerds, they also come in a more conservative black without the furry bits.
Other than those cosmetic tweaks, the gloves retain the original hood so you can expose your twinky digits for more effective keyboard work. The bummer is you'll need two USB jacks to plug in and get toasty, which could be a crowd if you're pairing these with the equally dubious USB slippers.
(Source: Crave Asia via Akihabara News)
Mark it zero, dude.
(Credit: CTA Digital)We missed this little item at E3, but apparently CTA Digital has a bowling ball accessory in the works.
The thing actually splits in half; you stick your Wiimote inside, slip the wrist strap on, and start knocking down virtual pins. We assume there are some finger holes on the other side of the ball, but we doubt the thing weighs even half as much as a real bowling ball (that would be scary).
Of course, you're not supposed let go of the ball, and CTA Digital has a rather ominous disclaimer in all caps on its site:
USE EXTREME CAUTION WHEN USING THIS PRODUCT. CTA DIGITAL, INC IS NOT AND WILL NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGES RESULTING FROM THE BOWLING BALL ATTACHMENT.
No word on when the accessory will be released or how much it will cost, but it is compatible with the following Wii bowling games: Wii Sports bowling, Brunswick Pro Bowling, Ten Pin Alley 2, AMF Bowling: World Lanes, and AMF Bowling: Pinbusters!
CTA Digital also makes Knockout Gloves for Wii. We're not sure if these accessories are really stupid or really cool. Comments?
The Knockout Gloves are compatible with all Wii Boxing titles.
(Credit: CTA Digital)
(Credit:
Etre)
Like the Freehands that came before them, the Etre Touchy gloves lack a thumb and index finger so gadget owners can keep their hands warm while more easily touching, tapping, and pinching their devices' controls and touch screens. Are we seeing a style trend? To quote the inimitable fashion maven Tim Gunn, "This worries me."
Hobo-esque though they are, however, the gray and turquoise gloves are actually pretty cute. And they present a nice solution for operating mobile phones, portable games systems, music players, and other electronic devices in cold weather.
The gloves sell online for about $23.50. Carry on!
(Credit:
Freehands)
Cold weather isn't something all of us have to contend with. But if you're a business traveler who has to journey to the northern hemisphere near the end of the year, the Freehands gloves could be the ticket to keeping your hands warm while still allowing you to use your tech gadgets.
Created by Josh Rubin, the founder of design/technology blog CoolHunting, these gloves let you operate your iPhone or BlackBerry without you having to remove them. The parts of the gloves covering the index fingers and thumbs can be folded back so your flesh can make contact with a touch screen or buttons. The really clever thing is that the ends of the gloves are held down by magnets, so nothing flaps around while you are typing a message or dialing a number.
The Freehands come in leather, spandex, and fleece costing $40, $30, and $20, respectively. There are five sizes, ranging from extra small to extra large, and you can have one in any color--as long as it's black. Visit the official site if you want to preorder a pair.
(Via Crave Asia)
Related stories:
'Intelligent Heat' knows your hands better than you do
Either the Predator's hands get pretty chilly at night or this is an infrared pic of the thermals in the glove in action.
(Credit: Aevex)If you're reading this while rubbing your hands together and blowing hot breath into them (remember, the wider your mouth when you blow, the warmer the heat), well you should probably turn on the radiator or put on some gloves. If you already have gloves on and are still rubbing your hands together, keep reading.
Aevex announced on Monday that its Intelligent Heat technology can now be found in winter gloves from Mountain Hardwear and Outdoor Research. Not to be confused with the Cooling Glove (not sure why you would be, but I just wanted to get that link in there), both the PrimoVolta ($259) and the Red Savina ($300) gloves are available in stores this week.
The way it works: without forcing you to carry around a battery pack, heating functions have been integrated into a single panel that is sewn into the apparel like an extra layer of fabric.
According to Aevex, these panels are light, ultrathin, and flexible, so supposedly they virtually disappear inside the gloves. The technology works with your body to automatically adjust to its needs, delivering more heat to your cold parts and less to your warm parts.
When a part of your body begins to get cold, so does a unique polymer layer inside the Aevex panel. This polymer automatically increases the heart at that cold spot. As this spot warms to a comfortable temperature, Aevex then turns the heat down, redirecting power to other cold spots. Supposedly this kind of temperature regulates usage, and maintains an even, comfortably toasty temperature.
The technology makes sense, but how well does it really work?
(Credit: Aevex)When the batteries are spent (Aevex claims the gloves last through 800 recharges) and you're done with the gloves, Aevex will recycle them along with the lithium polymer batteries at no charge. Just send them back to Aevex and, according to the company, Aevex will take care of the rest. Check out the Aevex Web site for more info.
(Credit:
Dots)
More accessories for the iPhone crowd, this one taking a rather unusual direction--gloves. OK, maybe not just any mitts, but ones with small touch-screen-sensitive dots that you can choose for one to three fingers. That way, you won't have to bare your digits to get some traction on your iPhone in the biting cold. The makers claim the metal dots are smooth and curved enough to offer scratchless use.
Along the way, you can also give your iPhone screen a few quick TLC swipes with the Dots Gloves ($13-$20) to keep it all smudge- and fingerprint-free. Hmmm, wonder if they're any good for Shiatsu pressure point massages.
(Via Crave Asia)
(Credit:
SensoGlove)
Despite witnessing many friends fall under the spell of Tiger Woods, some of us at Crave have resisted learning how to play golf for one simple reason: It's the kind of sport that would drive us nuts. If we ever become tempted, however, the "SensoGlove" might well be the first thing we'd purchase. (Well, maybe after a robo-caddy.)
Made by SensoSolutions, it has a built-in computer that monitors grip pressure and other factors, then supposedly provides advice on how to make adjustments, according to GizmoWatch. Four sewn-in sensors send information for display on a small LCD on the back of the leather glove.
One good thing is that it's definitely less expensive than the $55,000 Full Golf Swing simulator, though no doubt less fun. And it has another essential feature in that it's sweatproof.
(Credit:
Vat19)
As weird as this may seem--and make no mistake, it is weird--it will probably be appreciated by anyone whose pockets have been weighed down, or worn through, by too many gadgets. The "FreeHand" is a pouch that can be worn like a fingerless glove, a "flexible mesh pocket" that can stow everything from keys to a mobile phone.
Coolest-Gadgets says it looks like an RSI brace, though we think it could pass for a high-tech bowling glove. Either way, it gets dangerously close to date-repellant territory. Unless you can convince people that you're slowly morphing into Iron Man.
(Credit:
Carnegie Mellon University)
There may come a day when telling someone to "talk to the hand" will be socially acceptable.
Designers Bhargav Bhat, Hemant Sikaria, and Priya Narasimhan are working on a prototype called "HandTalk," which essentially is a phone for the hearing impaired. This wearable glove device detects the motions and gestures used in sign language, translates them into audio, then plays it all back on a cell phone or mobile device.
Recently showcased at the Meeting Of The Minds expo at Carnegie Mellon University Center, the mobile software app can reportedly detect 32 words to date--a mere drop in the ocean, but it's a start. One the team members hopes to expand by integrating pressure sensors and accelerometers to augment the flexor strips on the glove's digits. Hopefully, this will turn out to be more than vaporware, unlike a certain glove camera we've seen.
(Source: Crave Asia)
Sure, the NCAA is still in the midst of its yearly exercise in madness, but yesterday was an even more exciting day in sports. That's right, it's baseball season!
(Credit:
BaseballTips.com)
And this gadget, seen on Boing Boing Gadgets, is an excellent excuse to say so on Crave.
Practice your fastball and fine-tune your change-up in the comfort of your own backyard with Glove Radar, a device that snaps into any mitt.
For $70, it can detect the speed of pitches between 20 mph and 120 mph, and claims to be accurate within 1 mph. Glove Radar uses uses Doppler radar to measure pitches just like the real radar guns. Get it at BaseballTips.com.
