iPhone Gloves?

[mkrishnan]

Sorry for the necro...

For what it's worth, for those wanting the Dots gloves and being annoyed at them perennially being out of stock, all three models are either in stock or available for November pre-order -- they now have a thicker padded pair (D200) at the top of the line. I'd been wanting to try a pair of the thinnest ones (D105) for a long time and so I finally ordered my pair. My hands are usually cold also, but I don't like bulky gloves, and I wanted something that didn't look techy -- I didn't really care for the Tron glove look, although the all-black ones someone posted above look nicer than the black/grey ones.

 

[zdblue11]

i think i saw one made by dots on ilounge.com. They look kinda feminine tho pink/black i think.

 

[Jmacman78]

I got these last year:

Made by Marmot, however I don't think they make them anymore...

 

[SchneiderMan]

hmmm i guess they are making some improvements because they contacted me and said they will be sending me some for review but only in December..

I bought the DOTS gloves (http://www.dotsgloves.com/) and had to put my two cents in. Overall, I would NOT recommend these gloves.

Good Points:
- Creative idea. You don't have to expose your fingers to get the screen to respond.
- The iPhone actually does respond most of the time to the touch of the dots.
- Relatively inexpensive.

Bad Points:
- The gloves aren't that warm compared to others I have. I bought the $20 wool gloves. True, I tend to be someone who complains of being cold more, but the gloves aren't that wind-resistant and don't stand up to colder temperatures (i.e., below 30 degrees). I wish they would come with thinsulate lining.
- There aren't enough sizes. I wear size 6.5 or 7 surgical gloves and "small" gloves tend to fit me best, not medium, as is the smallest available size.
- Some people complain that there is no "grip" on the palm to prevent iPhone slippage out of your hand and onto the floor.

BUT THE WEAKEST THING ABOUT THESE GLOVES OVERALL IS:
The thumb dot is useless. When I use the iPhone with my thumb, I use the SIDE of my thumb, not the fingertip part. Think about when you use your thumb and index finger to zoom in on the screen, or when you use your thumb to type--it's true. Thus, I am unable to perform either of these functions without removing the gloves...which defeats their purpose. The only useful dot to me is the one on the index finger, and that is simply not enough to do most useful stuff on the iPhone.

INSTEAD, I'd recommend getting those gloves that expose your four fingers, but have a mitten covering. I found a pair at the Army/Navy store that have thinsulate lining and they are warm.

 

[sparrky]

Just got my pair of Dots Gloves and I'm very disappointed. This pulled thread and hole were there when they arrived. They don't feel like they'd protect against cold very well at all. They also have a giant knot on the inside of the forefinger that is extremely annoying. On the plus side, they work great with the touch screen. Great responsiveness. They might be ok with a thinner pair of gloves underneath. There's just too many holes to allow cold in. If anyone gets the other kind (D105 - tighter knit but thinner), please post a review.

 

[lemonademaker]

I just saw this posted on Gizmodo.... it's about using conductive thread on any pair of gloves......

Gizmodo Article

 

[mkrishnan]

Just got my pair of Dots Gloves and I'm very disappointed.

Wow, I'm sorry, that does suck. I got the e-mail two days ago that pre-orders are shipping and expected to ship within two weeks, but I have not yet received a shipping confirmation. I did order the D105's, so I'll definitely post my thoughts. My current gloves are North Face Power Stretch Gloves (these don't have any kind of iPod functionality). (like this) Anyway, they're really very nice super-thin / form-fitting gloves, so they should provide a good comparison to the best of what the D105 might be.

I just saw this posted on Gizmodo.... it's about using conductive thread on any pair of gloves......

This is a really great idea... I didn't know thread like that was readily available. I might just try this with my North Face gloves.

 

[gunzmaiet]

try this: http://www.instructables.com/id/Making-A-Glove-Work-With-A-Touch-Screen/

 

[labman]

thanks

I just saw this posted on Gizmodo.... it's about using conductive thread on any pair of gloves......

Gizmodo Article

I going to try it seems simple enough even for me. I found one site that had thread for 3.95 and 10' a $3 shipping seems more then fair to use decent gloves and be able to use my cell! http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=9384

 

[Dizzler]

Operating Temp

Why would you need gloves? The iPhone spec for temperature is 32-95 F. Temp of 32 is not that cold. If you need gloves, you are operating out of spec anyway.

 

[mkrishnan]

I going to try it seems simple enough even for me. I found one site that had thread for 3.95 and 10' a $3 shipping seems more then fair to use decent gloves and be able to use my cell! http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=9384

Post results! I might seriously try this when I get around to it also. I'm curious whether normal JoAnne Fabrics kind of places might have this thread also?

Why would you need gloves? The iPhone spec for temperature is 32-95 F. Temp of 32 is not that cold. If you need gloves, you are operating out of spec anyway.

So your expectation is really that all of us who live in places where the temperature drops below 32F will stop using our phones all winter? Really?

Also, to state the obvious, when one puts their phone in their pocket, and uses it outside, and takes it out to change the song or whatever... the phone actually doesn't make it down to 2F just because the ambient temperature is that cold. At least, that's my impression. Now I got an A+ in thermodynamics... I don't know what your grade was.

 

[lemonademaker]

Why would you need gloves? The iPhone spec for temperature is 32-95 F. Temp of 32 is not that cold. If you need gloves, you are operating out of spec anyway.

construction, snow skiing, snowmobile, ATV & yard work..... I wear gloves all the time and my phone is in the Otterbox defender because of my work/play environment....

 

[mkrishnan]

Also for that matter I start wearing gloves as soon as it's below 55F. I'm always cold.

 

[labman]

Really

Why would you need gloves? The iPhone spec for temperature is 32-95 F. Temp of 32 is not that cold. If you need gloves, you are operating out of spec anyway.

so I should just put my Iphone away during the winter living in Michigan December though March the phone would be almost worthless. Oh that iphone was my summer phone then in winter I use a real phone.

mkrishnan: Post results! I might seriously try this when I get around to it also. I'm curious whether normal JoAnne Fabrics kind of places might have this thread also?

you got it hoping it's as easy as it sounds!

 

[Gonzo3333]

http://www.burton.com/mens-snowboar...tionColor=608&start=34&cgid=mens-gloves-mitts

For $20 these gloves work O.K. with the iPhone. It may be a chore typing a text message but they work for answering and calling people. I bought these gloves in October and did not realize that they work with the touch screen until last night.

 

[mkrishnan]

Wow, I'm sorry, that does suck. I got the e-mail two days ago that pre-orders are shipping and expected to ship within two weeks, but I have not yet received a shipping confirmation. I did order the D105's, so I'll definitely post my thoughts.

Sorry I never updated this, BTW. So...

• Dots never responded to my e-mail request for information, after the two weeks elapsed and they did not provide a shipping notification as promised.
• They did finally provide a shipping notification (still with no response to the e-mail) on 12/11/2009, and I received the gloves a few days later
• The gloves are awful. Quality-wise, they're very comparable to the $1.99 impulse-buy gloves that sit by the counter at Walgreens or CVS.
• The touch-capable elements consist of finger tips that are sewn from a different material (the silver parts). They're pretty prickly on the inside, and the sewing of this material is really where the problem arises, as it seems to fray very easily.
• The fingertips catch very easily on things like keychain loops, and this pulls threads out, as you can see in the photos.

Overall, I'd sadly recommend that everyone stay away from this company. With bad customer service (both in terms of missing their promised ship date by nearly a month and in ignoring my request for follow-up) and a terrible product, I just don't see anything to recommend them.

Those Burton gloves seem nice for $20 -- similar to the North Face ones I usually use. If I don't get thread and mod my NF gloves, I might do that.

 

[Blueline29]

Why would you need gloves? The iPhone spec for temperature is 32-95 F. Temp of 32 is not that cold. If you need gloves, you are operating out of spec anyway.

Some of us who get to experience the joy of Raynaud's Syndrome often have to start wearing gloves when it gets below about 55, or even if we have to hold something frozen while waiting in line at the grocery store. The pain if your fingers get too cold is severely unpleasant, so I find myself wearing gloves a lot of the time even when I'm "in spec."

 

[Randman]

You don't need special gloves.

Get a AAA (or AA) battery and use the negative end. Even one almost dead should have just about enough charge to conduct some electricity and it'll work.

Better to have a screen protector on the glass to avoid any accidental scratching but cheaper than buying speciality gloves.

 

[iRen]

Got my North Face Etips today locally here in San Antonio, Tx at Good Sports. I bought the last large but they had som xl and a med. I am typing this wearing them and I must say it is almost like not wearing anything at all. If someone would like me to pick them up a pair let me know I have paypal and can ship. Just pay what they cost and the shipping.

 

[organsoup]

http://www.mechanix.com/automotive/m-pact-glove

i wear those and i can use my thumb to control my iPhone without any problems. the thumbs are made of a thin synthetic leather i think. they run for abou $25 at auto-parts stores

 

[woods1110]

http://www.180s.com/pages/catalog_view.aspx?g=1,2&y=2&i=144

I bought these a few weeks ago and love them. They have two small dots on the thumb and index fingers that allow control of the iphone.

 

[bbil]

If you don't mind putting a pin through your gloves you can use these

 

[Lunchb0x8]

Bah, just south-Korea it and sausage your phone!
http://www.ohgizmo.com/2010/02/12/south-korea-discovers-the-sausage-stylus/

 

[BklynMama09]

iPhone gloves by Echo

My husband got me a pair of the Echo Touch gloves in a beautiful red at Christmas - and because the NY weather sucks right now, I'm still using them! Really sleeker looking than the Dots gloves or the Tron gloves. And they make a Men's sport version too.

 

[Pabster32]

Dots Gloves

Yep, placed my order on October 9. I emailed them after 2 weeks and got a canned email response saying that they're a start-up with limited manpower, blah blah blah. I'm not really in any rush to get them - I have other gloves I can use to at least keep my hands warm - I'm just disappointed that it takes this long to get a pair of gloves made in New York.

Hi. Did you ever receive the gloves? I ordered a pair Dec 2nd and have inquired twice about if I will get them before Christmas and no response. I've also searched for their phone number and no luck. Any helpful tips? Thanks.