Warm fingers, message
sent.
We've all been there; you're at the bus stop, in the
freezing cold, and you phone chirps. You pull it from your pocket to read the
message, only to find that your gloved hands are useless on the touch screen.
Damn you modern technology, with your need for conductive surfaces! If only
there were a pair of gloves that you keep on all day in the cold and still be
able to use your mobile or tablet. There is, several in fact, and we've tested
two such pairs.
First up, the Isotoner gloves. These come in sizes for both
men and women (although the chaps get just black, whereas the ladies can choose
from black, grey and pink) and feature a suede trim on the palms. The thumb,
index and middle finger tips are woven through with what we can only assume is
the conductive filament, which gives the gloves a subtle Minority Report feel. Therefore,
while standing at the bus stop, we were also able to detect several pre-crimes.
Win.
The gloves are comfy and certainly warm enough to keep your
digits toasty for long periods of time, but how about actual use on a phone? In
practice we found the Isotoner Smartouch Gloves were effective about 95% of the
time, with the occasional blip where we pressed and nothing happened. We found
them pretty good for typing, although as the gloves are quite thick they tend
to make your finger tips wider, therefore expect the odd incorrect keystroke.
Next up, the Proporta Touch Screen Gloves. These come in
just one size with a choice of either beige or pink colour. Just like the ones
from Firebox, these gloves feature highlighted first-three fingertips, but we
can't see any actual conductive filament woven in. There's no suede grip on the
palms, but the Proporta gloves feel ever so slightly thicker there than the Isotoner
pair. Because of this, they are reversible.
Due to the unisex sizing, the Proportas felt a little
tighter on our big man hands, but not at all uncomfortable. Because of that
slight stretch our fingertips were thinner and the gloves seemed to make our
typing a little more responsive. Also, because of the reversible quality of the
gloves, pulling them from your pocket and slipping them onto your hands is
quick and easy.
So, out of the two, we'd have to push for the Proporta pair.
Giant-handed people might have trouble getting them on, but for most of us the
thinner fingers make for far better typing.
Istoner Smartouch Gloves: £14.99 from www.firebox.com
Proporta Touch Screen Gloves: £9.95 from www.proporta.co.uk
