The North Face's clever E-Tip gloves too ugly to be removed from pockets

Because I'm so dumb that I think hot cocoa is the primary fundament of winter preparedness, I still haven't bought gloves—and it's been as cold as Dick Cheney's inverted pentacular anus in New York this year, too.

Is January too late to buy gloves? Because I want these "E-Tip" gloves from The North Face, despite their comically bad cybertwerp silicone grip pattern on the palms and fingers. That may not be slick, but the "X-static" fabric on the tip of the index finger and thumb certainly is. Woven with silver, the special tips let you use resistive touchscreens like those on the iPhone and G1 without taking your gloves off at all.

But you know what? I'm not paying $40 for gloves that look like I just slapped the smirk off of the Master Control Program. Make these in plain ol' black, North Face. (And take off the incongruous power button symbol while you're at it!)

[via Oh Gizmo! via Book of Joe via WSJ]

[#1 posted by bwah , January 20, 2009 8:21 AM]

While the North Face gloves look like something that would be worn in Tron, and thus have some appeal, for my money I'm going with these http://www.dotsgloves.com/

At $15, I won't even feel that bad when, in approx. 3 weeks, I inevitably lose one (as always happens with gloves...)

[#2 posted by Anonymous , January 20, 2009 8:30 AM]

I use fingerless gloves, personally. Nice tight-fitting polarfleece ones, that I can wear horsehide work-gloves or welding gloves over top of if I need to do something that would otherwise destroy my fingies.

--Charlie

[#3 posted by zuzu , January 20, 2009 8:39 AM]

Unless you need to manipulate snow / participate in winter sports, get some fingerless hobo gloves. BBgadgets has raised this topic before.

As I said then,

Two review roundups I'd love to see here on boingboing gadgets:

1.) fingerless gloves
2.) liquor flasks

(Clearly this is leading to life as a hobo.)

[#4 posted by pelrun , January 20, 2009 9:04 AM]

Capacitive touchscreens, not resistive :) Resistive screens work regardless of what you press them with, although they're much more scratch prone.

[#5 posted by Deadmeat , January 20, 2009 10:59 AM]

I got myself a pair of 180s Tec Stretch gloves for about $30 at a local mall.

http://tinyurl.com/8wntee

The touch areas are very subtle, and if your hands are cold you can blow into a valve in the back of the glove.

The last pair I had didn't have the little touch pads, but were the best gloves I ever owned.

These were essentially a replacement with the additional touch feature.

[#6 posted by doggo , January 20, 2009 12:16 PM]

Heh. "Cybertwerp"

[#7 posted by humanrocketjlb , January 20, 2009 12:23 PM]

They do make those in all black. I got a pair for Christmas, and they are awesome driving/ipod handling gloves. I love the grippy Tron palms. I just need a Minority Report-esque interface to control with them.

Cons: Dialing a cell is impossible, and the power button is very silly.

[#8 posted by zuzu , January 24, 2009 10:28 AM]

Saw this at the This Old House gadgets blog:

On the back of the gloves is a valve that you blow into, and your warm breath keeps your hands toasty while you’re outside making an igloo or an ice sculpture

[#9 posted by dr.hypercube , January 24, 2009 11:04 AM]

Shouldn't that be 'everted' (as in everyone's favorite degenerate form of the Old Ones - sea cucumbers)? *grin*