Filed under: Hardware, iPod Family, Hacks, Found Footage
Found Footage: iPod glove liner offers new hope to snowbound music lovers
Jason W. has submitted a video demonstrating his latest innovation: a glove liner with magnetic contacts which functions as a wintertime remote and looks like a sweet way to geek out your cold-weather gear. It might quite possibly also be a less-expensive solution than some previously available winter gear.
Jason designed the interface -- which assigns functions to each finger and is activated by touching that finger to a receiver -- after watching a snowboarding friend repeatedly remove her gloves to control her iPod. I spend a fair share of time in the cold, and know the inconvenience well. I also happen to lack the ninja skills needed to control an iPod located in some of the awkward positions that armbands and winter jackets can place one in, which only heightens my interest in this invention. The subtle nature of the glove-bound controls promises a chance for me to look like that much less of a dork when attempting winter sports.
I haven't been able to determine whether this is compatible with an iPod touch/iPhone yet. I would find it infinitely more useful with a touchscreen than with a clickwheel, which I had actually become relatively adept at using upside down and backwards before the advent of the iPhone. Some older remotes work fine, so perhaps this might already be an iPhone match.
You can see the video of the iPod glove liner on YouTube and revel in the chilly possibilities.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
d said 11:01PM on 7-28-2008
watch the vid- you'll notice someone has been having a lot of fun with iPod wizard.
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John Mortnesen said 12:57AM on 7-29-2008
I bet this would be totally great for Motorcycle riders as well.
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Caliban10 said 3:04AM on 7-29-2008
Yes listening to music with earphones while you ski or snowboard is a really good idea.... it'll sound great as you get run over by a snow blower that you didn't hear...
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Brunoximus said 5:44AM on 7-29-2008
Personally i like the quiet surrounding of the frenche alpes (off-piste). Just me, my board, my breathing and the occassional 'whoo-hoo-yeah' of friends. So, No need for a ipod there.
Anyway there are some snowboard jackets and caps with ipod controls buildt right into them (Burton & RED). No need for hacking gloves.. which get wet anyway.
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Brett Terpstra said 6:59AM on 7-29-2008
Magnets don't mind being wet. And the jackets run in the 4-500 dollar range. Hacking makes sense to me...
Brunoximus said 3:52PM on 7-29-2008
@Brett. Yep, you're absolutely right. My post was a bit on th e negative side. (I was a bit grumpy this afternoon). To be honest; It's a great hack and like John mentioned; it will work on motorbikes too.
Patrick McCarron said 9:58AM on 7-29-2008
Let me try this post again, the last one never got me a confirmation on my account to approve.
Winter wear maker Marmot came up with a great pair of gloves, the iGlove Liner and iGlove Multi. They were made for the iPod and they also work great for the iPhone as well. They cost $30 and $35 respectively.
I used the liner all Winter and it was great as a driving glove that kept your hands warm and still enabled the use of my iPhone and anything else because not a bulky glove. The Multi I may get this Winter. to handle for days where it's really cold, last year the Liner didn't warm enough in to the worst cold days in Chicago.
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required said 4:32PM on 7-29-2008
http://www.tuaw.com/2006/12/12/iglove-multi-ipod-gloves/
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Jason W said 6:00PM on 7-29-2008
d: Guilty as charged!
John: The red, white, and black gloves are my roommate's motorcycle gloves ;)
Caliban10, Brunoximus: I feel the same way. I love the sound of the snow under my board! I always see people w/ headphones though, and I figured something like this would help. The main difference here is that this should be way cheaper. Also, if you go through glove every two seasons, you'd be hesitant to pay $200 for a pair of iPod outer gloves.
Patrick, required: Those are definitely good for walking around town. However, if you're fashion-conscious (read matching snowboarding gloves, casual gloves like my friend had) then those might not be a good solution. Also, this sort of system allows you to keep the iPod tucked safely away and out of the rain/snow.
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Jason W said 6:06PM on 7-29-2008
I forgot to mention, I just tested it with a 3G iPhone and it worked after a minute or two of initializing the controls.
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