Andrew sent us this great story -- he found an iPod classic in the melting snow of Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada. It had apparently been there "since early winter," and was frozen solid... as is the case, we'd imagine, with most things left outside there between September and April.

Incredibly, though, once taken home, cleaned up, and given a warm cup of tomato soup and a grilled cheese, it started right back up again. Everything was completely intact -- he says it even displayed the correct date. Pretty impressive for Apple's little music player (and mine's even stuffed in a Vaja case, so I know it'll always run for me -- assuming I don't drop it in a pile of snow somewhere).

He says there is a name on the iPod, so if you've been around the Whitehorse area and have recently dropped your iPod near a place called Takhini School, leave him a note and he will probably be able to get it back to you. But do it quick -- he's giving things about a week, and then it's finder's keepers. We don't blame him: who wouldn't want an indestructible iPod?

This is pretty brilliant in its own special way. Let's paint the scene -- you're wandering the cold streets of Chicago a few months from now, and you're wondering where the closest pizza place is. You whip out your iPhone to pull up the Google Maps application, but wait -- your hands are covered in gloves, and no matter how much you try to swipe the screen, you can't get it to register your swipes, much less hit those little keys on the keyboard. But it's too cold to take your gloves off -- what do you do?

Solution: DOTS gloves. They've got little smooth plastic "dots" built into the fingertips so you can control a touchscreen even while your hands are kept warm. Like I said, genius in its own way. However, I haven't actually used them, so I can't say for sure they work the way we'd expect. While they specifically mention them working on the iPhone, I've had trouble in the past getting the iPhone to register materials other than my finger. Still, if you want to take their word for it, $15 is cheap for a good pair of knit gloves anyway. If you're in the market for a new pair this winter and know you won't want to have to take your gloves off just to work a touchscreen, seems like a good deal to me.

[via Waxy]

With the first day of Autumn on Monday, cold weather is just around the corner for much of the northern hemisphere. But don't worry, you can still wear gloves and use your iPhone with Dots Gloves.

Dots Gloves include a little metal button at the fingertip that allows you to use the multitouch screen of your iPhone or iPod touch without direct finger contact. The metal dots are curved, and will not scratch the screen of your device. The dots are on the thumb, index, and middle fingers of the glove.

They also work great with Nintendo DS, notebook trackpads, ATMs, and kiosks with touch-screen displays.

A pair of knit gloves are $13, and wool gloves are available for $18.

And if gloves aren't your thing, you can always use a stylus. Or, as Erica pointed out to me, you can use your iPhone itself to keep your hands warm. Just start the Camera app, and lock the screen. Of course, this runs your battery dry in short order, but if your hands are that cold, it could be worth it.

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.