If you’ve got a smartphone and you’ve ever tried using the touch screen while wearing gloves you’ll have noticed that it just won’t work.
It’s one of the peculiar disadvantages of owning a touch screen phone and as soon as winter hits the glove conundrum pops up.
Yes I know, this is an unashamedly ‘first world problem’ (and hardly one to lose more than 3 seconds sleep over) but it can be frustrating if you’re trying to call or text someone on the move.
In my case my mobile would ring and I’d spend 30 seconds pointlessly jabbing my screen, wondering why it wouldn’t work… suddenly remember and then flap about trying to take my gloves off before the caller on the other end hung up.
Usually this would result in me a) dropping the phone and b) missing the call and c) lots of swearing.
Thankfully the textiles industry has come to our rescue and created special gloves that let you use your touch screen phone as normal.
You might be relieved to hear that they haven’t lopped off real human fingertips and glued them onto gloves to make these. I won’t bore you too much with the science of it but they have a special conductive fibre woven into the fingertips.
Sophie bought me a pair for Christmas and I have to say they’re great – they really work. There are a several brands who make these gloves – here are some of the most effective and reasonably priced:
Capacitouch – These are at the slightly more expensive end of the range weighing in at just under £15 but are made of real wool and as well as being very comfortable really help keep out the cold.
Etouch – While I’m not a fan of the ginormous logo on these gloves from etouch they work well and are reasonably priced at around £10.
eGlove – Perfect for cyclists and sporty types, these are touchscreen gloves with grip. However they’re a little on the pricey side at £24.99.
TouchScreen Gloves – What’s a brand name anyway?! These cheap and cheerful gloves do the job and cost just £3.25 which is cracking value.
I should point out that these gloves should work with any brand of touchscreen smartphone as well as other touchscreen devices such as iPads, tablets and sat navs.
Great if you’re out and about on a cold day and you need access to your smart phone… or if you happen to be attending a formal dinner party in the 17th century.