It’s been a problem since the first winter post-iPhone release: How do you use your smartphone with a capacitive screen during freezing cold weather? There’s always your nose, or a quick “yank glove, interact with the phone, throw gloves back on, pray there’s no frostbite.” Etre believes they have a different solution with their Etre Touchy Gloves. I’ve been using them for a few days: do they solve the glove dilemma? Read on to find out!
I live in New Jersey, where the average temperature the last few days has been somewhere around “oh god it’s so cold I can’t function”, especially when I am up walking the dog in the morning. The Etre Touchy Gloves were warm, at least where my fingers were covered; my uncovered index fingers and thumbs were less than happy in the cold. The gloves were able to fulfill their major purpose, though, since I could easily change music tracks, check email, etc on my Droid without having to expose my whole hand.
The fit and finish of the gloves were great. There were no dropped stitches or rough edges, and the material was smooth and comfortable. Style-wise, the colors were bright and attractive. Overall, they were extremely well made, and clearly built from quality.
I referenced above that my index fingers and thumbs were unhappy when I wore the gloves. Exposing my fingers made it easy to use my phone, but a huge pain when it came to actually keeping me warm. You’d think having 80% of my hands covered would be enough, but not when it’s super cold! What would have made the Touchy gloves perfect would have been if they had fold down fingers for the thumb and forefinger. Being able to cover them in some way, and still flip them free without removing the whole glove, would make these perfect. As it is, on less harsh days (say, mid to upper 30’s Fahrenheit), they keep your hands nice and toasty, and your thumb and forefinger shouldn’t be too cold.
You can purchase your own Etre Touchy Gloves here; they are £19.99 GBP, or around $32.99 USD.
What I Like: Gloves were made well; Comfortable fit; Easy to use my phone while wearing them
What Needs Improvement: Fingers were very cold, even with the rest of my hand covered
I reckon just having the finger pads exposed would have been a better idea, would keep your fingers warm whilst exposing only the surface of your finger that touches the screen.