No, that is not the name of a multiNational Non-Profit dedicated to putting warm gloves on geeks without the sense to cover up on their own.  It is, however, the perfect description of a cool new glove that has been released this year.  A glove made specifically to pamper all of us with a badass touch-screen phone (I say badass because let’s face it… all of you nontouch-screen phones just suck).  Side-note if you are the proud owner of a lame nontouch-screen phone… mad props to you for hanging in with the rest of the world.  You are either a trend-setter or just don’t give a damn!

Back to the gloves… have you ever fought the battle of wanting to answer the phone or check your emails, but also desperately wanted to keep your hands warm?  Quickly slipping your hand out of your glove to give your iPhone a couple of taps?  I think it’s safe to say that we’ve all been there at some point in our lives (except all of you bastards in San Diego… whatever!).  That is the exact same scenario that Josh Rubin, NYCity designer of Freehands, had happen to him way back in the winter of 2007… when he answered his phone… with his nose.  (Hope he didn’t have a cold at the time… eww)  He had a little chit-chat with his old-man Stanly Rubin, a seller of all things gloved, and an idea was born.  An idea that would eventually become Freehands.com.  A brilliant, and painfully obvious, idea that they did before you so quit your crying.

I’ve been fortunate enough to pop around town with a pair of the Ragg-Wool Men’s Freehand Gloves ($20) and I have to say that I’m a bit impressed.  As gloves stand… these fuzzy little bastards are very comfortable and warm, but without being too bulky to do mundane tasks (and without that “wool itch” you often get).  The palm is covered with nifty little “rubber dots” to help grip the steering wheel, that 3:30pm shot glass, beer chaser and most importantly your uber-expensive piece of technology you can’t live without.  Then you add in the special go-go gadget features… the removable pointer and thumb tips!  I say removable, but they actually flip back so you don’t have to keep track of them.  With incredible ease you flip back the tip and tap away to your hearts desire without your hand getting all cold and stuff.  When you’re done, slip it back on and go about your merry way!

To one-up their competition (is there any competition?) there are tiny magnets in both the tip and back of the finger so your flipped back finger cap sets firmly back (not flapping all willy-nilly like) until your ready to cover up your digits.  I thought the thumb might have been senseless until I was looking for my next pub stop and found the need to pinch in on my iPhone map.  Duh on me!  Brilliant uncovered thumbs up to freehands!

With the 2010 line they have the magnets I mentioned (previous years had velcro), brighter colors, waterproof skigloves, conductive liners for the iPad dabblers, and post-consumer materials.  The options are wide-spread (Wool, Cashmere, MicroFur, Recycled Fleece, Ski, etc.) and they are all designed for the incredible convenience of getting our geek-on while staying warm.  Whoo-Rah!!!

Mad props to you Josh Rubin… mad props to you.