BearTek gloves: How well do they work?
Connected wearables.
It’s a fancy term for gadgets built into clothing or accessories you wear, like a smartwatch or fitness monitor or even a Bluetooth headset.
Dallas resident Tarik Rodgers and his cousin Willie Blount started Blue Infusion Technology, maker of BearTek Gloves, which are connected gloves with a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi module that can control music and phone calls on your smartphone or start and stop recording on a GoPro camera.
You may remember these guys from a recent appearance on Shark Tank. Alas, they did not get funding from the show’s sharks, but they’ve taken to Kickstarter and Indegogo to get customer backing, and they’ve surpassed their funding goal.
Target market
The first generation BearTek gloves aimed at outdoor adventure enthusiasts, such as motorcycle riders, skiers and snowboarders.
The gloves have small sensors to activate different commands. The sensors are activated by tapping your thumb to various touchpads embedded along the sides of the glove fingers.
The touchpad system works well and becomes intuitive after a few minutes of practice. You can use the controls without looking down at your hands; I have to believe using the gloves is much safer than trying the same commands on your phone.
You do have to get used to the gloves’ sleep feature. The module goes to sleep 10 seconds after you’ve used the glove’s touchpads; this is to keep you from inadvertently sending commands.
The touch system works well, but I can’t say it worked with 100 percent accuracy. I did have to repeat the commands on occasion.
Brains of the system
First-generation BearTek gloves (like the ones I tested) have separate modules for Bluetooth to connect to your phone or Wi-Fi to connect with a GoPro camera.
Gloves come with one module, but the other is available separately. You can only use one module at a time. The modules are small and have batteries that recharge via microUSB cable.
When you buy your gloves, you can choose which hand is used for control. The fully charged module will run for 80 hours.
Generation II
BearTek has a second generation of gloves due out later this year.
The gloves look the same and feature the same touchpads on the fingers. The main difference is the module, which will handle both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
The module is controlled by an app on your smartphone. You launch the app to configure the module and to switch between Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. The app can also customize the touchpad functions.
According to BearTek, the second-generation gloves “will include a liner option that can be used under other gloves when users want BearTek functionality but still want to slip on other gloves.
Where to buy?
You can find the gloves on Amazon or at Cabela’s stores, but for the next few weeks, the best place to pick up a pair is Indegogo.
BearTek has a crowdfunding campaign going on through mid-March.
Right now, Generation II gloves can be had for $99 per pair. After the campaign ends, the price will be $225 per pair. If you’d rather have the previous model, first-generation gloves are $100.
Check out BearTek at www.beartekgloves.com or on Indegogo at http://bit.ly/217qr5i.
This story was originally published March 1, 2016 at 10:53 AM with the headline "BearTek gloves: How well do they work?."