These Tavo gloves sure fit well.  They are lightweight, look great, and have these cool-looking tips on the thumb and index that are supposed to increase the, uh, tactile-ity of the area.  We thought it was kind of a goofy idea at first, but we know what it's like to try to manipulate the iPod with regular gloves on, and it just doesn't work.  Don't believe us? Just go try it right now :-)

The tips appear to be made of either silk or nylon fabric.  It is smooth and shiny yet has enough "something" to make it work with the clickwheel.  The 4Sight folks call it PlayPoint.

These Tavo gloves are thin enough to be used as liners for other gloves.  In fact, they were thin enough to be used as liners for the 180 Training Gloves...which were very similar in construction to the Tavo gloves.  Can we use the 180s to manipulate the clickwheel? No.

Note that both the 180s (left) and the Tavo (right) have similar silicone grip enhancers on the other fingers and palm.  They might actually make pretty good winter driving gloves.  We are going to have to ask the RainyDayGarage folks to give them a test.

We'll be passing around these gloves to see how folks like them.  They are pretty stretchy and the S/M size seems to fit everybody in the office.

Some of us here are still skeptical about the whole PlayPoint claim, so for the FirstUse review, we'll try to shoot some videos of one of use trying to manipulate the clickwheel wearing different gloves.

UPDATE: Later the same day

We appear to be have a slight "wardrobe malfunction."  After a few hours of use, we saw some fraying at the seams of one of the thumb tips.  Upon closer inspection, we also noticed some other areas where the stitching is not spot on.

We gave the company a quick call and they said the first batch had some small QA issues that have since been corrected.  They will send us a new pair ASAP.  Gotta love the good customer support!

UPDATE: Replaced as promised

The RainyDay office was closed for a few weeks for the Holidays.  When we returned, we had a package waiting for us from 4Sight.  It was the replacement pair.  The first thing we checked was the seams and they appeared to be just fine.  We'll take them with us to the Winter Outing and see how well they hold up to some outdoor activities.

BTW, we did some repair to the original pair and they are now just fine.  How?  One of the interns suggested we SuperGlue the seams so the fabric won't keep fraying.  Since none of us have any sewing skills, we thought it was a pretty good suggestion.  We gave it a try and it has held up!

We know the universe is expanding, but we think the iPod universe is expanding even faster :-)

First came products to protect the iPod (covers, cases, etc...), next came products to extend the iPod (external speakers, combo chargers, etc...), and now there are product to enhance our interaction with the iPods...Tavo Gloves with the PlayPoint tips!

In the FirstLook review, we will do a quick check on the features and whether the PlayPoint feature is what it claims to be.

For the FirstUse report, we'll take the Tavo gloves with us on the snowshoeing trip to see how well they perform.

Reviews:

1. First Look

2. First Use

3. In The Wild Report

Review Summary:

Initial Impression- Great fit

Usability- Improved tip feel

Durability- Seam issue, may be fixed

Price- $35