I guess that got your attention --- Smart Gloves. With all these talk about smartphones, smartwatches, smartglasses, and dig this… smart beds, you won't be surprised if someone comes out with smart gloves. Indeed, there is one, and it's not a very new product. It has actually been around for several years now and was designed for special forces of Germany and Austria.

It’s called Heat 3 Smart, for those expecting to have Wifi capabilities, it does not (nor does not come with apps). Developed by the Heat Company, it is actually a glove and mitten combination. The mitten part gives the Heat 3 the added insulation to help the gloves keep your hands warm. The glove is the inner layer which allows the operator to use the devices and be able to shoot the rifle without the need to remove the glove and exposing the hand to the extreme cold temperatures.

Since it has been tested by German and Austrian special operations troops perhaps training in the Alps, then it must have already proven its worth to provide the warmth and comfort for the soldier operating under freezing conditions.

The problem with winter gloves before was that it's hard to operate touchscreen devices such such as smart phones and tablet computers when wearing these. That means that you'll have to remove the gloves in order to touch the screen and that again leaves your hand exposed to cold weather.

But now winter gloves are treated silver fabric in the index finger and thumb areas that would allow the wearer to use touch the screen without the need to remove the glove. The Heat 3 Smart has the same feature, which makes it touchscreen ready.

The materials are goat leather which protect the palm area and Primaloft a synthetic microfiber thermal insulation material made for the U.S. Army in the 1980s. There is a compartment at the back of the mittens where you can store materials such as papers, maps, phones, or even hand warmers. There are safety straps with elastic cuffs to prevent them from being lost when they fall off.

The Heat 3 Smart has been available in the U.S. for some time now and can be purchased from stores such as Amazon which sells it for US$199.95. If this freezing condition in the U.S. will continue for an extended period and you want to play airsoft at your snow-covered airsoft site, you might want to seriously consider getting a pair of these.