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Christmas lights at your fingertips

By RICK MARTIN

It's never easy searching for the right Christmas gift for your geeky friends or family members. But when in doubt it's always safe to go with a practical option. And if it happens to be fun too, then all the better! In keeping with that spirit, Japanese electronics company Century is making its LED Light Magic Gloves available for ¥2,680 a pair on their website (www.sirobako.com) . If you're quick you might be able to squeeze them in on your Christmas list.

Glow warms: Get your Jingle on this Christmas with LED Light Magic Gloves

Keeping your hands warm during the cold wintry months should always be a top priority, or so my mother told me. But when choosing the right gloves to go with your winter wardrobe, there's nothing that says you can't be a little flashy. These Magic Gloves have LED lights built in so that when you're outdoors on a wintry night you're sure to be seen. Evening joggers and walkers would certainly be a lot more safe with a pair these gloves instead of reflective tape that only works in the presence of other bright lights.

Besides being used for as a safety precaution at night, Magic Gloves can also be a stylish and spectacular accessory at a dance party. Who needs those silly hipster glow sticks when you have your very own pulsating disco lights emanating from your fingers? OONCE OONCE OONCE OONCE Yeah!!!

But I digress . . .

During Christmas celebrations, these gloves will give you a more than festive appearance. Each fingertip contains a red, green, and blue light, giving a total of 15 lights per hand. The gloves also include a button to control the current display mode, so you can choose between a fast strobe, a slow mode, or all colors steadily on. There are also three modes for only flashing red, blue, or green lights individually. And if you get tired of being an illuminated wintry spectacle thankfully there's an "off" mode.

The LED Magic Gloves are available in either black or white, though personally I think I'd go with the black as they seem to make the lights stand out a little more. No word yet on whether these gloves will be made available internationally, although there are some similar products on the market in other countries.

If you happen to be too shy for the bright lights, there are other kinds of gloves available for the holiday season. A small niche market seems to have sprung up for gadget users in search of touchscreen- friendly gloves. While most phones won't respond when touched by a gloved hand, a number of companies (including Isotoner and North Face) have come out with gloves that work well on touchscreens.

So whatever you decide to wear on your hands this winter (or buy for someone else's hands) just try to make sure that it's not just a throwaway novelty you'll only use once. With any luck you'll find yourself a gift that's not only fun, but practical enough to use next winter as well.

Rick Martin is a contributor to Gizmag.com. Read more of his work at 1rick.com.