Michaels.com. How to hack your own touch-screen gloves. Those who dwell in cold climates know how it feels to be helpless when a phone call arrives and they're wearing gloves.
It just doesn't work. Because smartphones don a capacitive touch screen--meaning, it responds to the static electricity in your fingertips--gloves block this "signal" and disable you from using your phone. To fix this issue, some simply remove their gloves, while others cut off a couple fingertips, or even resort to flip-top mittens. Luckily, there's an even better solution that allows you to transform almost any pair of gloves into touch-screen-compatible accessories so your fingers can stay toasty while you text your friends and surf the Web. Here's how: You'll need: Your favorite pair of glovesConductive thread (here are some examples.)Hand-sewing needle. DIY: The $10 gliding camera strap. Back when I discussed the seven things every photographer should have in his arsenal , I mentioned replacing the neckache-inducing camera strap with one of the many alternatives that can be found online.
From necktie-inspired straps to the geeky-but-awesome Spider Holster, superior options are abundant. Originally made popular by Custom SLR, the gliding camera strap is my favorite of these alternatives. Using the tripod mount as an anchor, the gliding camera strap gives you the comfort of an over-the-shoulder hang with the convenience of grabbing your camera and hitting the shutter button at a moment's notice. The unexpected genius of the strap is that it allows the camera to glide along the length of the strap. So the camera hangs by your side when it's idle, but can be drawn at a moment's notice when you need it.
One drawback, however, is that these gliding camera straps start somewhere around $60. You'll need: Assembling the strap couldn't be easier. DIY: Turn a book into a sleek charging phone dock. Remember when it was taboo to write in books?
Well, a college career of in-book highlighting and two e-readers later, I'm ready to admit that I have absolutely no guilt about writing in books. Or tearing them apart, for that matter. So when I was looking for inspiration for a DIY charging dock and found myself staring at a shelf of books, I knew I had the answer. With this guide, you'll turn a hardcover book into a charging station for your Android or iPhone. And, if you have an Android phone that's equipped with NFC, I'll also show you how to make your DIY dock automate tasks with NFC tags . You'll need: a box cutter with a fresh bladea hardcover bookyour phone's USB charging cordan NFC tag (optional, for those who have NFC-enabled phones) To tackle this project, watch the video for step-by-step instructions, and check out the tips, after the clip. A few tips: Please, please be careful with the project.
DIY: Turn an old lamp into a flexible phone stand. One glance at Une Bobine and I was interested.
The iPhone and Android phone accessory, which got its start on Kickstarter, offers a seemingly better way to position your phone however (and wherever) you want. And besides, it's gorgeous. My main interest in Une Bobine was that it would allow me to position my phone alongside my desktop monitor, making multitasking easy while my screens were aligned. More than that, however, I could use it as a tripod for video calling and photo-taking. Well, there were just two things: call me a cheapskate, but I won't pay $30 for an accessory I think I can make myself; and most importantly, putting so much pressure on your phone's charging port may eventually damage it.
After hours of prototyping and testing, I fabricated an alternative that promises the flexibility of Une Bobine without the $30 price tag (and without the potential harm.) The stand's base was a no-brainer -- I'd use an old gooseneck lamp to emulate the flexibility La Bobina offers. 1. 2.