BearTek Gloves began in 2012 as a Kickstarter.com project that went all the way. BearTek — short for Bluetooth Enabled Audio Regulation Technology — has designed a line of motorcycle, snow, and all-purpose gloves that connect to the Apple iPhone, enabling the user to complete most music and phone call operations by touching the conductive stripe on the left thumb to stripes on other fingers of that hand.
Pairing the BearTek Moto glove is a snap, and touching the left thumb to selected areas of the fore and middle fingers yield the results you want.
As a user of Bluetooth headsets, my concern was whether these gloves could pair with my phone, which was already paired with a Bluetooth headset and still provide the desired results. The answer is yes—at least when tested with Uclear’s HBC200 Force, as well as Schuberth’s SRC-System.
The Moto gloves do not add any new functions to those offered by the Bluetooth systems, but having the ability to control your phone or music with your fingertips may be attractive to some.
For phone calls, it allows you to answer or decline (but not initiate) the call. For music you can control play, pause, track back, track forward, rewind, and fast-forward.
A removable matchbox sized controller in the cuff of the left glove is behind the BearTek magic, while the right cuff contains a short Micro-USB cable for charging (BYO charger).
The Moto gloves are made in Pakistan, a hotbed for glove manufacturing, and I find the build quality of these gloves to be equal to the best work I have seen from that country. The leather is soft and supple, with no odd remnants or scarred hides to be seen; the stitching is nice and even. They are well pro- portioned, but are sized small; I usually wear an Large glove, but required an XL from BearTek.
For those with an Android device, I was able to pair with it, but none of the operations worked. Consultations via phone calls to BearTek’s tech support department lead me to believe that it might be possible to use my Android phone but that was only a dream.
Intriguingly, BearTek says it will be offering a replacement controller that allows the gloves to operate a GoPro camera system. Given the poor user interface on the GoPro cameras, we welcome that development.
BearTek has done a good job the first time out, as the Moto works as both a glove and a high-tech device.
Story from Ultimate MotorCycling magazine; for subscription services, click here.
