Fake. Your actually finger has to touch the screen in order for it to work.

@Terminator12139:
Lol! I hope you're kidding! You ever see a PDA with a stylus?

they are kinda creepy, like S&M gear for 1 handed typists.

@Terminator12139 & OBM
You're both wrong (for the most part).
The iPhone makes use of a capacitive touch screen.

Terminator12139, that's the technology of the Fingers product, they're electrically conductive so WOULD work with the iPhone's capacitive touch screen.

OBM, I'm pretty sure I'm safe in assuming you've never held an iPhone in your hand, or seen one in person. PDAs use a TOTALLY different touch screen technology, and don't use a stylus.

wtf... why not a matching body condom with an accessorized gimp ball gag and zippered gas mask. As if all the people wandering through their days yabbering on cell phones and peering into their PDAs/iPhones didn't already look like tweaked ADD freaks.

id rather have a smudged iphone than simulated gangrene.

All jokes aside...

This could be used in the fast food industry. My kid works at McD's and would actually appreciate something like this (ya never know who touched the screen before you, yuch...). They usually wipe them down with an alchohol swap (if they have the time)

Those things are real. I don't know what they're actually used for, but I remember seeing them like ten years ago.

Your fingers don't excrete oils. It comes from your face and other parts of you body (or other's) that you touch. If you wore these, unless you put them on fresh each time you use your phone, you would still smudge your screen.

It'll certainly prevent you from getting laid as well...

Of course your fingers exrcete oils (and dirt) that is one of the resons you should never handle halogen bulbs (in cars for example) by touching the lens of the bulb, only by the base.

I wou...naaaa too easy.

@James: They look disposable, so I assume it would be a fresh pair every time (which is overly time-consuming and will probably never catch on)

Sorry to burst your "gadget" bubble.. but these have been around for ages

[en.wikipedia.org]

does it have to be black? looks like they dipped their hand in a vat of oil.

They're like thigh high boots... for your fingers!

can also be used for the shocker [en.wikipedia.org])

ever touched a bank ATM... yeah GERM CESSPOOL these=great idea for people who use touch screens almost all the time i dont do anything in my life not involving some sort of touchscreen

Fingerbobs* gimp suit. Puts a whole new twist on my childhood memories.

*Non UK citizens may want to Google this.

guess its for those that really have an issue with smudging their ipods and aren't smart enough to keep a hanky with them or something else to wipe their fingertips on before using and wipe the screen afterward.

everyone i know that has any sort of large screen phone (touch or not), myself included, all have more of an issue of getting smudges from have the screen touch their face while using it. and i don't think it would smart for everyone to start walking around in black masks.

I guess no one watched the video to the end... there's no way this is a real product.

Again with the "Germ" paranoia... You CAN'T get sick from touching things unless you put your fingers in your nose or eyes. So the point is if you don't pick your nose or rub your eyes until you wash your hands, you can touch anything...

What? No picture of The Shocker?

@Grangoire: I have a PDA that uses a stylus. In fact I've never seen one that didn't use a stylus. Some use the magnetic stylus and some use a good old touch screen, but they all use a stylus. PDAs usually have handwriting recognition. Try writing small enough on a PDA screen with your finger... it would be annoying to use at best.

(To be a killjoy) Those are just static-dissipative finger cots for use in electronics assembly. They're black because the latex they're made of has some carbon mixed in for conductivity.

See [www.labsafety.com]

$33 for a bag of 720 of them, much better than $9.95 for 25. (Of course, it would still be very silly to use these on an iPhone, but maybe you have some static-sensitive electronics assembly to do.)
What we need more of is science.

Uh-oh, just looking at them is triggering a post traumatic stress episode left over from my last annual physical. "Bend over and drop your shorts......"

I actually want gloves made out of those. You must have short winters there in the US, but taking off the gloves just too touch my phone's screen is a pita.

ah ha! Nose picking condoms!

It looks like your finger's gone where no one's gone before with those on. Why not just dip your fingers into hot latex and be done?

Got any that go the wrist?

@Boognish: Hey, it only took 16 comments to get a "Shocker" one.
Was afraid the Giz community would let me down.

They are called "finger-cots" at the drug store... Geeez!

Sooooooo - what about out face grease? does it help protect against that?

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but aren't these body suits for fingers a bit overkill? At most I'm thinking you would need a thimble sized finger cover ... and thats at an absolute maximum. Unless iphone users have some sort of third party app that requires you to lay your entire finger down flat I just don't see these things as necessary.

Jazz hands... =-P

a proctologist finger buddies.

it's the color, if it was skin color or any other color
than black, brown or yellow.
sh...t colors like the zune.

AEC007 is right. The real things are called "finger-cots". They're purpose is to keep water and dirt out of wounds that have to stay dry to heal. I've used them to help sort stacks of forms because they don't wear out like the "sticky fingers" gel and they prevent paper cuts. I'm sure there are several other real world uses too.

@Terminator12139:

No it doesn't. I have a stick film screen protector on my iPhone, and I am able to touch it through my shirt AND the stick film screen protector.

@Grangoire:
actually I have several, I sell them in the UK. It's still a touchscreen, same difference.

Real or not, rappers will be wearing them in a couple of months.

Or you could wash your hands (after feeling up your girlfriend or whatever).

@Terminator12139:

WRONG....open a new iphone but dont remove the plastic wrap film it is in (which is quite thick) and yet you can turn it on and use the touch screen.

Thanks for once again showing that you have no idea what your posting on.

But hey...your in great company here...there are plenty of folks that comment here that really could use somebody to FEDEX them a CLUE!

Ok quick somebody que the hordes of Apple haters...surely they havent missed out on slamming the iphone for this or some other imaged slight.

Oh and for the record...you basically can only see skin oils or finger prints on the iphone when its black and off once the display is lit...you only see the wonderfully bright vibrant hi-res screen.

Maybe one day those here that cant seem to get it right will save enough up to actually get one and then have some CLUE!

@James:

Um actually ALL your skin produces some oil. Some areas more than others...this is natural....you would find life very unpleasant if you didnt.

But thanks for posting up...now lets get you to anatomy 101 class.

@Grangoire:

It may be but try this take a sheet of paper fold it over twice (4 layers of paper) now put your finger on it and use your iphone....wow it still works.

Youre correct in what type of screen it is. Your wrong in how well it works.

:)

I think the most obvious and second best use of these would be for eating Cheetos - might be number one, number two - I'll leave that to you.