The Price: $139

The Verdict: OMG warm! Although not as fitted or high quality as the Ardica jackets, which have padded battery packs and clothing designed by people who specialize in fashion like Mountain Hardware, Blazewear isn't meant for the same purpose, and is a lot more affordable. And very warm, as I said!

Wearing a thermal I took some heat gun ratings of my core and the vest at settings 1 through 5. Setting 1 is very toasty, and lasts about 3-5 hours, with 5 lasting far less than that. Here are the ratings and my level of comfort.

Setting 1: Vest temperature of 110 degrees F, skin temperature at my chest of 93. Warm
Setting 3: Vest temperature of 130, skin temperature at my chest of 95. Slightly sweaty, body trying to cool itself.
Setting 5: Vest temperature of 150, skin temperature at my chest of 99. Uncomfortably warm.

I took these measurements at room temperature, after 15 minutes on each setting, but you could feel the heat changes within seconds. The higher settings seem unnecessary but in cold environments, I'd be glad to have them. The extra heat also works to penetrate thicker clothing, too, like shirts and sweaters. The vest's three heat panels are on the back (a large rectangle) and on the flank of the zipper on the front (two smaller strips). The heat was sometimes spotty, on account of the fit being not exactly snug. In fact, the vest's fit is a little on the big side, so good for larger Americans. And the synthetic materials seemed to breath well. When the vest was off, it offered little or no additional warming, fwiw, so you won't want to depend on this jacket when its powered down.

Although Blazewear has outerjackets and gloves, I tested this one because it seemed to be the most capable of being used with your existing jackets and clothing, which you've probably chosen because they also look nice. The vest is meant for sporting, but I declined to use it for snowboarding simply because of two reasons: the battery pack rests on my hip, and would be very painful to fall on, and although it would be nice to adjust the vest's heat output electronically as I went from the chair to moving, the control are on the battery, which is in a pocket and inaccessible. I wouldn't be willing to unzip and reach inside two layers and a pocket to do so. If I was going for an outdoor activity jacket, I'd get an Ardica, but I'd have to spend a lot more money, too.

The cost, though, is very reasonable. And I've fallen asleep wearing it on cold days on the couch, wearing only it and no blanket. For those who are cold and want unbeatable warmth that is electronically generated, I'd recommend this vest for those on a tighter budget who want to wear it while commuting or hanging around.

[Blazewear]

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The Gadget: The toasted bliss that is Ardica's heated jacket pack. I will never brave the cold without one.

The Price: Varies but around $375 for jacket and system

The lowdown: The idea of a heated jacket isn't new. But neither is the perception that such a set up would be heavy, bulky, sweaty and involve making sacrifices in the core material, features and breathability of the garment itself. Not here! Here's what Ardica's system is, and here's why it works and why I want it so badly.

The Ardica system is, basically a battery pack powered heating system that manufacturers can build into their jackets.

Ardica the company has a background in fuel cells, but they knew that making a consumer jacket heating system would require it to work in the real world at a relatively affordable cost, today. So the entire system is built around a power source of lithium ion batteries arrayed in a soft pack that looks like a waffle, and that fits in the upper back between a person's shoulder blades, in a pocket in the heated garment. The power source is 10 watts, enough to heat a person's core — and therefore their whole person — for 3-8 hours. 10 Watts of juice goes to the jacket's 2 elements on a wearer's front chest and one on their back, or through a USB jack which can power a USB device directly, or a 1watt sub-battery that can charge devices with its ipod/iphone and usb mini jack variants. The heat output is controlled via a LED lit waterresistant switch that toggles between three settings.

I still wonder what happens if the system gets drenched. Lithium ion packs have advanced management in them, but that management is electronic, and, can be foiled as we saw with all the exploding laptop stories from a few years back. What if you fall on this a lot?
You'd think that such a system would be uncomfortable, but within a few seconds of wearing it and turning it on, it had all the coziness of heated seats in a car on a cold winter morning or sitting next to a roaring hearth or napping in the sun one summer afternoon after a cold dip in a pool. The weight of the battery is about that of a large laptop battery, and since it's placed on my back, it was not noticeable, nor did it swing around while I moved. (Maybe while wearing a backpack I'd notice it.) The jackets are going to go for $375 with the system and a premium jacket. A little steep for an regular, non waterproof jacket which you'd wear as a layer under a shell, but the potential for comfort in the cold is well worth it and the fact that the system will be built into brand name gear like Mountain Hardware makes it a little more bearable. [Previously mentioned Marmot — I think I might have imagined that.]

Wow, it makes all those electric heated-boots seem clunky and old fashioned because, hey, what's more modern than a microwave? They make no mention, however, of how this affects the taste of your food; I'd like my frozen pizza with a waft of foot-odor thanks! CozyFeet cost about $24. [Gadget Shop via Shiny Shiny]

Actually: These might make a good last resort, but the chemical toe warmers are a better bargain than buying a new pair of D cells every 6 hours. And let's not forget, warming the torso with proper layering, etc, warms the extremities. [REI and the Giz Reader Meetup, thanks to Adam for being the leg model]

The only problem I see is that people may not want an electronics manufacturer designing their home furnishings. Perhaps a heated mat that you can put under a normal rug would be a wiser move. [Treehugger]

It's AC powered and not USB powered, unlike the Thanko USB warming mouse, which means it should have no problems getting up to an optimal temperature in a reasonable amount of time. We're not sure whether it's the keys that are heated or if there's heat coming through the cracks, but either way this is totally better than improving circulation through exercise. – Jason Chen

Product Page [Gizmodo via Pocket Lint]

Remember that scene in Batman Begins where Bruce Wayne is told to warm his chest so his fingers and toes won't fall off? Yeah, now Batman carries one of these under his suit at all times. And at a price of $129.95, he can afford about ten million of these. – Jason Chen

Product Page [Hammacher via Gearlog via uber gizmo]

The pants are controlled by a wired remote which goes into a pocket, and they're powered by a rechargeable li-on battery. The phrase "honey, did you recharge my pants?" will probably less awkward after you pick up a pair. – Jason Chen

Product Page [Brookstone via Red Ferret via Sci Fi Tech]

Slip the insoles into your boots, slide the wire outside to the removable battery pack, and sling the remote around your neck. Press "+" to add heat, and "-" to stop. What could be simpler?

The only downside is the $350 price tag, but if we had to stand outside in the cold all day we'd definitely spring for one of these. – Jason Chen

Product Page [Herrington via Coolest Gadgets]