High tech gloves have been around for some time now, starting with sophisticated heating systems, making phone calls via Bluetooth link to a cell phone or controlling an iPod.

Zanier, an Austrian based company has announced the most innovative and technically sophisticated glove on the planet, the X-Plore.XGX with integrated GPS and mini display on the thumb.

While I do not think the GPS will be very helpful of avoiding to get lost on the ski slopes I do like the additional functions GPS technology offers: the measurement of altitude, speed, distance, duration and other route data. All these data can be check on the small display but they are also stored and can be downloaded to a computer via USB.

This recording of the action makes it for me an perfect synergy of technology with clothing. No additional piece of gear is needed to fill up the pockets, just put on your gloves and you get a complete action recorder. And having already GPS on the finger tips – yes you can rest assured to never get lost anymore during your ski vacation.

Hardcore action winter sport enthusiast have now their own flight recorder in the gloves, recording those incredible races down the hills and can show them off on their social websites as proof of their high adrenalin vacation in the Alps.

Zanier plans to introduce the GPS gloves for the 2010-11 winter season. No price point is set yet but you have now 12 month time to save up for these top of the line gloves.

[source: ISPO media services]

Hidden inside this ordinary students Backpack is a real-time GPS tracking unit with audio capability. You can ‘call’ into the tracking device inside the backpack and listen to what is being discussed around the unit!

This sounds very much like James Bond gear but it is reality. For the fabulous price of $1,200.- it’s not only the highest price I have seen for a backpack it’s also the most sneakiest on the block.

Marketed as ‘the ideal solution for children and/or teens who run the possibility of being kidnapped or venturing into “bad” neighborhoods’, the GPS Backpack with audio capabilities allows to sneak up on your kids via the hidden real-time GPS tracker via a password-protected website.

Besides keeping a (very) close ear on your kids, Grandchildren & Teenagers it is supposed to be also helpful in locating people suffering from Alzheimer’s or keep your ears on employees like sales and service staff in the field to check if they are sneaking off for a while.

As much as I love when technology is merged into bags, this is a bit too much of a ‘Big Brother’ feature but yet again, for certain professions like MI6 or CIA, wearable technologies might offer new possibilities.

After releasing the most comprehensive Wearable Electronic apparel range for this season, O’Neill Europe, announced the launch of their next High Tech Jacket for the Fall/Winter season 2008/09, the NavJacket – a GPS navigation integrated into a high performance Gore-Tex® jacket.

The NavJacket is a collaboration between O’Neill’s Wearable Electronic group and MyGuide – a company delivering GPS navigation solutions.

The NavJacket will help you to navigate through terrain you are not familiar with by entering your desired location and let you guide through the back country.

There are two ways the guidance is done; either via a display (OLED) on the sleeve or via voice guidance via the headphones integrated into the hood of the jackets. Yeah, that’s a lot of technology inside this jacket which will make it the most advanced apparel on the planet.

But the O’Neill team didn’t stop here. Your current speed, up-to-date local weather forecasts, and in-depth details about your route, such as distance and time have all been incorporated into the flexible display on the sleeve of the jacket.

Another cool feature planned for the NavJacket is the friend finder function, which will allow you to either track down friends, or choose to follow their path through the slopes.

The NavJacket will be tested the coming winter season on selected areas in the Alps. If you are lucky, you might see someone zipping past you or queuing up on the lift.

I have no doubt that O’Neill is pulling this High Tech Jacket out of their sleeves for the next winter season considering their track record of introducing the most advanced Wearable Electronic apparels for many years now with technologies that seemed ‘impossible’.

[source: Boardsport Source]

BladeRunner, a clothing manufacturer from UK that specializes in equipment for the police and security services has launched recently the first school uniform in slash-proof Kevlar. Considering the situation nowadays in some schools and on the way to the school, this might not be such a bad idea as it might sound initially.

The latest addition to BladeRunner’s protective clothing is a jacket that includes GPS technology. The idea is not new, we have seen this before but that was a one off and not available for the common public like you and me. BladeRunner realized this concept by launching the GPS Jacket for kids as well for grown ups.

With a monthly fee of £10 ($20.5) for the satellite tracking you are ready to go anywhere without getting lost. The battery keeps the GPS running for around 15 hours, long enough for your longest trip outside.

The tracking is done via a web-based system on a secure site, no need to install anything, just fire up your web-browser, login and start monitoring your kids walking around in Google Maps. The tracking is not limited only to a specific area, it works everywhere around the world.

The system updates every 10 seconds and there is no need to be behind a computer all the time. Email alerts can be sent to your Blackberry or text messages to your mobile about the whereabout of your Jacket. The accuracy of the Jackets GPS system pinpoints you down to an area of just 4 spare meter.

All this might appeal to a certain type of over-protective, borderline paranoiac parents with too much time on their hands but Blade Runners GPS Jackets could be a interesting purchase for the peace of mind.

An there are other uses that might have even greater appeal and safety value: doing adventure sports, like snowboarding, skiing, tracking in the great wilderness, many things can happen. Visibility falls to zero, God forbid you get into an avalanche, fall into a trench, you name it. If you have the GPS Jacket, your friends and family can guide the rescue team to your location easily.

The many functions BladeRunner offers with their GPS Jacket has it’s value in certain situation, especially in the safety aspect of sometimes a little bit dangerous outdoor activities and if you feel the need for extreme protection (monitoring) of your kid, you have the choice to do so.

The Trailblazer GPS Jacket goes for £350.- ($718.-) and the Children GPS Tracker Jacket for £250.- ($513.-) directly by BladeRunner.