Prison weaponry has finally made its way into mainstream culture. The Honey Comb appears to be a harmless brush, but hidden inside the hair grooming tool is a stiletto dagger. Even better, and just to add yet another weapon to the ‘watchlist’, the Honey Comb is constructed of injection-molded Zytel, an ultra tough nylon that contains no metal, and you guessed it, can’t be detected by a metal detector.
I mean really, who comes up with this crap and what for? Suprisingly, it costs just $9. Who would have thought a shank could be so cheap, or expensive depending on which side of the wall your on.
The Secret Message Cuff Links look innocent enough, but are they really gateway paraphernalia? Includes 2 preprinted scrolls with quotes from Lao Tzu and Mahatma Gandhi, and 2 blank ones for your own inspirational words. Available for $50.
February 24th, 2009 3:13 PM | by Christen da Costa
Holy crap! Is this real? Apparently, the US government’s Digital TV Transition is a mass conspiracy to actually spy on unsuspecting citizens. How so? You know those DTV boxes the government has been so willing to pay for via a coupon subsidized program? Well, inside of them is a small camera and microphone, at least according to the video found below. Since I don’t have one on hand it’s difficult to verify the statements made, but what exactly are those two little devices placed at the forefront of this Magnavox box?
If it is a camera and mic, it might be fair to say this technology could be used for census data. Regardless of its use, though, it totally violates our civil rights. The next step is to get a bunch of these boxes and VERIFY the components inside of the boxes. Furthermore, if such suspicions are confirmed, the companies that engaged in these lurid practices should be boycotted, right?. It’s pretty clear that they’re on the ‘take’ since they wanted the lucrative manufacturing contracts and in exchange have no doubt kept, or will be keeping their mouths shut. Next we’ll find out that those DTV coupons are part of a bigger scam to shovel money around and buy DTV box manufacturer’s silence.
Update: It’s fake according to a Wired article. The guy who made the video glued an old camera phone into the box and thought it would make for a good prank. Thanks to everyone who replied to my IMs of amazement. I still wouldn’t be surprised if something like this happened.
The actual applications of the Spyball are far from practical, but we already knew that since the manufacturer is a toy company. Nonetheless, tweens and teens will enjoy its snooping abilities thanks to the built-in pop out camera that can record video and stills. It can be controlled by accessing the unit via the Internet, or connecting directly with it over ‘ad hoc’ WiFi.
The Spyball will be available this year for an undisclosed price.
Corporate espionage is probably pretty low on the totem poll of most executives, but yes, there are sleuths out there hired specifically to perform this sort of activity. Given the slumping economy and the need to make more money, you probably don’t wanna outsource for this sort of clandestine operation. The Swann PenCam DVR will let you keep all your snooping in house. Built-in to the head of the pen is a tiny camera which can record up to 3 hours of AVI video on the 2GB of flash storage. Course, the PenCam’s battery is only good for 90 minutes. Close talking will be a bit of a requirement since the mic only pics up audio within a 3 foot range.
The Swann PenCam DVR will be available soon for $120.
Full release below
Santa Fe Springs, Calif. – (December 30, 2008) – Swann Communications, the global leader in security monitoring solutions, proudly announces the debut of the PenCam DVR. Designed to covertly capture video footage and easily transfer it to the user’s computer, the PenCam DVR is an all-in-one surveillance system that allows anyone to make their own hidden videos.
The PenCam DVR captures color AVI video files thanks to a camera concealed in the end of a real working pen. All footage is recorded on internal 2GB memory, capable of recording over 3 hours of video footage. When the memory is full, simply unscrew the pen and the lower half of the pen contains a USB connector that plugs into the user’s PC or laptop for easy back-up. Audio surveillance up to 3 feet is made possible by a built-in microphone. The PenCam DVR is powered by a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery that lasts 90 minutes on a full charge and recharges via a computer’s USB port.
“The addition of internal memory is by far the biggest improvement we made to the original PenCam concept,” commented Guy Pithie, Swann Communication’s Vice President North America. “Our customers are also looking for simplified ways to transfer video footage to their computers, making it easy to upload to sites like YouTube. The PenCam DVR’s hidden USB connector is a clever way to easily remove video footage from the device without worrying about cables or adaptors.”
The PenCam DVR has a MSRP of $119.99 and is coming soon to Swann’s retail and online resellers.
See Swann Communication’s PenCan DVR and other video surveillance innovations at this year’s CES show. Swann Communications is exhibiting at Booth# 8559 in Central Hall.
December 30th, 2008 6:29 PM | by Christen da Costa
The Secret USB Flash Drive Watch is more about convenience than stealth. Why so? USB flash drives are small enough that they can be ‘jammed’ just about any where. The storage is a desirable 4GB, while the price
makes it a less attractive proposition at $50.
November 25th, 2008 11:12 PM | by Christen da Costa
Add a ransom note to the mix and you’ll be a full fledge kidnapper. In all seriousness, the portable voice changer achieves 8 different pitches and runs on the junk drawer allusive 9V battery. I’m sure there’s a practical application. Can you think of one?
November 19th, 2008 10:46 PM | by Christen da Costa
Looks like the days of Dick Tracy are far from over. The sWaP Watch is an actual cell phone. Just pop in your SIM, pair up the included Bluetooth headset and you’ll be making and receiving calls in no time. They’ve even managed to squeeze in a touchscreen, stylus, 1.3MP camera, MP3 player, memory card for up to 2GB of storage and audio recorder.
The sWaP Watch sounds spy worthy, but I’m taking my healthy dose of skepticism seeing as it only costs £249.00 ($463 US). You can buy it here
November 17th, 2008 2:03 PM | by Christen da Costa
One things for sure: Morse code is old as shit, but it’ll never change. So next time you’re in a jam, and the radio and cell phones are dead you sure will be glad to have this Japanese watch, the Eikowatch. Aside from performing the normal watch duties it also features a built-in flash light specifically designed for relaying Morse code. And in case you’re military days were numbered, or you’re suffering from shell shock, they’ve included the international Morse code on its face.
September 29th, 2008 4:42 PM | by Christen da Costa
Sorry, I can’t resist any spy related goodies. Featured in the head of this pen, embedded in the pin hole, is a color CMOS sensor. 4GBs of on board flash storage allow for up to 12 hours of video recording at 352×288 resolution in an AVI format. To watch, just plug it into your USB port and you’re one shaken martini away from MI6 academy. Expect a 3 hour batter life from the rechargeable Lithium-ion battery.
