Video Surveillance Clock

 

How many times have you thought to yourself, “if only I could have caught that on camera”. And perhaps you’ve even thought about hiding one of those video cams in the house somewhere in an attempt to catch a baby sitter, a house worker, one of your wayward children, or even a misbehaving spouse you might be suspicious of? Admit it, we all have a little spy in all of us, right?

Well, if you want to perform a little inconspicuous video snooping and catch someone in in the act that you might suspect, then have a look at the Video Surveillance Clock from Hammacher Schlemmer.

The Video Surveillance Clock is a smartly designed, attractive analog clock that has a motion-activated video surveillance camera and microphone built in. In fact, the video camera and microphone are so brilliantly concealed, it’s almost impossible to tell this analog clock is actually a video camera in disguise, no matter how  closely you examine the device.

Go ahead, have a look at the detail picture above, can you tell where the video camera is located? OK, I’ll give you a clue, it’s the small little black dot above the numeral 12. That’s it, pretty well concealed, don’t you think? No one will suspect your attractive clock is actually a video camera taking a picture of them. A very clever undercover spy gadget!

The clock’s camera image sensor is able to capture video at a resolution of 720px by 480px with a viewing angle of 62º at a distance of nine feet away from the object. And the embedded microphone is sensitive enough to pick up sound clearly from 16 feet away.

The Video Surveillance Clock can also take still photographs at a resolution of 1280px by 960px. Videos and images are stored on a 4GB microSD card included with the clock. The storage is sufficient to capture up to six hours of AVI video or hold up to 52,000 JPEG images. The surveillance clock can also support a higher capacity 8 GB microSD card if you need even more storage capacity.

Once you’ve captured videos or images, you can easily download the content to a computer with the included USB 2.0 cable. The lithium batter is also recharged with by attaching the clock to your computer through the USB 2.0 cable. A single 3 hour battery charge provides up to 1 1/2 hours of video recording time.

But remember, this is a motion-controlled camera, so 1 1/2 hours of recording time is actually a lot of start-stop video surveillance time. And the same full charge provides up to 18 months of stand-by-time if no video recording is actually activated. So you don’t have to constantly check on your video surveillance clock to see if the battery charge is still OK.

The Video Surveillance Clock is compatible with Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Mac. Dimensions are 2 3/4 inches in diameter with a depth of 3/4 inches, and the clock weighs 3 ounces. The video surveillance clock is definitely the perfect device for inconspicuously monitoring a room or office.

 

SpyNet Laser Trip Wire

 

Seeing valuable property protected with a network of laser beams in movies is a familiar sight. How nice if that were an affordable reality! Even as kids, lasers were merely fantasies which we adopted in our play to liven things up. Until now! With the SpyNet Laser Trip Wire, you can have peace of mind knowing that your valuables are safely guarded with a reliable security system.

Each SpyNet Laser Trip Wire set comes packaged with a four base unit that is able to protect the area enclosed by a class one laser. The class one laser is detected by the Receiver Unit, creating a string of light. Anything that tries to make its way across it will sound the alarm.

Obviously, one laser beam is not enough to offer sufficient protection. You can use the mirror units to redirect the receiver unit while forming a perimeter around the object you wish to protect. You may set up multiple SpyNet Laser Trip Wire sets to strengthen your security system.

OK, let’s come clean. The SpyNet Laser Trip Wire is not exactly a commercial grade security device, more of a kid’s toy. But it’s for real and actually works. Yes, you can actually deploy this inexpensive security device in a real security protection application.

The SpyNet Laser Trip Wire – For Your Entertainment

Each kit comes with an instruction manual so you don’t have to worry too much about setting it up. It has simple instructions that allow you to get the job done in no time. SpyNet Laser Trip Wire runs on 6 AAA batteries. However, these batteries do not come packaged with your kit; you’ll have to purchase them separately.

SpyNet Laser Trip Wire is ideal for protecting small areas such as bedrooms, precious artifacts that you like to display at odd corners of your home or that huge yummy Toblerone you have been saving for a rainy day.

Available: ThinkGeek

Price: $39.99

The World’s Smallest Camera

 

The world is obsessed with everything miniature. Bulky handsets in the past are replaced with sleek smart phones. This obsession has also spread to the fashion industry where modest long skirts are now hemmed just enough to cover the necessary. The mini trend now includes cameras with the introduction of the World’s Smallest Camera.

The World’s Smallest Camera measures at one inch tall and one inch wide. It is the size of your index finger tip and yet it is able to capture images with the same quality of the larger cameras. Weighing at 28 grams, the World’s Smallest Camera is equipped with 2.0 mega pixels like most mobile phones with built in cameras. To take an image, you simply touch the shutter button which is located on the right side of the camera.

On top of that, it is also capable of recording videos at 30 frames per second and with 640 x 480 resolutions; which is pretty acceptable for a camera the size of a marble. To ensure that you do not lose your precious camera, the World’s Smallest Camera also comes with a wrist lanyard.

Pictures and videos taken with the World’s Smallest Camera are stored in a 2GB memory card. Contents of the memory card can be transferred easily to your laptop or computer with the help of a USB cable. It is powered by a rechargeable battery that can last for 30 minutes with a one hour charging period. But 30 minutes of operation should be sufficient for the secret intelligence officer that is going to use this microscopic device.

Available: Hammacher

Price: $99.95

Spy Net Night Vision Binoculars

 

Which kid wouldn’t dream of having a pair of night vision goggles? The Spy Net Night Vision Goggles are pretty much like the real deal but it is made out of plastic instead of steel. The Spy Net night vision goggles are meant for kids but adults can enjoy using it as well. It uses the actual night vision technology and it pretty much works like a real night vision goggle. This toy is ideal for kids who love to explore and if they are afraid to go to the washroom at night, this may be a lot of help for them.

You may think of it or consider it as a toy but never underestimate its capabilities. For the price of a toy, it has true infrared night vision and with it, you will be able to see up to 50 feet in total darkness. It has features like focus adjustment and eye width adjustment dials. It has four displays which are regular (black and white), green tinted, red tinted and blue tinted. It also has a long and short range selector switch. It also lights up in the front that displays to red LED lights to give you that Splinter Cell look. Who wouldn’t love that (yes, adults too)?

Overall, the Spy Net night vision binocular is a great gadget to have on hand. It is cheap and works like a real night vision goggle. It is powered by two pairs of double A alkaline batteries and comes with a neck strap which is about 13 inches long just to keep it close to hand.

Available: Amazon

Price: $44.99

High Definition Video Pen

What is sly, stealthy and also act as a combined spy gadget? The High Definition Video Pen! The video pen that sees and records all that is taking place in the setting. It is useful for college students to record a lecture, for businessmen to record an important meeting or even whenever you’re spying instincts surface.

It looks like your regular ballpoint pen but it is also equipped with a high quality camera and microphone. The High Definition Video Pen can record video and audio as well! The video pen functions as not only a useful spy gadget, but also a good writing pen.

The power source of this gadget is a rechargeable battery which is to be charged using the USB port. It is fairly easy to use. To record an audio or video simply press the record button. The built in camera is fixed above the pocket clip of the pen, and the microphone is located beside the barrel under the pocket clip.

The recordings can be played using a media player, and the high definition video pen is simply attached to the USB port in your computer. You can edit the recording and save it on to a file. Cropping and cutting the digital image/audio recording is also possible.

This spy gadget is of high quality and it is also affordable. It is suitable for amateurs who want to emulate Sherlock Holmes, do a bit of snooping around and build their detective skills. Certainly useful for anyone who can find a good use for it.

Available: Hammacher

Price: $149.95