Most of the infernal devices never existed in the original Ian Fleming stories. “Our only excuse for using them” says screenwriter Richard Maibaum, “is that such devices are available and cry out to be buckled onto James Bond’s back.”

Interestingly enough, while most of the tech found in Quantum of Solace can possibly be made, Thunderball’s $US500,000 budget imagined up a whole slew of inventions that had never been seen before. Have movie goers become addicted to portrayals of Bond more rooted in reality, or are our gadgets so advanced now that we don’t have to make them up? [Modern Mechanix via Neatorama]

To start with, real multitouch makes a stellar appearance with a giant Microsoft-Surface-style table which Judi Dench–the head of MI6–and other agents use with ease, simultaneously. In fact, the user interface on the table–albeit adorned for the required Hollywood eye candy–actually makes sense and is extremely attractive, gesture includes. Everything on it is doable with current technology, even the part in which they place a dollar bill and it gets automatically scanned and identified.

There’s also the huge video wall at M’s office. Unlike the multitouch surface, this is a CGI effect. However, with enough money and the use of transparent OLED technology and gesture recognition, the video wall is also perfectly doable. In fact, I saw something similar in my visit to Philips Labs last August, although that transparent video wall–a simulation of a glass storefront–used projection rather than OLEDs.

Only a couple of technologies were exaggerated. One was Bond’s mobile phone camera capabilities–with 007 taking pictures of faces with 3D depth of field information from a very long distance. The other was the speed of data transmission between the mobile phone and MI6’s headquarters. However, you can perfectly imagine that all that may be real in the military world and just not available to consumers, specially looking at some of the latest camera and communications research.

But what really makes this movie is not the technology. Yes, it plays an important role: Bond gets geolocation information on the baddies, and he uses his camera to get some of their pics, which then are analysed and cross-referenced by MI6 databases. But none of it is a gimmick. There is no magic zippo lighter capable of launching kinetic rocket fire balls and save the day at the end of the movie. The technology in Quantum of Solace is realistic and it integrates naturally into the film, it flows with the plot.

What makes it the best Bond movie ever is what makes an action movie good. The script to start with. Serious, but also witty, and with the right amount of reality stretching. It even has an underlying social theme, which is interesting and relates to the current world’s political climate. Marc Forster’s direction makes you wish he directed Indiana Jones IV. His movie runs like clockwork, with the action scenes being masterfully choreographed and filmed, and painting a deeper, much more complex portrait of not only Bond, but also M, who gets a lot more presence in this one (and is Judy bloody Dench. I rest my case).

And then there is Bond himself. Daniel Craig really makes the movie work with his presence alone. He’s a badass, but feels absolutely human. He has flair and a taste for luxury–wait until he arrives to Bolivia to see what I mean–but he gets gritty and dirty all the time. He could be a psychopath, but you can see that he has heart. He can seduce a women into bed like the best Connery would do, but you can actually see that he cares about her. You can feel that he is a hopeless romantic below the cold surface. A guy consumed by the need of vengeance and the contradiction of being betrayed by the love of his life. Yet, at the same time, he still loves her to the point of risking everything, even while she is dead.

And he likes cocktails.

Yes. Go. See it. Now.

James Bond without Q is like toast without butter. Over more than three decades, Q’s work amazed audiences and saved Bond’s life. Q’s inventions confounded Bond’s adversaries and inspired engineers at the CIA–really–to stretch the limits of physics and adapt the most advanced technology to espionage needs. I used to run that department, the CIA Office of Technical Service.

“Q was an inspiration,” a long-time technical officer once told me. “When a new Bond movie was released, we always got calls asking, ‘Do you have one of those?’ If I answered ‘no,’ the next question was, ‘How long will it take you to make it?’ Folks didn’t care about the laws of physics or that Q was an actor in a fictional movie–his character and inventiveness pushed our imagination.”

Former Soviet intelligence officers have commented to American counterparts that Bond movies were carefully analysed by KGB technicians. The Soviets believed that Q’s gadgets telegraphed the Western technical capabilities that Soviet counterintelligence would eventually face.

But Q’s devices, unlike those available to American cold war spies, always worked exactly as they were designed.

The late Richard Helms, former Director of Central Intelligence, noted this contrast with Bond in writing, “[Our] operational plumbing…included…versions of some of the gadgets James Bond always had at hand. It sometimes seemed the more impressive a device appeared in the workshop, the more fragile it was. It took some experience before case officers learned not to fling these prima donna utensils into the back seat of an automobile, but to treat them with the delicate hand they required.”

By the mid 1990’s digital technology was revolutionising technical espionage just as the integrated circuit had done three decades earlier. IC’s made possible tiny bugs for clandestine audio, electronic communications devices and new sensors for collection and detection. But by 1999, software code–visually unexciting strings of ones and zeros–buried in a computer or a PDA, rather than sleek concealments, tiny bugs and miniature cameras, had became the heart of spy gear. In QoS, fast cars, exotic weapons, brilliant explosions and smooth seduction apparently remain, but the inestimatible Q and his amazing gadgets are gone, possibly forever.

Robert Wallace, a retired CIA officer, is the former director of the CIA’s Office of Technical Service and author of SPYCRAFT: The Secret History of the CIA’s Spytechs from Communism to al-Qaeda. Having appeared on Gizmodo many times in the past, he may be reached at www.ciaspycraft.com.

To be eligible for this promotion, you’ll need to pony up the cash: “For every $50 spent on participating Sony products, consumers will have the opportunity to win one of seven world-class Bond-style adventures.” There are also daily prizes including PS3s, 007 DVD box sets, movie vouchers, BigPond music download credits and adrenalin vouchers (whatever they are).

Of course, Sony are pimping the QR codes again, with the chance to double your chances in store by scanning a QR code. Considering each of the seven major prizes is worth up to $30,000 each, this isn’t exactly a bad promotion to try and win. For a full run-down of the prizes and specifics on how to enter, see the full release below…

Sony Australia unveils blockbuster Quantum of Solace consumer promotion
Win one of seven world-class Bond-style adventures
Sydney – 27 October, 2008 – To celebrate the return of the world’s most enduring secret agent, Sony Australia has unveiled a blockbuster consumer promotion. For every $50 spent on participating Sony products, consumers will have the opportunity to win one of seven world-class Bond-style adventures.

“James Bond epitomises sophistication, quality and international appeal, which is a perfect fit with the Sony brand,” said Toby Barbour, Head of Strategy and Brand Development, Sony Australia.

“Sony Australia is combining technological innovation with entertainment content to deliver the energy and intensity of Bond like no other. From the latest XBR series Full HD BRAVIA LCD TVs with RGB Backlight LED, to our new Blu-ray players with BD-Live functionality, Sony’s leadership in high definition combines with one of the world’s most powerful movie franchises,” said Barbour.

The promotion started on 27 October 2008 with daily draws over 62 days. In addition, thousands of daily prizes, including PLAYSTATION®3 consoles, 007 DVD Box sets, Adrenalin vouchers, Greater Union double-movie passes and BigPond Music download credit will be awarded. As an additional incentive, on selected Sony products, a range of exclusive gifts with purchase will also be offered.

Ross Fielding, Executive Director, Telstra Product Management said the integration of Telstra mobile code technology boosted the competition’s interactivity.

“This is one of the first examples of a major brand harnessing Telstra’s new mobile code technology, which is available free on a growing selection of Next G™ mobile phones. Using the Telstra Code Reader customers can easily scan QUANTUM codes featured on competition advertising to double their chances of winning Sony prizes. It’s an exciting response mechanism that bridges the traditional and emerging mobile advertising worlds to immediately connect consumers with campaign content,” Ross said.

The seven main prizes, worth up to $30,000 each, include:

UK Bond Adventure
Visit the Beaulieu Car Museum in Hampshire (formerly MI6 Headquarters). Take an extreme ride along the Thames in a jet boat and enjoy dinner at the famous Rules restaurant, before suiting up in style at one of London’s famous Saville Row tailors.

Italy Bond Adventure
Travel to Italy to live the high life. Indulge in a famed Sienna spa, enjoy a guided visit to the “Bottini” Underground waterworks, dine at one of Italy’s top private wine cellars and relax in five star boutique luxury.

LA Bond Adventure
Receive an exclusive invitation and tour of a private car collection at the Galpin Aston Martin. Dine with a Hollywood stuntman followed by a set visit and live stunt demonstration to practise your own action hero moves.

Monte Carlo Bond Adventure
It’s the lifestyle enjoyed by movie stars, royalty – and secret agents. Experience a helicopter transfer from Nice airport to Monte Carlo, before trying your luck at the Grand Casino in Monte Carlo. Then, enjoy some relaxation with access to a marine day spa followed by lunch.

Sydney Bond Adventure
Get your adrenalin racing with a series of extreme adventures. Travel to Sydney for a prize pack including a helicopter sightseeing tour, an extreme boat ride of Sydney Harbour and a day behind the wheel of an Aston Martin Vantage. Then, relax with some fine dining and luxury accommodation.

Las Vegas Bond Adventure
Experience the thrills of the Las Vegas nightlife. Receive return Limo transfers to and from the airport, try your luck at the gaming tables with a croupier/gambling lesson, receive a race car driving experience and then get the best views of the Nevada desert with a Grand Canyon helicopter sightseeing tour.

007 Cash Bond Adventure
Receive an attaché case filled with $15,000 cash and design your very own custom Bond adventure.

Double your chance of winning with QR codes
For a double chance of winning, scan the associated QR Code on your mobile phone. Click the link on the mobile site home page to receive a unique code via SMS. For consumers who cannot scan the QR code, an SMS mechanism will also be available to unlock the password. Simply SMS the word ‘CODE’ to 1999BOND to receive an SMS back with a unique code. Consumers can then enter this unique code online to receive double the entries in the daily prize draws when purchasing Sony products.*

For further information on this exciting promotion please visit www.sony.com.au/Bond.

About QR Codes
QR (or ‘Quick Response’) Codes are a new type of barcode designed to be read by mobile phones. Compatible 3G phones equipped with a camera and the correct reader software can scan these codes, revealing an interactive multimedia experience or redirecting the viewer’s phone to a URL.

Sony’s partnership with Telstra gives Next G™ network customers a seamless competition experience in more places. Next G™ customers with compatible handsets need only launch Telstra’s pre-installed Telstra Code Reader from their My Place phone menu and point their mobile phone cameras at competition codes to access video-rich clues for free.**

Telstra Mobile Codes were launched in July and already more than 1 million Australians have the free barcode reading software installed on their Next G™ mobile phones.

Quantum of Solace
Quantum of Solace continues the high-octane adventures of James Bond in Casino Royale. Principal photography began on 7 January 2008. The film was produced for EON Productions by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, directed by Marc Forster and stars Daniel Craig as the legendary secret agent, James Bond. The screenplay was written by Oscar® winner Paul Haggis (Crash, Casino Royale), Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. The release date only at the movies for Quantum of Solace will be Wednesday 19 November. For more information, visit www.QuantumOfSolace.com.au

*This is a free service for Telstra, Vodafone and 3 customers; however charges will apply for Optus mobile customers.

** Video clues are also available free to mobile phone users on the Vodafone and 3 networks.

The phone itself will come with 007 content preloaded (as is the case with the rest of the world), and is available now exclusively through Optus.

SONY ERICSSON UNVEILS JAMES BOND’S LATEST PHONE
Sydney, Australia -14 October 2008: Just in time for the James Bond Quantum of Solace* movie launch, Sony Ericsson has unveiled a limited edition Titanium Silver C902 Cyber-shot TM phone as used by Bond himself. As sleek and sophisticated as Bond, the new mobile phone will make sure you are ready for any challenge, immersing you into the world of a secret agent.

In addition to a 5MP camera equipped with a unique slide-out lens cover and illuminated touch icons provide quick and easy access to camera option, the limited edition mobile is packed with exclusive Quantum of Solace content including an interactive 007 content and a spy-style game, the full colour trailer of the film, behind-the-scenes interviews with the stars, as well as wallpapers and screen savers.

The Sony Ericsson Titanium Silver C902 ** – a style statement
• Slim Cyber-shot™ phone with unique slide-out lens cover. Cameraready in an instant
• 5.0 megapixel camera with Face detection and Auto focus.
• Illuminated camera touch keys. Intuitive guidance around the camera settings
• 160MB built-in memory – the equivalent of storage for up to 100 full resolution photos
• The phone incorporates the latest in lighting technology – Photo flash – giving better quality pictures even in low-light conditions
• Light solution added to the established BestPic™ feature -take 9 photos in quick succession, choose the best and delete the rest

*For more about Quantum of Solace visit www.QuantumofSolace.com.au. Quantum of Solace opens at Australian cinemas on Wednesday, November 19, 2008.
** The Sony Ericsson Titanium Silver C902 will be available in Australia from mid-October 2008 exclusively though Optus.
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