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Spy Camera Watch Looks Like it May Actually Be Good For Spying
Posted by Kit Eaton at 12:30 AM on August 21, 2008
Forget those naff spy pens: This spy camera watch from Brando may actually be a decent spying gizmo. For example... can you see the camera in the photo of it? It's in the whorl of the numeral 2, and the watch is pretty convincing. It only shoots 352 x 288 pixel AVIs, but it does carry 2GB aboard, so that should be good for a whole bunch of sneaky vids, and its rechargeable batteries get juice from a USB connection. Just cover up that USB port with a sticker or plug of some kind so it's less obvious, and spy away. Presumably it also tells the time, but that's curiously not mentioned on Brando's web page. Yours for US$236. [Brando]
The Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch designed by NASA back in the '70s puts your puny Earthwatch to shame. Its anodised aluminium body can withstand temperatures from -148 to +260° Celsius, and its sassy red exterior is sure to impress any ladyaliens you meet on 
This concept USB watch, dubbed "Timeless" is either a fabulously ironic piece of deconstructivist electronic art, or a geeky overload. Whichever way you look at it, it's kinda neat: basically it's a simple digital watch, with an internal battery that's charged when you plug it into a USB socket. And then the same USB socket plugs back into the watch face, secured with PCB mount-style latches, with the ribbon cable as a strap. It's a concept... but I could rattle off a pretty long list of people I know who'd probably love to own one. [
The all-in-one device is not a new trend by any means. Whereas we've recently combined music players and mobile phones, our great-grandfathers were tinkering with other ways of saving pocket space...discreetly. In this rare English Patent Curiosa Railroad Pocket Watch Gun, designers stuck a 3mm pistol inside an otherwise inconspicuous pocket watch. Here's the reveal "shot":
The aptly titled 'Big Time' table from artist Lee J Rowland is, in fact, a giant 
Even before wrist watches—and now mobiles—replaced the pocket watch in the everyman's wardrobe, pulling something out of a pocket and flipping over a cover just to tell the time was known to be inconvenient. (Wait, isn't that how mobile phones work now?) This Cobalt concept, on the other hand, improves the pocket watch by shoving a small computer inside, letting you get temperature, your email, the time, the date, text messages and all kinds of nonsensical crap inside. Yeah, the interface is a bit cluttered, but the idea of shoving a connected PDA inside a pocket watch is something we could get behind—that is if our mobile phones didn't already do the same thing. [
Designer John Pszeniczny was trying to combine elements of Formula 1 racing with gems and crystals, and we think he's done well with his F1/Carbon GMT watch. It's even got a stopwatch and laptimer built in, and has the time in each of the cities on the F1 calendar. The red-lit display looks kinda mean, and the 18 identical embedded rubies sure are in the spirit of the huge cost of F1. The bracelet style would make it look like a high-tech tyre wrapped round your wrist— though we can't help but wonder about 
The problem with Chinese made cars in the year 2008 is that they're complete shit. It's true. Maybe in a few years they'll catch up to the Koreans, the Japanese, the Americans and the Germans, but for now they'll have to be satisfied with unlocking their cars with their watches. Who wouldn't?
Designer Luis Beruman's new ZeroPointZero concept is a set of digital watch handcuffs. Yes, that's handcuffs, guys: snap them onto your own wrist for that cool jailhouse look, or share some happy time with a friend. We know very little about them apart from the photos in the gallery. Nevertheless, this fetishistic concept has got us all excitable, and we want them made into a real product. Now. Please? [
The Pyxis GPS watch is a versatile gadget for exercise freaks — which also, judging by its looks, doubles as a blunt instrument that the CIA might use against their enemies when everything else has failed. With a gazillion functions, including time, speed, distance and even calorie consumption measurement, you can programme your goals into it, store lap exercises, and even keep your favourite routes on tap. Gallery and more on its other functions below.
