"Get Smart" Gadgets In Real-Life!
The movie "Get Smart" topped the box office when it hit theaters this weekend, taking in an estimated $39.2 million.
It featured a slew of new spy gadgets and, unlike the original TV series from the '60s, technology has now caught up to Hollywood's imagination.
On The Early Show Monday, Fast Company magazine contributing writer Paul Hochman spotlighted several cool, covert gadgets available at your local electronics store!
And, while Maxwell Smart may have bumbled his way through using many of them, Hochman sure knew what he was doing.
His descriptions follow:
Zippo Lighter Digital Camera
This is no lighter. It's a tiny, lighter-shaped color digital camera with a capacity for up to 79 pictures. To get your secret pictures out of the "lighter," just attach the included USB cable to it and plug it into your computer. PRICE $199; www.spyshopsinc.com
Teddy Bear Video Camera
This cute, cuddly little stuffed bear does double-duty as a hard-wired video camera. Inside the eye is a wide-angle lens (65 degrees) that connects to a recorder of your choice. PRICE: $299; www.spyshopsinc.com
AudioRecorder Pen
This mild-mannered ballpoint pen doubles as an audio recorder and stores up to 16 hours of conversation. PRICE: $389; www.spyshopsinc.com
Telephone Voice Changer TVC-1
If you want to make a call but need to disguise your identity as, say, Donald Duck, this is your item. Just press the button and speak, and the little box digitizes your voice and turns it into someone else's. PRICE:$29; www.olibuy.com
Babble Voice Scrambler
Herman Miller Babble eavesdropper-stopper: A "cone of silence" for any cubicle dweller tired of his or her office-mate eavesdropping on phone conversations. But, unlike the cone of silence in the movie, the Babble doesn't create silence. It recreates your voice, transforming your spoken words into gibberish and sending it out through high-tech desk speakers. The result: people hear your voice, but they can't understand what you're saying! PRICE: $695; http://www.thebecollection.com
X-Ray Spray
Envelope X-RAY Spray can be applied to any paper envelope, temporarily rendering it see-through. You'll be able to view the contents without ripping the envelope apart. Leaves no trace. We won't confirm or deny, but the active ingredient is almost certainly tetrafluoroethane, or R134-A. Note that United States laws forbid using it on U.S. Mail, "except by or with the express permission of the addressee." PRICE: $11.99; www.armedforcesinsignia.com
Rearview Mirror Spy Sunglasses
Super-spies and parents wish they had eyes in the back of their head. These inexpensive sunglasses conceal a secret: rearview mirrors that enable you to look behind you without turning your head. PRICE: 9.95; www.olibuy.com
LifeSaver Water Bottle
This breakthrough, revolutionary device will literally enable viewers to go anywhere in the world and drink the water, fear-free. Imagine an agent in a country with questionable tap water. We could get water from Central Park, and I'd drink it. The LifeSaver water bottle makes any water 100 percent free of all bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi and microbiological pathogens. PRICE: 229; www.lifesaverbottleusa1.com
AT&T Video Share Service
AT&T Video Share-capable phones enable a caller on one end of the line to send/share live video images of what he or she sees over a wireless phone, in real time. Basically, a live digital video camera that records video, compresses it into a tiny space, and sends it along with the voice. The Video Share service is currently available on 13 AT&T handsets, including the latest touch-screen LG Vu that also has Mobile TV. PRICE: Plans start at $4.99 per month with two different packages available for 25 minutes of Video Share usage, or $9.99 each month for 60 minutes of usage. Users also may choose to pay as they go and pay 35 cents a minute each time they use the service; www. Wireless@att.com