Thanko's Spy Button video camera, because you've already failed

So what if Thanko's ¥5,980 (about $62) Spy Button Camera doesn't look exactly like the other buttons on your shirt. Anyone inclined to wear such a device to covertly record VGA video at 15fps (or 1280x1024 stills) to 4GB of internal memory isn't likely to get noticed in a crowd anyway. At least the magnetic on/off switch gives renewed purpose to your wedding ring while offering evidence of your continued poor decision making skills. Just be sure to bring your inhaler to keep your breathless excitement in check.

[Via Akihabara News]

[AMiSH PiRATE @ Jul 2nd 2009 4:47AM]

but if I pony up and get 8 of these bad boys, my buttons WILL blend and I'll be able to record video with a hella high vertical resolution!

[B3astofthe3ast @ Jul 2nd 2009 5:12AM]

Good thinking!

[deus_ed @ Jul 2nd 2009 5:52AM]

Then you can do those nifty matrix effects too!

[TimmyRaa @ Jul 2nd 2009 5:53AM]

Now *that* is lateral thinking! Well, vertical thinking...

[Quantumphysics @ Jul 2nd 2009 9:15AM]

Drug dealers like wearing those big stupid dark glasses. Put a camera in those.

[john @ Jul 2nd 2009 11:17AM]

LOL. That was probably the funniest mini product review I have read in a long time. Laughed out loud.

[recharged95 @ Jul 2nd 2009 2:10PM]

[quantumphysics]
http://lorexstore.lorextechnology.com/product.aspx?id=2074&gclid=CKas_oXPt5sCFSIuagodsSNiBA

Been there done that.

[William Su @ Jul 3rd 2009 12:18AM]

i respect you

[IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII (BarCODE) @ Jul 3rd 2009 6:41AM]

Now if they only made button up shoes.

[eSocrates @ Jul 2nd 2009 4:49AM]

Now see, that buttons all wrong.
Its the second button that makes the shirt.
that one is to close the the first button

[Florin @ Jul 2nd 2009 6:03AM]

Props for the Seinfeld shout-out ;)

[Fade2blac @ Jul 2nd 2009 4:57AM]

Couldn't I just replace that button with another? Nothing a little glue gun action couldn't handle.

[Duke @ Jul 2nd 2009 10:31AM]

If your button has camera holes in it sure.

[Dyranios @ Jul 2nd 2009 5:16AM]

what's with the underlying nerd rage in this blog post

[giuliop @ Jul 2nd 2009 5:57AM]

It's that he's failed so many times he has fail to give for free.

[smak @ Jul 2nd 2009 12:28PM]

Sounds like Thomas Ricker may have been caught cheating with such a device. Cheating on his dork exam, that is.

[Geert @ Jul 2nd 2009 5:34AM]

If some decent hardware company would spend some time then this thing can be easily shrunk inside a button, this device is huge...

[JZ @ Jul 2nd 2009 6:04AM]

Most likely it´s already done though not at this pricetag, size comes at a price as ussually.

Further a smal design flaw imo is that they should have used one of the 4 holes to make it less obvious. Though kinda disturbing that some peeping tom would walk around with this.

[Freakin Ijit @ Jul 2nd 2009 6:41AM]

Could probably rig something up to just use the buttonhole itself (not the button's hole).

[Aaron @ Jul 2nd 2009 5:47AM]

Hey Honey, you don't mind if I leave my shirt on, do you?

[TimmyRaa @ Jul 2nd 2009 5:54AM]

And my socks? My feet smell a bit.
...
...
Hey, where are you going?

[ShyGuy91284 @ Jul 2nd 2009 6:50AM]

Ummm... Did they ever think to give you a matching set of buttons? If you're willing to sacrifice a shirt to be your spy shirt, this could blend right in if additional similar looking buttons were included.

[Musouka @ Jul 2nd 2009 7:19AM]

Exactly. It won't cost them much but will definitely give their product better appeal.

[Mike @ Jul 2nd 2009 8:13AM]

If you follow the "Read" link, they appear to offer several additional buttons for your matching pleasure.

[BobSpaceTech @ Jul 2nd 2009 7:17AM]

That is nifty. I wonder if it'd hold up in the wash as well as most USB drives....

[Jenni @ Jul 2nd 2009 8:35AM]

That's pretty funny! Think of all the covert things you could do with this button on your shirt, a real James Bond 007 invention. But then again, it could be a bit useless if you need to not be near whatever/whoever you're spying on. So possibly not the best spy tool, but a funny idea anyway. If I can find it on DubLi.com, I'll be sure to buy it!

[wickedpheonix @ Jul 2nd 2009 8:49AM]

We needed to drop these en masse in Iran a couple weeks ago.

[timothymichaelrobinson @ Jul 2nd 2009 8:59AM]

What's the point of this? Perving?! It's not exactly Spy-Spec...

Just put your camera phone in a breast pocket, make a little hole in the fabric and do this for nothing.

[dcnoren @ Jul 2nd 2009 9:45AM]

Yes, but - the camera lens on most point and shoots extends itself while on, so having a little camera lens... umm... pokage.... isn't obvious in the least.

;-)

[alan @ Jul 2nd 2009 10:49AM]

"hey, that button is magically floating on with invisible thread"

[Toy Yoda @ Jul 2nd 2009 11:22AM]

Maybe not this particular device, but why do you think this has use only for perving? Get your minds out of the gutter. :)

Admittedly, all my examples are comic, but it does suggest activities beyond perving:

I'm sure a drug dealer can find many uses for it.

An argument with your spouse can be ... uh.. interesting:
"No honey, that's not what you said... let's go to the video tape...."

A girl can record her dinner date, and then discuss it with her posse later.

I certainly wish I had one when I got pulled over by an "impolite" cop. (I won the court case.)

You might want to have one before you get stupid drunk. That way, you can re-live the embarrassing moments your friends told you about when you couldn't remember.

A robber might want to use it to scout the layout of a bank, or casino.

Spying on a neighbor or relative's family when there's evidence of child/animal abuse, and being able to backup your statement when you report it to officials. Sure bruises are good evidence, but they can be explained away.

Anyways, but the most fun you can have with it is perving. :)

[John Stracke @ Jul 2nd 2009 3:51PM]

For recording cops, definitely. Anybody organizing a protest these days should buy a gross of these.

For recording your spouse—no. It won't help. Really.

[David @ Jul 2nd 2009 11:37AM]

Except most wedding rings are made of gold which isn't magnetic. Of course most rings are made of gold alloy, I doubt the magnetic field would be strong enough to set this camera off.

[Victor Stuber @ Jul 2nd 2009 1:27PM]

is it bad that I want this?

[uclafalcon @ Jul 2nd 2009 1:46PM]

I purchased one of these as part of a whole package of "spy" stuff. It actually came with 4 other buttons that look like the fake button, so you can make a custom "Spy Shirt" where the buttons match.

No instructions mentioned what the magnetic wedding ring it came with was for - glad to know what it's for now!

[William Su @ Jul 3rd 2009 12:18AM]

good for movie theater or filming at conventions

[Garst @ Jul 3rd 2009 2:17AM]

Shirts with buttons?