5 Great Spy Gadgets for Personal Surveillance

Some devices are incredibly purposeful and useful, some offer us additional options when dealing with a problem, some are small and suited for covert applications and some are just plain cool. What this new generation of spy gadgets has managed to do is combine all those different characteristics into one slick package. They are a great resource for anyone that needs to obtain information, monitor someone’s behavior or just simply record video and audio of themselves in a very inconspicuous manner, e.g. filming stuff on holidays without looking like an irritating tourist. Recording sound, sound and high-quality video are the options available to the average person for a relatively low price. These are some of the very best of the new generation gadgets that you might find very practical and useful in a wide range of situations.

1. Spy pen

It looks just like any old pen, only it has a tiny camera located just above the clip, so you can record when the pen is clipped to your breast pocket. Since the whole point of this item is to be discrete, it must both resemble and function as a regular classy pen, so the camera is limited to 1MP quality. The spy pen will provide you with 8MB of memory, it’s is capable of recording sound and can be motion activated. The batteries will last only about 2 hours, but you do get 1280 x 720 at 30 frames per second, as well as a rechargeable ink cartridge and ability to write things down just like with any regular pen.

2. Spy hat

A hat is a very simple way to hide a camera, but you only get 720x480 and 4 GB of memory. There is a pinhole in the middle of the forehead, so it can be a little more conspicuous than other models, but if thrown on the table with a bunch of clothes it practically disappears in the background. IT can be very useful for “not so covert” filming as well, as it seats comfortably on your head, leaving your hands free to work. 

3. Spy watch

Spy watches range greatly in price and quality, but you can get a good one for around $150-$200. A good watch camera will be capable of filming in 720p and even 1080p HD, with a good battery life, 8GB of memory and the perfect camouflage, plus it is always by your side. This allows you great freedom when recording and you can be sure no one suspects a thing – after all it’s just an innocent watch. Some models are even waterproof, so you don’t have to be afraid to get a little wet.  

4. Micro voice recorder

These are very small devices, and we’re talking fitting on the tip of your finger levels of small. They are usually shaped like a little black cube and can fit anywhere. The 4GB memory is enough to hold hundreds of hours of recorded audio, and the batteries will last for up to 20 hours of non-stop recording. This kind of quality is expensive though, over $500 in some cases, although there are some more cost-efficient versions out there, particularly GSM based devices that allow you to listen in on your phone but don’t record.

5. Button camera

Button cameras often suffer the same disadvantages as most very small devices – great camouflage ability at the expense of video quality. There are however top-of-the line button cameras that have microphones and offer a 1280 x 960 resolution video and even WDR technology that allows you to film in diverse lighting conditions.

To sum up, this is, more or less, all there is to say about these useful little spy gadgets, but the list of available options keeps growing and new and exciting gadgets are always popping up on the market. This list should serve to spark your imagination and provide some insight into the available options and the state of surveillance technology today. If you feel that one of this cool little devices would be perfect for solving a particular problem you might have feel free to search the internet, as there are a great many of options and plenty of websites that offer good deals.