'Micro Orb': A spy cam the size of a golf ball

(Credit: BrickHouse Security)

Competition is fierce on the golf course even for amateur duffers, and some will go to practically any lengths to acquire the slightest advantage. And now there's a gadget that can give you a covert peek into your opponent's practice sessions if you can sneak it into his bag.

BrickHouse Security--the crazy outfit that's responsible for such gizmos as the "GPS Mail Logger"--has done it again with the "Micro Orb Spy Camera," a device that it says is the same size as a golf ball. This surveilling sphere records audio as well as video, so you can delight in all the expletives that will accompany every shank.

It records up to six hours of video at a time at 30 frames per second, but its battery lasts for only three hours at a time so plan accordingly. The incriminating evidence can be transferred with a 2GB microSD card. If you don't golf, BrickHouse offers some alternative uses--as a helmet mount, nanny-cam, and our personal favorite, a mannequin eyeball.

(Thanks for the tip, Bob)

[Woodrow_Packer]

The golf ball shape certainly has nothing to do with its function, which has nothing to do with spying on golf swings, which are too fast for VGA at 30 fps, and it would be difficult and draw attention to aim it directly at the player. Brick House must expect to sell it to people who want to surveil property or intruders by a device they can place and disguise, although an 8 hour battery life would be needed for most security purposes. A storekeeper, on the other hand, wants a camera that is big and obvious enough to deter robbers, but might want a stealth "eye" hidden on a shelf in case the crook tries to disable the visible device. The best stealth design for sports espionage, clandestine papparazzi, or beach voyeurism would be sunglasses with a high def videocam built into the frame. Perhaps it could turn one by scratching one's ear. But maybe the estates of Ian Flemming or Don Adams hold the patent.