Crave

You know a car is famous when a mere clone of it can fetch $300,000.

Such may be the scenario when an Aston Martin DB5 that isn't even connected to James Bond's goes online for bidding on March 12.

Liquidation house Eddison describes the car as "identical" in its "metallic silver grey" (ahem, that should be called "Silver Birch") and leather upholstery, which unfortunately is cordovan rather than the correct black. So much for "identical."

But even if this car trades on the Bond legacy like a distant cousin claiming peerage, it will be easy to forgive the high bidder: real Bond DB5's are the most esteemed cars in pop culture--and worth a lot more than $300,000.

Four of them exist: two film cars from "Goldfinger" and two promotional cars commissioned for the release of "Thunderball." The most desirable of that group is clearly chassis DP/2161/1, the "action" car from "Goldfinger" that had all the gadgets: most notably the ejector seat; most presciently a navigation system.

The Commanders Club (in uncharacteristically causal attire) with chassis DP/2161/1 in Los Angeles in 1992.

(Credit: Commanders Club)

The Commanders Club, of which I am a founder, had the pleasure of inspecting DP/2161/1 in 1992 when it belonged to owner Anthony Pugliese who acquired it via auction at Sotheby's for $275,000 in 1986. We found the magic was in its honest patina as a used but not abused working film car with a direct link to Bondmania. Many of the gadgets like bumper rams, machine guns, and homing screen worked in a rudimentary fashion, but the tire shredders that extended from the wheel hubs were nonfunctional film illusions.

In true espionage fashion DP/2161/1 has been missing since 1997 when it was stolen from a secure hangar in Boca Raton, Florida, where Pugliese stored it when it wasn't touring. The full story is fascinating. Many call the car priceless but it's probably worth $4 to $6 million today if still in good condition, wherever it is.

Of the other three Bond DB5's, two (DB5/2008/R and DB5/1486/R) are believed to be in private collections and one (DB5/2017/R) is at the Louwman Collection at the Dutch National Automobile Museum. They are celebrated cars, but can't approach the value of DP/2161/1.

When it comes to authenticity, however, no DB5 can really claim highest rank in the Bond community: in the novels Bond, like Ian Fleming himself, was a Bentley man.

(Credit: Ajoka)

There's nothing worse for a spy than being busted just because the voice recorder pen can't be used when the villain tries to sign a check. Which is probably why this lighter/video camera combination might work better--at least you can light a cigarette when you're feeling nervous.

The Lighter DVR from Ajoka is perfect for any Bond wannabe. It records VGA-quality (640x480-pixel) color videos with sound, and the battery can last up to six hours. The microSD slot accepts cards up to 8GB, which gives approximately eight hours of footage. The microphone and lens are hidden along the front of the lighter, which has a torch and eagle motif.

At the bottom of the device are the USB port, media card slot, on/off switch, and record button. Although they may not be located in the most inconspicuous place, the camera's still discreet enough--provided you don't fumble and give the game away.

The price isn't listed on Ajoka's site, but Engadget reports that the Lighter DVR is retailing on the company's Web site for $150 apiece.

(Via Crave Asia)

Among the many other problems with the latest James Bond film Quantum of Solace, I was particularly struck with its seemingly careless stance on technology.

The latest Bond flick does get those bloody stares right. But what happened to the cutting-edge gadgets?

(Credit: Sony Pictures)

While I know they're just movies, the Bond franchise films--like Ian Fleming's novels--have always been geopolitical snapshots of the time in which they were made.

According to this movie, the British are pinning their hopes on skillful driving and fisticuffs to get the job done, while those dabbling in high-tech solutions to solve world problems are off-the-mark.

As in Casino Royale, there is no Q. Apparently, in this Bond's world, MI6 does not arm its agents with insight and tools from teams of high-tech experts. The few gadgets used are pitifully unimaginative. (CNET News readers wrote in better gadget ideas.)

In Quantum of Solace, Bond has a cell phone he can use to call MI6 and give the name of a potential villain he's met. MI6 can look up the name and send a photo of the guy to Bond's cell phone to confirm it's the same guy. Guess what? I, too, can call a friend, have them look up a name, background, and photo; and have the info sent to my cell phone. So can millions of teenagers.

Bahnhof's new underground high-security data center, called Pionen, is housed in a bunker designed to withstand a near hit by a hydrogen bomb.

(Credit: Bahnhof)

The Swedes, it seems, like to add a touch of flair to everything they do. Take Internet service provider Bahnhof's new underground high-security data center built in a former nuclear bomb shelter. Royal Pingdom says it looks like something a Bond villain would have for his headquarters, and I must agree. I think it looks like a combination of all the levels from the N64 game Goldeneye put together.

I want to live here.

Look at the amazing steam waterfall machines! They can be powered by German submarine engines! If that doesn't evoke Thunderball, I'm not sure what else could.

I haven't had a chance to see Quantum of Solace yet as it just opened Friday, but after looking at the amazing photos of the Stockholm structure after the jump, I'm not sure if I have to. ... Read more

(Credit: EON Productions)

From tricked-out Aston Martins with passenger-ejector seats to ballpoint-pen grenades and fake nipples (no, really, go watch The Man With the Golden Gun), James Bond movies are known for their gadgetry.

And since Quantum of Solace opens Friday, we got to thinking: what would be the best product placement imaginable for a Bond film? We have a few ideas, but we might not have covered everything, so if you can think of the perfect tech promotion for a Bond flick, let us know in the Talkback section below.

(Credit: Sony Pictures)

With Question of Sport Quantum of Solace just days away from release, Crave's car nerds have been clamoring to discover which new motors Jimmy Bond gets to pootle about in. We were sat here expecting to see an Aston Martin or a BMW, but surprisingly, the first car to gain prominence from the new flick is a Ford Ka.

WTF? Has MI6 been affected by the credit crunch? Not exactly--it turns out the Ka belongs to new Bond girl Camille, played by the delightful Miss Olga Kurylenko.

Apparently she uses it as a runabout, but in true Bond style, it's not long before the Ka becomes embroiled in an action-packed chase scene. In one sequence, someone--possibly 007 himself--can be seen diving out of the door just before it zooms off, possibly crashing into a low-flying helicopter.

Before you start moaning about it being a Ka, remember Roger Moore was seen driving a Citroen 2CV in For Your Eyes Only, and in Live and Let Die, Bond even got away in a knackered old bus. At least the new Ka uses Ford's Kinetic design--which means it has fancy trapezoidal headlights and is wedge-shaped to give the impression it's in motion, even when it's standing still.

You can have a look at what sort of tech might be in the Ka by checking out our video review of its big brother, the Focus, here. Alternatively, ogle Olga (and the Ka) by hitting the Continue button. When you're done, take a cold shower and watch some B-roll of the movie by clicking this link.

(Via Crave UK)

EPISODE 109

Nissan unleashes real world R2-D2 style droids on humanity

Watermill turns humid air into drinkable water

AU BOX offers Web, TV, cell phone convergence for the PC-phobic

Home sentry robot lets you keep a watchful eye from afar

Heated traction mats keep your walkway snow-free

A propos (of) nothing
Turn your hamster into a race car driver

Fug, Round 2!
Lamborghini builds a family wagon

Why didn’t I think of that!?
Good-looking camera carry-all from Acme Made

Pink watch
Blinged up Pentax DSLR anyone?

Kill me (or kill IT)
Elmo’s alive!

Tool Time
Sony release the Quantum of Solace Bond Z Series

Mobile spies have another James Bond-themed phone to toss into their exploding briefcase.

A limited-edition C902 Cyber-shot Titanium (pictured here in black) comes loaded with 007-related content.

(Credit: Sony Ericcson)

Sony Ericsson's offering a limited-edition of its C902 Cyber-shot Titanium silver phone--as used by 007 in the upcoming film Quantum of Solace--that includes a memory card packed with Bond, James Bond, content.

The phone comes preloaded with an exclusive spy-style game, and also with the full color trailer of the film, behind-the-scenes interviews with the stars, and exclusive content such as wallpapers and screensavers.

The agent uses the C902 Cyber-shot throughout the 22nd James Bond adventure as he tries to stop an environmentalist from commandeering a country's water supply. The film comes out in November.

(Credit: Eon Pictures)

The device sports a 5-megapixel camera, a slide-out lens cover, illuminated touch icons, face detection, photo flash, and auto focus.

The phone also offers BestPic, which allows consumers to take nine pictures of a moving object simultaneously and choose the best shot to use, plus picture blogging for uploading photos to blogs and PictBridge for printing directly to a printer, without the need for a PC or laptop. In other words, you'll have several ways to send shots back to the MI6--or your grandma.

The limited-edition phone does not, as far as we know, contain a hidden tape recorder, a flare gun, or a decoding device used to decipher encrypted Russian messages.

This isn't the first time Sony Ericsson has offered a gimmicky phone in conjunction with a Bond release. In 2006, it promoted limited-edition silver versions of the K800 and K790 Cyber-shot camera phones, which were used by 007 in Sony Pictures' Casino Royale.

The FlashlightDVR awaiting upload to The Matrix

(Credit: Swann)

Well, maybe not quite 007. I mean, for one thing, could you imagine James Bond walking around with a huge flashlight sticking out of his back pocket? Well, maybe the Timothy Dalton 007, but he was never that cool to begin with. Dalton did redeem himself in my eyes with Hot Fuzz, however.

Anyway, before this becomes a huge diatribe about how Daniel Craig is second only to Sean Connery as the best Bond, let's get back to the issue at hand. Swann Communications, a company that specializes in security monitoring devices, today announced a covert surveillance tool, the FlashlightDVR. The tool combines a working flashlight (with three degrees of brightness), color camera and Digital Video Recorder (DVR) all in one. In addition to being able to take pics, the FlashlightDVR also records video in one of two ways. Either internally, via the included 128MB flash memory, or externally through an SD card which is sold separately. The DVR in the device uses MPEG4 and records at a resolution of 640x480. The recorded content can be transferred to a PC via the embedded USB port. The camera also includes a night-vision mode, which is appropriate if you're a Cheaters staff member waiting to record a late-night hookup. There is also a built-in mic if you need just that much more incriminating evidence.

LCD schematics

(Credit: Swann)

At the top of the flashlight are all the controls a poor man's James Bond would need. This includes an LCD screen that gives info on everything from the SD card storage capacity to the battery charging status and several one-touch control buttons for recording, turning on the flashlight and taking snapshots. The flashlight can be powered by either three C-size batteries or rechargeable Ni-MH batteries. Conveniently the flashlight includes a Ni-MH charger with a 12V input.

This is undeniably cool as potentially creepy as it is

(Credit: Swann)

According to Swann, the device is being aimed at police, security guards and PI's, however I feel they're missing their biggest potential market--uber-creepy creeps--as long as they can afford the $500 price tag. Still as potentially creepy as this device is, the idea is undeniably cool and should fit nicely on my belt.