Spy camera access card

This product may pose a security nightmare for companies and factories that don't allow cameras on their premises. The Spy Pass Card Micro Camera sold by Brando looks just like any other access card, but hidden inside is a camera capable of capturing still images and videos with sound. Its image and video resolutions are 1,280 x 1,024 pixels and 352 x 288 pixels, respectively; puny compared to even phone cameras these days. Still, that's enough to captures blueprints and sensitive business conversations.

This little piece of espionage will set you back US$174 and can be purchased online. Use it responsibly though, because if you are not careful, this access-card camera may just get you through the doors of a jail cell.

Click for more images

Via DVICE

Software aims to stop calls while driving

Dave Teater says his son, Joe, could really light up a room.

"He was always happy, always smiling--I never remember Joe being angry with anybody," Teater said. "He loved life."

Four years ago, 12-year-old Joe was killed by a woman distracted while on her cell phone. She ran a red light and plowed into the Teaters' car.

"You never get over it," he said.

His wife, Judy, survived.

Teater closed his automotive consulting business to take up a cause--warning others, CBS News science and technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg reports.

"I don't think people ought to use a cell phone when they're driving, period," he said.

Now, Teater wants drivers to go the extra mile--with some new technology for cell phones and texting devices.
Read more »

Fiat's eco:Drive teaches efficient driving

In the world of racing, everyone knows that the easiest way to get more speed out of a car is not to upgrade the car, but to upgrade the driver. The same goes for green driving. A driver trained in efficient driving can extract better fuel economy from a Honda Fit than a driver with poor technique in a Prius hybrid. Auto manufacturer Fiat thinks it may have found a way to teach drivers to get the best fuel economy out of their Fiat vehicles with the new eco:Drive program.

The eco:Drive program consists of a downloadable Adobe AIR application and a Microsoft Blue&Me equipped Fiat vehicle. For now, that means drivers of the Fiat 500 and the Grande Punto, but the upcoming Alfa Romeo Mi.To is expected to be equipped with the Blue&Me system as well. Users will also need a USB thumbdrive to transport data from the vehicle to the computer.

The process is as follows: Users download the application from Fiat's Web site and install it on their computer. Next, users will use the application to enter information about their vehicle and prepare the USB drive to transport data. It doesn't have to be a blank drive, and the files installed occupied only 223KB of space, but we expect that size to bloat just a bit as data is collected. Finally, users plug the USB stick into the USB port on their Blue&Me system. The system records anonymous information about driving habits and techniques.
Read more »

14 things to do if you are laid off from a tech job

I saw a great piece of advice in a recent story on US News & World Report called 10 things to do on the day after you're laid off: "Write a thank-you note to your former boss." I like that. It can't hurt, and if your boss hears of openings elsewhere, you're now that much more likely to get the referral.

Geeks and other tech employees are a little different from the vanilla workforce, though, so I wanted to put together a list of specific things that people in our part of the economy might want to consider if they're let go. Here's the rundown.

Quoted passages in this story are from other CNET employees, many of whom, like me, have spent time among the alternatively employed.

1. Get involved in an open-source project
It's where the most interesting and influential products are being developed, and more importantly, many open-source projects are filled with people who are also connected to companies that pay their engineers. Plus, obviously, working on a development project will keep you sharp and expand your skill set.
Read more »

Z Portal scans whole cars at a time

Traveling by airplane these days requires an X-ray scan of your luggage and laptop, but driving in and out of the country by car still requires a manual search. According to CNN, that's about to change. American Science and Engineering has created a device called the Z Portal, which is essentially a mammoth X-ray machine--about the size of an automated car wash--that can scan whole vehicles at a time.

Using a low radiation form of X-rays called backscatter, the Z Portal is able to peer through the vehicle to reveal hidden immigrants, weapons, circus animals, or whatever else someone might be trying to smuggle into the country.

Authorities are bringing the US$2 million Z Portal online Thursday at the San Ysidro port of entry on the US-Mexico border south of San Diego. Vehicles that are flagged for secondary inspection will be directed through the Z Portal where the vehicle will be scanned. Drivers can drive themselves through or have a Customs and Border Protection agent do so for them. Although American Science and Engineering states that the amount of radiation emitted by the Z Portal scan is about 1/2000th of a single medical X-ray scan, still, we'd hate to be the guy whose job it is to drive vehicles through the scanner all day!
Read more »

Crave is...

The name says it all. Crave is our new blog about cool gadgets and other crushworthy stuff.

Drop us an email if you have tips or suggestions.

Crave for...

» Mobile Phones (955)

» Digital Cameras (556)

» Notebooks (685)

» PC & Peripherals (744)

» Handhelds (350)

» Printers (49)

» Home AV (638)

» Music & Play (523)

» Gadgets (1179)

» Future Tech (239)

Previously...

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

Subscribe to
Crave

Today on CNET |  Reviews |  Crave |  Blogs |  CNET TV |  Digital Living |  Downloads