 "Inside every man is an investigator")
Earlier this week, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called on the people of the city-state to become "anti-corruption inspectors". Kejriwal said that people did not need lathis to fight corruption - their biggest weapon was the smartphone. So enter the era of the aam aadmi sleuth, carrying out sting operations against corrupt officials. Here is a sampling of the armoury available for the amateur investigator.
Want a new pair of spectacles? Get those which have a 5-megapixel CMOS camera and capture video in 720HD resolution. No one will ever suspect that you're actually carrying a camera fitted it. This ingenious device comes with a 280-mAH battery which means it can last for an hour or two. Available in different shapes, sizes and colours, it can easily be connected with a laptop through a USB cable. Don't make people smell mischief by trying to get arty angles for your video.
Price: Rs 2,500-4,500
Now this is one gizmo that will make you feel like a hot-shot dick. It is a watch - and a decent looking one at that - with a camera hidden behind the dial. All the buttons on the watch serve dual purposes. For example, the buttons on the left side can switch on the camera and act as a USB drive. The watch comes with a 4GB memory and can record both audio and video. It's extremely easy to operate and the battery can be charged in a short time as well.
Price: Rs 3,000-10,000
THE PEN CAMERA
Not that it will make you look like a hot-shot detective, but the idea of a pen camera does sound cool. And it actually is quite a handy device. It not only has a pinhole camera which can capture both audio and video, but it doubles up as a USB drive as well. It is battery-operated and lasts for up to three hours. Video quality may not be Oscar-quality, but being able to capture evidence without arousing suspicion more than makes up for it. There are various types available, with the prices starting as low as Rs 500 and going up to over Rs 1,500, depending on the resolution of the camera.
Price: Rs 500-1,500
This isn't exactly an easy-to-carry gadget, but it is extremely handy to put inside a home or an office. It is a socket spy camera, where the camera lies inside a common electrical socket. This spy gadget comes with a voice-detection mechanism - as soon as the sound level goes to more than 65 decibels, the device automatically switches on and records for five minutes and then switches off. It comes with an internal rechargeable battery and runs for about two hours.
Price: Rs 3,200-5,000
Many spy gadgets aren't available easily but can be made to order. Cameras that can be easily put inside a piece of jewellery, most commonly a necklace or a ring, for instance. Or a button pinhole camera that can be inserted in a button or a helmet to capture images and shoot videos. These come with USB connectivity for use with a PC or laptop.
Price: Rs 2,000-8,000
Note: Most of these products are made in China and DO NOT come with any guarantee of longevity.
Want a new pair of spectacles? Get those which have a 5-megapixel CMOS camera and capture video in 720HD resolution. No one will ever suspect that you're actually carrying a camera fitted it. This ingenious device comes with a 280-mAH battery which means it can last for an hour or two. Available in different shapes, sizes and colours, it can easily be connected with a laptop through a USB cable. Don't make people smell mischief by trying to get arty angles for your video.
Price: Rs 2,500-4,500
Now this is one gizmo that will make you feel like a hot-shot dick. It is a watch - and a decent looking one at that - with a camera hidden behind the dial. All the buttons on the watch serve dual purposes. For example, the buttons on the left side can switch on the camera and act as a USB drive. The watch comes with a 4GB memory and can record both audio and video. It's extremely easy to operate and the battery can be charged in a short time as well.
Price: Rs 3,000-10,000
THE PEN CAMERA
Not that it will make you look like a hot-shot detective, but the idea of a pen camera does sound cool. And it actually is quite a handy device. It not only has a pinhole camera which can capture both audio and video, but it doubles up as a USB drive as well. It is battery-operated and lasts for up to three hours. Video quality may not be Oscar-quality, but being able to capture evidence without arousing suspicion more than makes up for it. There are various types available, with the prices starting as low as Rs 500 and going up to over Rs 1,500, depending on the resolution of the camera.
Price: Rs 500-1,500
This isn't exactly an easy-to-carry gadget, but it is extremely handy to put inside a home or an office. It is a socket spy camera, where the camera lies inside a common electrical socket. This spy gadget comes with a voice-detection mechanism - as soon as the sound level goes to more than 65 decibels, the device automatically switches on and records for five minutes and then switches off. It comes with an internal rechargeable battery and runs for about two hours.
Price: Rs 3,200-5,000
Many spy gadgets aren't available easily but can be made to order. Cameras that can be easily put inside a piece of jewellery, most commonly a necklace or a ring, for instance. Or a button pinhole camera that can be inserted in a button or a helmet to capture images and shoot videos. These come with USB connectivity for use with a PC or laptop.
Price: Rs 2,000-8,000
Note: Most of these products are made in China and DO NOT come with any guarantee of longevity.