The kids are too young for James Bond but just the right age for Spy Kids, so when Realtech offered to bung a pair of their Spynet Video Glasses (RRP £39.99) in the post, I hummed the Bond theme whilst the kids jumped up and down in the air.
The Spynet range covers 5+ but these critters are 8+. Undeterred, and large of head, the boy at 5 and a half plonked the Spynet Video Glasses on. And then he took them off again as we had to charge them for two hours. I went down the tip twice and got rid of an awful lot of rubbish. The boy watched both Space Chimps films.
It was worth the wait though, and I’m firmly in favour of built in batteries. Far less aggravation than digging out CR2032’s all the time. Or something.
The glasses themselves are impressively svelte, and not at all heavy for a five year old. And, whisper it, they actually fit an adult head. Result!
You can if you so wish take still photos but I would advise against it. These babies really work as intended, for video. The footage is shot at what’s called QVGA, which in real language means 320×240 resolution. You’ve probably heard of VGA, this is a quarter of that. What it means is you’ll not be shooting the next Hollywood blockbuster on your spy specs but that’s hardly the point. They’re great, they do exactly what they say on the box. Awesome spy style footage, as you can see from the clip below. The boy filmed it, so you get a really good insight into how a five year old sees the world. It appears to mostly involve staring at my crotch, which is head height.
If I had to have one quibble, I’d name a different coloured LED for recording as a definite must for MKII. Even I had trouble working out whether it was recording at some points. Having said that, you can’t really complain, especially when they Spynet video glasses are so well built for the price.
And now, the video….