Comments for spy-gadget

Comment on Spy Gear Spy Video Car VX-6 by Just Trying to Help "Product Guru"

Just Trying to Help "Product Guru" — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 10:30:50 +0000

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

Really cool, good price, some shortcomings. The kids love it., November 3, 2011

Just Trying to Help "Product Guru" (USA) -

= Durability: = Fun: = Educational:

This review is from: Spy Gear Spy Video Car VX-6 (Toy)

Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)

The short version of this review: This toy is really neat. My kids think its "awesome". Its amazing that a $60 toy can do this. If your kids are into spy stuff they will think you rock. It DOES have some limitations, but my kids haven't noticed them... even if I have.

The long version:
Overview: Owning the Spy Gear Spy Video Car is a bit like playing a video game. You can drive the car into other rooms and see where you are going. My kids love the idea of sitting in one room of the house while driving all over the house. In fact this is what they do. They haven't started using it for spying. Although, as you will read, its ability to actually spy is very limited. The kids LOVE IT despite its shortcomings. I don't think they are even aware it has shortcomings.

The good:
1) Night vision feature works very well. In fact, we often used it during the day if we drove into a darker corner.
2) Battery life was very good. We got several HOURS of play out of our 10 duracell batteries. Personally, I'm shocked. But we only play with it for about 30 minutes at a time, I don't know how long the batteries last under continuous use.
3) Camera clarity is better than I expected. We can recognize people's faces and read license plates on cars.
4) Signal strength: has been excellent in all our tests. The video signal easily goes through walls and has a very long range outside (NOTE: instructions say INSIDE USE ONLY).

Neither good nor bad:
Speed: This thing pokes slowly along, like a turtle with some hustle. I would say it plods along at 3 to 4 miles an hour. This is not a "CON". Its logical that a spy device move slowly. Also its very good for the "little brother" who couldn't drive a fast RC car, he ignores the video screen and drives it around very happily.

The not-so-good:
1) Eats 10 AA batteries. Rechargeables not included, unlike many other remote control cars.
2) Camera angle lets you spy on peoples feet with ease (see uploaded picture).
3) Has trouble with bumps larger than a typical door threshold (see uploaded photo)

As far as actual spying goes, its really not possible. My kids are OBLIVIOUS but here is my take:
1) There is no microphone. The manufacturer could have included an audio feed and plug a headset into the remote. But I don't really want my kids recording my conversations. Or other adults.
2) Its a bit noisy. It grinds along happily making about as much noise as a toy train. Want to sneak up on someone? Well, maybe if the TV is on.
3) The camera angle sucks. It should have an additional 15 or 20 degree upward angle so you can see more faces. For you to see a tall person's face when they are standing, the car has to be pretty far away (15 feet?) and then the objects on the screen are very small.
4) Nice red glowing light on car makes it easy to see in the dark. I mean, also for people you might be spying on.
But for me, I don't really want a great spy device in my house. SO I don't care about any of that. But a larger "kid" might see these as serious flaws.

Improvements I would recommend for the manufacturer (or for you):
1) Allow the video feed to be turned off. Sometimes its just not needed and its draining batteries.
2) Add Headlights. We taped on a flashlight with a CREE LED that really adds a lot of light. Something like this would be fine: Fenix E01 Compact LED Flashlight. I have a Maratac 1-AA and it increased the camera clarity in some situations. More light = better image.
3) Add Rechargeable batteries. Get some eneloop rechargeables. This is the kind you should buy: Sanyo NEW 1500 eneloop 4 Pack AA Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries with Charger They come pre-charged. The car takes 8, so you would want to buy at least 8. The remote takes 2. This drives up the price of the toy (thats called a pun, son). Anyway I love my eneloops, and using copper tops could get really pricey.
4) Get rid of the need for a screwdriver. Yeah, you have to have a screwdriver just to get the darn thing out of the box, its screwed onto a plastic backer. Then you need a screwdriver to open the remote to change the batteries. Its not a show stopper, but have your tool kit ready on Xmas day.

There is a more expensive car that on amazon that has more features... Spy Gear Spy Video TRAKR. I would suggest that the fact that this car does not have those features may be a... Read more

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Comment on Spy Gear Spy Video Car VX-6 by Colin Brown "Colin Brown Microsoft MVP"

Colin Brown "Colin Brown Microsoft MVP" — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 10:23:38 +0000

45 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

Great fun toy but could be better, October 27, 2011

Colin Brown "Colin Brown Microsoft MVP" (Birmingham, Alabama, USA) -

= Durability: = Fun: = Educational:

This review is from: Spy Gear Spy Video Car VX-6 (Toy)

Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)

The first thing you will notice if you buy this product is the packaging. The manufacturers have made sure that both the car and the controller is in no way going to move in the packaging. Unfortunately this leads to a little bit of time on unpacking it. The car is actually screwed into the cardboard backing and the controller has 4 lock nuts locking it into the cardboard backing. Both of these are then covered with tape so it's quite frustrating to actually get the car and the controller free of the packaging.
Once free however it's very easy to setup, simply unscrew the battery compartments on both the car and the controller, insert your batteries (this takes 10x AA batteries, 6 for the car and 4 for the controller) and flick the switch to turn both the car and controller on and away you go.
The bad parts about this toy are :-
1. The batteries don't actually last very long so over time this is going to be an expensive toy (cheaper to use rechargeables).
2. The screen size on the controller is tiny (only about 1 inch).
3. The resolution isn't high at all (I was playing with this in my living room and had a hard time actually determining where the car actually was and what the camera was looking at. It was as if I didn't know my own living room).
4. The camera in the car is fixed, you can't move it (angle it), zoom it in or out etc.

Both the car and the controller are well built, will survive a few knocks and should last quite a while.
If you can live with the above points (they are actually fairly minor (this is a toy after all and not really a piece of spy equipment) except for the battery issue) then this is actually quite a fun little toy. Recommended.

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Comment on Spy Gear Spy Video Car VX-6 by HC "HC"

HC "HC" — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 09:44:49 +0000

126 of 131 people found the following review helpful:

Compared to the Trakr Features, Disappointed :(, August 29, 2011

HC "HC" (USA) -

= Durability: = Fun: = Educational:

This review is from: Spy Gear Spy Video Car VX-6 (Toy)

If you are wanting to compare the original Spy Trakr and its features to the VX-6 to make a decision between the two, that is what my review mostly covers.

The advertising I read about the VX-6 between several different websites said this product had "all of the best features of the Trakr" and that is actually what sold me. With no reviews, and little information about this model or its features vs. the original Spy Trakr, I went ahead and took the plunge to get the product with hopes that; for the price I bought it for (which was around 99 bux after tax and shipping from elsewhere), it might end up being an updated model to the Trakr itself. However, when I received the item it was none of that!

What the VX-6 is in reality is a very bare-bones and durable version of an RC vehicle with live camera features. This model in comparison to the Spy Trakr has very few features.
-The camera is stationary. The info says the camera can be adjusted and it cannot. There is just no option to move it or tilt it.

-On the hand-held remote, there is an option for night vision and regular day vision. Night vision looks pretty cool. For regular daytime, the color is like on those old monochrome televisions. Not great for really seeing much. It's almost just like the night vision! Geez!

-There is no option to connect this to a computer for any reason such as syncing apps, programming it to do certain things etc. the way the Spy Trakr does.

Having expected to receive something similar to the Trakr and it not meeting my expectations for that based on the ads I read, I have rated it 3 stars.

Now, on its own and not comparing it to any particular product, I thought it ran pretty clean and appeared to be quite durable. It is not terribly fast, but moves along at a comfortable speed. It will go over carpet and has great traction on the stone tiled floor. It is not horribly loud either. The belts or the driver that keep this going are not silent, yet they are not blazing and screaming high pitched over the sound coming out of a TV for example.

The car took six batteries and the hand-held remote took four. All of them AA size. I think the battery life held up pretty well for the time it was tested out at our house. Still a good idea to get rechargeables, though. You have to have a screwdriver to unscrew four screws from a plate to insert batteries into the car, and then two for the remote. I was not terribly happy about that. More of a pain in the butt for kids when they need to change them out, but I suppose if you were driving it over very shallow water it helps to protect the batteries from moisture? In that case I can see that would work; again though, only if the water was shallow. We only tested this indoors here.

If I were going to purchase this toy or receive it not knowing the Trakr existed, I think I would have been satisfied enough to give it four stars for design, quiet, speed, durability and battery longevity just for the very short time I played around with it. Knowing however that the Trakr is still available and has so many more cool features at a much better price, I am unsure how I could even recommend this! The features of the Trakr are way too awesome to pass up, and therefore I had to return this product in exchange for one.

Please read my additional comment below.

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Comment on Spy Net: Video Watch 2.0, with Night Vision by Mike

Mike — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 19:05:49 +0000

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

First One Didn't Work at All - Will Try Again, October 11, 2011

Mike -

Durability: Fun: Educational:

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Spy Net: Video Watch 2.0, with Night Vision (Toy)

I bought this for my son for his birthday. It simply would not turn on no matter what we did and no matter all the troubleshooting we did online. It seems the internal battery is bad or is not wired properly to the charging plug. Anyway, we will order another and will post a real review if we can get it to work.

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Comment on Spy Net: Video Watch 2.0, with Night Vision by Teresa Minear

Teresa Minear — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:16:30 +0000

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

Spyriffic, September 15, 2011

Teresa Minear (Moab, UT United States) -

Durability: Fun: Educational:

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Spy Net: Video Watch 2.0, with Night Vision (Toy)

My kid bought this, he seems to love it. Took pictures of kids smoking at the bus stop. I don't think he realizes what kind of trouble this watch could get him in. The lie detector is 50% accurate on it. I could do better by guessing. The size of the item on a kids wrist is hard to describe. Its definitely a larger than a "normal" person would tolerate on their wrist. The kid enjoys it, so I guess its good. Be prepared to be irritated beyond belief with the purchase of this item for your juvenile.

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Comment on Spy Net: Video Watch 2.0, with Night Vision by michael

michael — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:16:03 +0000

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

Excellent Toy!!, October 14, 2011

michael -

Durability: Fun: Educational:

This review is from: Spy Net: Video Watch 2.0, with Night Vision (Toy)

This watch is awesome! I bought 2 for my sons and they love it! Works perfect, just read the instructions... I was surprised how well the night vision feature works!@

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Comment on Door Peephole Camera by R. Boss

R. Boss — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 21:39:56 +0000

37 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

Step 1. Measure door thickness. Step 2 drill 13/16" hole, May 13, 2009

R. Boss (Orange County, CA) -

This review is from: Door Peephole Camera (Electronics)

This review is on the PH35 Door Peephole Camera made by COP (COP-USA)

The 2 specs below aren't published anywhere (including the instructions that come with the camera). The door thickness spec alone would have prevented me from buying this camera.

1. It's best suited for a 2" to 2-3/8" thick door, but can marginally work on a 1-3/4" door using the ugly adjustment screws (see my picture).

2. 13/16" hole (or counterbore) required for lens to mount flush (that's a big hole!).

Pros: Nice color image when lens is not in direct sunlight, right up to sunset. In my case, 6 hours of usefulness a day at best.

Cons:
- Useless image 18 hours a day (poor image from sunset to noon when camera lens faces east).
- Bad looking installation for 1-3/4" thick door (very common thickness) (creates a 1/4" gap between door and camera).
- Not possible to hide and tuck wiring (like another brand).
- 13/16" is a huge hole to drill through your door.
- "Stock Product Photo" doesn't show wiring, size and adjustment screws of the camera.
- No product specifications (door thickness) listed on Amazon (and Spytown). If that information had been provided, I wouldn't have purchased this camera. I thought it would be a direct replacement for my black and white KTC camera (I was wrong).

Still want to buy this camera? Read on and see what happened....

I'll never purchase from Spytown (retailer) or COP-USA (manufacturer) ever again. I purchased COP-USA's PH35 door camera through Spytown. The camera was defective out of the box as the lens came apart at the wrong end and 7-8 pieces of the lens assembly fell out.

Spytown wouldn't provide an RMA for me to return the camera. 6 phone calls, 2 online RMA requests over a 1 week period, no response.

Since I wasn't having any luck with Spytown, I contacted COP-USA directly in hopes of exchanging it since the west coast office is just a few miles from my home. Big mistake! The operator/receptionist stonewalled me telling me I needed to work with my retailer. I asked if I could talk to a technician in hopes he could tell me how to put the lens back together. She connected me to a technician that agreed the lens came apart at the wrong end, and I could stop by to pick up a new lens. Just as he said that, the operator cut him off (apparently she was listening), and told me, "he has no idea what he's talking about and you need to work through your retailer". I can't even begin to describe her tone with me. The tech was a good guy, but the operator clinched my decision with that company.

I finally did get an RMA # from Spytown...coincidently it was 4 days after disputing the charges with my credit card company. 7 weeks after I sent the camera back at my expense, I finally received a replacement (hooray?).

Now I finally get to install it. I discover since my door is 1-3/4" thick, the camera will not mount flush on the back (inside) of the door. Additionally, the wiring cannot be tucked and hidden along the camera like my KTC b/w camera....so all the wiring just dangles from the camera. I didn't like how the wiring looked so I went back to the KTC camera after a few weeks.

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Comment on Alex Rider: The Gadgets (Alex Rider Adventure) Reviews by J. Zysk "Father of the bookworm"

J. Zysk "Father of the bookworm" — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 04:00:27 +0000

3 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

Alex Rider: The Gadgets (Alex Rider Adventure), February 2, 2007

J. Zysk "Father of the bookworm" (New York) -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Alex Rider: The Gadgets (Alex Rider Adventure) (Hardcover)

It's great book, I' got it for my son he read it in one day. The service was great, we' ve got the books in no time.

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Comment on Alex Rider: The Gadgets (Alex Rider Adventure) Reviews by Diana E. Carroll "dbang-mom"

Diana E. Carroll "dbang-mom" — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 03:15:24 +0000

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

fun for Alex Rider fan, August 15, 2008

Diana E. Carroll "dbang-mom" (Acton, MA USA) -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Alex Rider: The Gadgets (Alex Rider Adventure) (Hardcover)

My son is a huge Alex Rider fan. Has read each book several times, and watched the movie as well. So this book was a must -- he now thinks he's got the inside scoop on AR. If you aren't a fan of the series, I imagine this book would be pretty lame.

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Comment on Alex Rider: The Gadgets (Alex Rider Adventure) Reviews by reader mom "Becky"

reader mom "Becky" — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 02:21:12 +0000

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

Alex Rider : The Gadgets, January 18, 2007

reader mom "Becky" (Homer Glen IL USA) -

This review is from: Alex Rider: The Gadgets (Alex Rider Adventure) (Hardcover)

At first I didn't think I would like this book. I got it as a present. but it was neat to see the different gadgets Alex gets to use in each story. It made me want to read the next book (point blank) right away! I really love this series. (as told by my 8 year old son)

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