Q has probably been handing these spy devices out for years, but for the rest of us having a hidden recorder embedded in a pen makes all of us wannabe 007s. While it looks like a normal everyday writing utensil, hidden away in the innards of this pen is a voice recorder and MP3 player.

The Thanko pen comes in either 512-MB or 1-GB capacity, and will hold between 32 and 68 hours of audio. Since the battery will only last three hours per charge, don't expect to record your entire day and post it online for the world to hear. The pen connects to your computer via USB to transfer the audio files, or you can use the connection to load the pen up with MP3s or other data files. I think journalists are going to love this device as it will be able to record everything being said so no one gets in trouble for misquoting a source and students can pretend to be taking notes while recording their instructor drone on. — Stephen Schleicher

Thanko, via Tokyo Mango