Most of the infernal devices never existed in the original Ian Fleming stories. “Our only excuse for using them” says screenwriter Richard Maibaum, “is that such devices are available and cry out to be buckled onto James Bond’s back.”

Interestingly enough, while most of the tech found in Quantum of Solace can possibly be made, Thunderball's $500,000 budget imagined up a whole slew of inventions that had never been seen before. Have movie goers become addicted to portrayals of Bond more rooted in reality, or are our gadgets so advanced now that we don't have to make them up? [Modern Mechanix via Neatorama]

To start with, real multitouch makes a stellar appearance with a giant Microsoft-Surface-style table which Judi Dench—the head of MI6—and other agents use with ease, simultaneously. In fact, the user interface on the table—albeit adorned for the required Hollywood eye candy—actually makes sense and is extremely attractive, gestures included. Everything on it is doable with current technology, even the part in which they place a dollar bill and it gets automatically scanned and identified.

There's also the huge video wall at M's office. Unlike the multitouch surface, this is a CGI effect. However, with enough money and the use of transparent OLED technology and gesture recognition, the video wall is also perfectly doable. In fact, I saw something similar in my visit to Philips Labs last August, although that transparent video wall—a simulation of a glass storefront—used projection rather than OLEDs.

Only a couple of technologies were exaggerated. One was Bond's cellphone camera capabilities—with 007 taking pictures of faces with 3D depth of field information from a very long distance. The other was the speed of data transmission between the cellphone and MI6's headquarters. However, you can perfectly imagine that all that may be real in the military world and just not available to consumers, specially looking at some of the latest camera and communications research.

But what really makes this movie is not the technology. Yes, it plays an important role: Bond gets geolocation information on the baddies, and he uses his camera to get some of their pics, which then are analyzed and cross-referenced by MI6 databases. But none of it is a gimmick. There is no magic zippo lighter capable of launching kinetic rocket fire balls and save the day at the end of the movie. The technology in Quantum of Solace is realistic and it integrates naturally into the film, it flows with the plot.

What makes it the best Bond movie ever is what makes an action movie good. The script to start with. Serious, but also witty, and with the right amount of reality stretching. It even has an underlying social theme, which is interesting and relates to the current world's political climate. Marc Forster's direction makes you wish he directed Indiana Jones IV. His movie runs like clockwork, with the action scenes being masterfully choreographed and filmed, and painting a deeper, much more complex portrait of not only Bond, but also M, who gets a lot more presence in this one (and is Judy bloody Dench. I rest my case).

And then there is Bond himself. Daniel Craig really makes the movie work with his presence alone. He's a badass, but feels absolutely human. He has flair and a taste for luxury—wait until he arrives to Bolivia to see what I mean—but he gets gritty and dirty all the time. He could be a psychopath, but you can see that he has heart. He can seduce a women into bed like the best Connery would do, but you can actually see that he cares about her. You can feel that he is a hopeless romantic below the cold surface. A guy consumed by the need of vengeance and the contradiction of being betrayed by the love of his life. Yet, at the same time, he still loves her to the point of risking everything, even while she is dead.

And he likes cocktails.

Yes. Go. See it. Now.

Better yet there's even an escape pod accessed by a ship-wide secret passageway, and a place to install your collection of surface-air missiles. I'm certain I've seen both of those in Bond movies.

Plus you'd have the pleasure of owning a ship with the dubious cachet of once belonging to Middle-Eastern dictator, Saddam Hussein himself. The Iraqi government's the vendor, but if you're in the market for it, you'd better have no sense of style: apparently the interior decor is as crazy as the moustachioed-one himself was. [Photo: Luxist. DangerRoom]

Featuring a gigantic antenna, a 2-megapixel camera, Bond's "signature," stars, and what looks like a horrific dog/sheep spawn on the back, this phone is a prerequisite for any spy worth his weight in yuan. – Jason Chen

007 Phone [Phonedaily via Akihabara News via uber phones]

NSA: File-Sharers Unfit to Spy on Americans [Danger Room]

I happen to have been one of those kids who wanted to be James Bond. And having this "collection of essentials spy tools" would have made my day. The case itself is made of black plastic and has a motion alarm that emits a loud whistle if anyone passes too near. It's also got a vision scope, red flashlight and shoots two foam darts in case of attack by Fembots.

Inside there is a spindle for carrying DVDs, a compartment that is just the right size for an iPod. The motion sensor and the dart gun are removable, and there are some funky magnifying glasses in there too. Although this is the biggest in the lineup, it's not as neat as the Intruder Trap System. The Agent Action Briefcase will be available next fall for between $19.99 and $29.99. –Noah Robischon

But Bond's TX doesn't have high speed celullar data built in as EVDO, like the TX we unveiled about a month ago. Over $4,300 for this TX with a special case, a 7mp point and shoot, and a briefcase? Pass.

Shouldn't world's most fantastic spy have the most fantastic gear?

UPDATE: Nice to know someone's listening. Apparently, the 007 Limited Edition TX will have EVDO now. Excellent.
Sony's VGNTX007C Limited Edition Spy Gear [Engadget]

They showed this off this weekend in Beverly Hills and it was made in honor of the upcoming Bond movie, You'll Pay Your Good Money AGAIN to See Someone Who Isn't Sean Connery Run Around With Models. It's a COSC certified watch, which means it's supposed to be extremely accurate, and it has a helium escape valve for if you're diving more than 1000 feet. I personally love a good Omega, but this seems to be a bit much even for my semi-rarified tastes. – John Biggs

Product Page [Omega]