Skyfall gear guide: All the gadgets fit for a spy

Skyfall hits theaters in the United States later this week, but many of the gadgets Bond will use are already available to buy – if you have a Bond budget. Prepare your lusty eyes over these one-of-a-kind pieces.

While the latest 007 flick, Skyfall, has already popped up in UK theaters, those of us in the States will lay eyes on Daniel Craig’s third go around as Bond this Friday, November 9. Of course, the super sleek spy is known for a closet full of badass gadgets, and Skyfall is no exception. Here’s a first look at all the gear Bond will be sporting in Skyfall – and where you can snag some for your next mission.

Aston Martin DB5

Plenty of exotic automotive nameplates have graced the Bond films throughout the decades — Lotus, BMW, and Jaguar have all served as four-wheel chariots for the dapper double O. But another car, more than any other, has come to define our beloved MI6 agent, and that car is the Aston Martin DB5.

Marking its third appearance in the long-running Bond franchise, the iconic Aston is back. We’re not sure what additional gadgets and weaponry the classic car may feature, but we expect upgrades to the original’s bulletproof shield, passenger ejector seat, oil slick sprayer and pop-out guns are in order. Consider our excitement shaken, not stirred, to see DB5 in action once again.

Walther PPK

If you’ve seen the trailer for Skyfall, you might have noticed that Q is a lot younger than we’re used to seeing. In one scene, he is seen issuing Bond a brand new Walther PPK. Perhaps his most personalized gadget yet, this re-modified version of classic Bond handgun has a palm-sensitive biometric reader that will not fire unless Bond is the one holding the firearm. So, enemies, if you’re out of ammo, don’t bother trying to snatch this bad boy from the man. It’s not Bond’s most powerful weapon to date, but it sure is pretty cool.

Globe-Trotter Stabilist Rifle Case

Produced just for Skyfall, this limited-edition rifle case features an aluminium body with a diamond-quilted lining and chrome locks so even your weapons get the ultra-luxe accommodation. The handle in this commercial edition also has the telescopic sight, replicating the James Bond’s version to a tee (without the actual functionality, of course. We can only dream.) Globe-Trotter has crafted only 100 of these for global sale at a retail value of £5,000 (approximately $8,000 USD) so get your order in while supplies last, if you’ve got the cash.

Sony Xperia TL

Every gadget James Bond uses is full of crazy doo-dads and secret features. Oddly enough, with a modern smartphone, there’s an app for just about everything. The Sony Xperia TL is set to be Bond’s phone of choice in Skyfall, and this time he’s in for a treat. The TL will soon be released on AT&T and comes with a 4.6-inch HD screen and an impressive 13-megapixel camera, which we’d imagine would be good for spying. Bond might also make use of the NFC capabilities of the TL, which can pair with other devices by simply tapping it on them. The only downside is that Bond will be stuck using Android 4.0 at launch. Like the rest of us, he’ll have to wait for an upgrade to Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) … unless, of course, Q has already hacked into the system to give him all the apps he’ll ever need.

Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M

Think you can walk into your nearest Omega retailer, spend big bucks, and get yourself a piece of that James Bond flavor? Well, yes and no. The special edition watch Bond wears in the film can perform any function a phone can (and then some), so expect some hidden tricks to unveil throughout the movie. While your Omega might not be able to shoot lasers, it is equipped with a scratch-resistant crystal dome, a chromium-nitride diving scale, rhodium-plated hands, steel case, and is water-resistant for up to 2,000 feet deep. The limited-edition Planet Ocean Skyfall edition is slated for release some time before the year’s end, with prices to be announced. Bond can be seen wearing the watch in some of the promotional posters, along with a classic black suit. Speaking of which…

Bespoke Tom Ford suit

Hardly a gadget but hardly James Bond without, the staple Tom Ford suit is a must-have if you’re looking to cop Bond’s style. The custom tailored suit uses breathable, flexible fabric that allows Bond to both battle and strut while maintaining a modern fit.

[Additional reporting by Amir Iliaifar and Jeffrey Van Camp]

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Her majesty’s secret smartphone, the Sony Xperia TL, coming to AT&T Nov. 2 for $100

The Sony Xperia TL will be available on AT&T from November 2 for $100 on a two-year contract. The new phone will be featured in the new Bond movie Skyfall and comes with a 13-megapixel rear camera.

We covered the announcement of the Sony Xperia TL on AT&T and now we can bring you the details on the release date and price. AT&T has just revealed that the “James Bond” smartphone which features in the new Bond movie Skyfall can be snapped up for $100 on a two-year contract.

The big selling point, beyond owning a Bond product placement, is the 13-megapixel camera which is super-fast – capable of going from standby to capturing a shot in 1.5 seconds flat. There’s also HD video recording and a snazzy 4.6-inch HD Bravia-branded “Reality Display” to enjoy your footage on.

Throw in “One-touch connectivity” powered by NFC, which allows you to share content across multiple devices (provided they are NFC-enabled, of course). There’s also 4G LTE connectivity, HDMI, DLNA support, and a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, which adds up to a fairly decent looking Android phone. Pity it’s shipping with Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich); you’d expect Bond to demand the latest version of Android, although Q promises an Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) update shortly.

As part of the 007 tie-in you’ll find an assortment of preloaded content including ringtones, behind the scenes footage, wallpapers, and more. Check out the video for a closer look.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Skyfall movie review – Shaken, not stirred

After the mediocre and rather dull Quantum of Solace, Daniel Craig is back as James Bond in his third Agent 007 movie called Skyfall.

But don’t think for a moment that 007 has lost his touch. In Skyfall you’re brought to a blood-fizzing action scene from the get-go, reminding you what Bond is capable of. Luckily, this isn’t the only brilliant Casino Royale-like action sequence, the director Sam Mendes (Jarhead, Revolutionary Road, American Beauty) treats us to in Skyfall.

And that’s exactly what Bond needs in his 23rd movie, celebrating the half-century anniversary of Agent 007.

Before we go on with the review, check out the official Skyfall trailer (if you have, rewatch it – it’s still awesome).

So, the lives of all NATO secret agents are at stake and MI-6 has been put to its knees by what looks to be a job of someone familiar with the system.

Meet Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem) – the main villain in Skyfall, the mastermind behind all the horror and destruction brought to London. And all he is after is the woman in charge of MI-6 – M (played, as usual, by Judi Dench).

From the very first words coming out of his mouth, you and the standing hair on the back of your neck are convinced that this guy is both mental and is going to play the villain in Skyfall well. And he does – he is unstoppable, insane and ruthless in his pursuit of vengeance.

There’s a big but here though – it seemed to us that he tries a bit too hard to be a Joker (yes, the one created by Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight). A mental character who would prefer total destruction of his enemy over personal gains and driven by the dark moments in his past. Of course former agent Silva isn’t as chaotic as the Joker, but we still feel the similarities are just too many. And for all the effort Javier Bardem puts, he simply cannot come anywhere near the Heath Ledger standards.

As we said – it’s a good overall performance, but just pales in comparison (and we already explained why comparisons are inevitable). It’s just that at the end we were left feeling sorry that Bond didn’t get the villain he deserved.

Now is the time to say that the acting of just about everyone else in Skyfall was absolutely flawless. Daniel Craig does his job of a sophisticated bad ass agent as brilliantly as Judi Dench plays the role of an iron lady, who puts the national interests first. By the way M has far more screen time than usual this time and she really makes it count.

Even the bad taste that Olga Kurylenko’s acting left in Qunatum of Solace is washed away, thanks to the superb acting of both ladies that caught Bond’s attention in Skyfall – Bérénice Marlohe (Sévérine) and Naomie Harris (Eve).

Decent plot, mostly great acting and jaw-dropping action sequences – Skyfall seems to tick all the right boxes. Well, there’s actually one left – the soundtrack. For a movie of such caliber, the sound was just not up to scratch. In Skyfall, the classic Bond tunes are there to support the cool explosions and action scenes, but the villain introduction could’ve been further enhanced with a better music.

And don’t even get me started on the Adele’s song used in the Skyfall’s intro. Depending on your taste you might find it to be a decent song (we mostly agree it’s horrible) but it sounds out of place. It tries to be what Chris Cornell’s You Know My Name did for Casino Royale, but fails miserably. And to make matters worse it lasts for ages – the only good thing is that it’s at the start and once you are past that there are two hours of high-quality cinematic waiting for you.

Skyfall is a great movie that doesn’t have anything remotely common with the boring train wreck that was Quantum of Solace. It takes the viewer on a joyride of explosive action, drama and clever British humor with the expert guidance of Agent 007.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com