New cufflinks have a wi-fi hotspot

New set of cufflinks from U.S. luxury retailer New York- Arabstoday James Bond has used watches with laser cutters built in, and a cigarette rocket launched - but so far, his cufflinks have been for fashion only. But a new set of cufflinks from U.S. luxury retailer Brookstone could have come straight from Q branch - they have a built-in wi-fi hotspot and covert data storage. You simply unplug the cufflink, slip it into a laptop, then anyone in range will be able to access the internet via the connection plugged into the laptop. Secret agents on missions abroad might find the gadget particularly useful, as it would allow several smartphone users to access one internet connection without shelling out for hotel wi-fi or data fees. The gadget turns your wrist into a mobile hotspot you can use to surf the web with your smart phone, iPad or any other electronic device. They also double as a USB storage device with 2GB of space, just enough for a secret agent to plug into a computer and steal some documents. As befitting somebody working with Her Majesty’s Secret Service, the cufflinks are polished silver and oval shaped. But they are also likely to go down well with technophiles who are looking for as much ‘geek cred’ as they can get. The cufflinks are simple to use and users just install the software on their computer, connect up their modem as per usual then put the first wi-fi cufflink into one of its USB ports where it will turn into a wireless router. The second cufflink is the USB storage device. According to channelregister.co.uk, the cufflinks cost $249.99 from US technology company Brookstone which claims they are ‘perfect for business meetings, travel and techies everywhere’. But Brookstone is not the first company to turn cufflinks into something other than a fastening device - a U.S. designer has already created a pair which work as lighters. Other companies have riffed on the secret agent theme too with cufflinks which look like small CCTV cameras or recording devices.