The only safe place to meet is the elevator. Today you have some vital information to pass on, but when you get into the lift there is a third person. Oh, thank God, it's just one of those juvenile delinquent types who listens to a Walkman 24 hours a day. That idiot certainly won't overhear as you murmur the top-secret details.

You're fired. That was no moron in the elevator; it was a journalist from The Irish Times. And it wasn't a personal stereo; it was the new Cyber Spy. Your confidential data is now on the front page. If only you had read earlier about this little device. It looks just like some sort of new-fangled music player but it intercepts sound from up to 15 metres and amplifies it.

It is very small and light, has a standard headphone socket, and there's a discreet volume control button. All this for less than a tenner. The Cyber Spy, around £9 (€11.50) is available at Gadget Shop.com in Dublin's Jervis Centre and the firm's website.

Become a top gizmo source: smaccarthaigh@irish-times.ie