Another...um, salvo in the privacy war - throwable cameras

When considering use of cameras, there are numerous distinctions that need to be made between public use and private use, and there are numerous distinctions that need to be made between lawful law enforcement use and other uses.

In most cases, with a few exceptions, the camera is located in a stationary position.

Well, add another exception to the list:

Unseen areas are troublesome for police and first responders: Rooms can harbor dangerous gunmen, while collapsed buildings can conceal survivors. Now Bounce Imaging, founded by an MIT alumnus, is giving officers and rescuers a safe glimpse into the unknown.

In July, the Boston-based startup will release its first line of tactical spheres, equipped with cameras and sensors, that can be tossed into potentially hazardous areas to instantly transmit panoramic images of those areas back to a smartphone.

So now law enforcement and public safety agencies will have this tool.

As will everyone else. You can buy the high end version for less than US$2,500.

And you know that these won't only be sold to law enforcement. (They may not have the money anyway.) I bet you Robert Scoble is using one to play catch with his kids right now. And who knows what will happen when the Jenner kids start tossing these around the house.

But the party may end soon. I'm sure that NBC, using the Late Night with David Letterman monkey cam segment as precedent, will claim that this is NBC's intellectual property.