Tape recorder:Use science skill on the item to start/stop the tape recorder. It must be inside player inventory to record what people are saying. If you put the recorder outside the inventory of player who turned it on (drop it/put somewhere/trade), it turns off automatically.
When the recorder is turned on, it records everything the player holding the recorder can hear, including names of the people IF the player can see the names. Basically it copies says/shouts/whispers/radio the person can hear on the tape recorder. It would be a simple in-game logging that can't be forged.
When the tape recorder is full the recorder stops recording. The tape can hold some arbitrary number of characters, for example 2000 (there is no time limit, it can work forever if noone will say anything).
You can use the recorder (hand icon), to open the recorded messages. It's displayed in a similar way to holodisks content, but the messages can't be edited or deleted (you will need a new recorder when the one you used is full).
Maybe it should record game date/time when it's turned on.
Tape recorder could be used for in-game contracts, blackmails, etc
Bug:You can set the bug to any radio channel and put in any container/critter or simply on ground. Then any message in the distance of 6 hexes from the bug will be passed to the radio channel (without names, it would work like a radio automagically sending messages it can "hear"). It would be great if some sounds could be passed too as special messages, like **gun shooting** **explosion** **door creaking** **sound of footsteps** (if someone is running) etc.
Bug could be used for spying or as alarm device.
How to obtain these items:
I think Tape recorder should be fairly easy to buy (like holodisks) because it's not reusable (I think it shouldn't be possible to erase messages because you couldn't share it safely even at gunpoint)
Bug should be much less common, could be in some treasure encounter.