Ace-Ace, sorry, I don't do ICQ, AIM, IRC, etc. I type slowly and find that method of communication gets me very uptight. If you want to call and talk with me, I'm at 888-828-4929.
As far as more information on the subject, my reference to
http://www.iiiii.com/webnews/ will work and membership is a trivial $15/year. Not only is there an active message forum that discusses the latest in technology, but there are complete archives that go back 5 years. You'll find about equal focus on what doesn't work as what does, as well as involved discussions on the legal and ethical aspects of hidden cameras.
As far as sources go, you can't get much better than SuperCircuits, both in price and offerings. Their descriptions and ratings are generally accurate (which cannot be said of most all "spy" offerings) and they'll also help to assemble a custom configuration, usually with off-the-shelf components at retail cost.
As a bit of cautionary advice- when you are within a shopping mall, you are NOT on public property, it is legally considered private property with public access. And keep in mind that shopping centers have had a great deal of problems with hidden cameras in recent years, what with upskirteers, cameras being placed within public restrooms and changing rooms being compromised (their own security being found to do these things at times!) Also, the recent emphasis on terrorist threats has security heightened in these locations and anything out of the ordinary can, and usually will, result in unpleasentness (being detained for questioning, escorted out, having equipment consficated, up to being arrested for trespassing and disturbing the peace).