I'm looking at getting my son a small portable video camera of sorts for his ninth birthday; I'd initially been looking at a 'spy' type device (as he's really into this kind of thing), whether it have the camera imbedded in glasses, watch or pen, but all these options have considerable limitations - in particular things such as short battery life, poor practicality (eg having to transfer video by removing an SD card) and fragility.

Having spent ages trolling through eBay, the most relevant kind of camera I've come up with is one which the site is awash with, namely a cheap GoPro rip-off such as http://www.ebay.com/itm/311586531631?redirect=mobile

I'd love to hear from anyone who has experience with such cheap cameras, or who can recommend any alternatives. Happy to purchase off eBay, AliExpress or similar, provided it'll be of acceptable quality and arrive here by mid-October.

My requirements are:

* under $100

* robust, and in one unit (ie, not a camera connected via a cable to its main unit/battery pack - he's likely to destroy that within days!)

* wifi support - must be able to transmit the video to an iPad (preferably directly, but ideally both directly and via both devices connected to the same network)

* decent battery life

* relatively easy to use

* compact

* ideally decent quality image - I'd rather have good 720 or 1080, than cruddy 4k support

Many thanks for any advice, ideas and ideally specific recommendations.