Product Category: Portable Camcorder

Manufacturer: Cisco

Where to Buy: Amazon [Affiliate]

Price: $135.00 USD

In the Box: Flip Mino portable camcorder, wrist strap, slip case.

Specifications: 1.5" display, 4GB internal memory, Holds 60 minutes of HD-quality video (1280 x 720 resolution at 30 frames per second, 16:9 widescreen), 3.3 ounces.

Pros:

• Easy to use camcorder;

• FlipShare software automatically transfers video from the camcorder to your computer, easily uploads to sites like YouTube and Facebook for sharing;

• Ready to record quickly to allow for catching those special moments.

Cons:

• Display is small and difficult to see in daylight;

• Software tends to crash on Vista;

• Video editing tools are very primitive.

Summary: The Flip MinoHD is a very simple to use camcorder. With its small form factor and minimalistic controls, it's a perfect little camera for capturing short videos. The FlipShare software allows you to easily retrieve videos from the camera and upload them to social sites like Facebook and Twitter. However, your eyes will not be happy with its small display, especially in daylight.

Read more...

"Senior Editor Tim Moynihan takes a look at six HD, YouTube-friendly pocket camcorders from Pure Creative, Kodak, Sony, and the brand new FlipHD from Pure Digital. With features ranging from a wide-angle lens to variable frame rates, one of these devices in the $150- to $200-range is bound to be a great fit for your needs."

Moynihan goes through the basics of each pocket camcorder, though without video samples it's hard to know for sure which one you'd like the video the most on - but arranging a six-way shoot-out with video samples would be tough. I'm not overly impressed with the video quality on my Flip Mini HD personally, but I haven't used it outside in bright light much - it's not great in low-light, at least not compared to my Panasonic point and shoot camera.

"The Flip UltraHD camcorder combines Flip Video's signature shoot-and-share simplicity with the power of vivid, vibrant HD video. With 120 minutes of record time, you'll never miss another minute again. And because of UltraHD's pocket-sized portability, you'll truly be able to capture HD video anytime, anywhere."

Flip continues to evolve their product line, this time releasing an update to their Ultra line, boosting it with HD video capture. I have the Mino HD, courtesy of a Microsoft Mobius event, and it's a pretty nice camera as long as there's enough light in the scene. You don't buy these cameras for quality video capture, you buy them for how convenient they are. What does this Ultra HD offer over the Mino HD? The Mino HD records up to 60 minutes; the Ultra HD records up to 120 minutes. The Ultra HD has a slightly bigger physical size, with a bigger screen size, and is also $30 less expensive if the MSRP prices are accurate. Want to learn more about the Flip UltraHD? Then check out Gear Diary's review.