With
the growing
popularity of video sharing sites such as YouTube and Facebook, there is
a
desire for a more portable video camera that you can carry around with
you all
the time so you’re ready to record the next YouTube hit at a moment’s
notice.  With traditional HD Camcorders,
you often don’t end up using them as much as you want to because they’re
not
that easy to carry around all the time so you only bring them when you
know
you’ll use them.  This is where the Flip
MinoHD comes in.  Its compact size allows
it to fit easily in your pocket or a clutch purse and it’s 8GB of
internal
memory (about 2 hours of video) and a 2 hour battery life should be
enough to
satisfy the average consumer.  Its 2 in.
anti-glare screen makes outdoor use easier and it’s friendlier on the
eyes than
the first generation of this product who’s screen was only 1.5 in.

The Flip seems very
durable and convenient when you use it.  The
Flip’s body is solid in your hand and since the body is metal instead of
plastic, it won’t crack as easily if it’s dropped, plus it still
maintains its light
weight at only ­­­­4.1 ounces. The body
is even customizable with different designs if you order the product off
the
flip website.  Its small size lets you
take it anywhere and it’s built in, flip out USB adapter makes it even
easier
to put your videos onto a computer.  With
no cords to carry around, all you need is a computer to put them on. The buttons are touch sensitive except for the
center one and I would occasionally hit them accidentally, but that was
the
only major setback with the design.

The video quality that
the Flip takes is good for everyday shooting especially considering its
size.  Unfortunately it only has 2x digital zoom
and
no macro setting for close up shots meaning that the picture isn’t going
to be
fully focused when up close and personal with what you’re recording.  Also it can’t take regular still pictures,
which you should take into consideration if you’re thinking about buying
one.  With the software that comes with it, you
can
take a still frame from one of the videos you’ve recorded, but it still
won’t
be as clear as a picture would be.

What it gains in its
small size and portability, it has to sacrifice in its video.  It only records in one mode 720p at 30 frames
per second compared to its main competition, the Kodak Zi8, which can
record at
1080p and 720p and has the ability to shoot at 30fps or 60fps.  The Flip’s video still comes out good and it
shoots better in low light than the Kodak but it is sometimes good to
have the option
of a faster recording speed and better resolution.

Another drawback to the
Flip is that it doesn’t have external memory so once you fill up its 8GB
then
you’re stuck until you can get to a computer.
Most camera users have gotten into the situation where they fill
up
their memory but still want to take more pictures.  When
you reach that point, the only option is
to start finding pictures (in the Flip’s case video) to sacrifice in
order to
keep shooting.  The only solution to this
with the Flip is to make sure you put your videos on your computer
whenever you
charge it since your battery will usually run out before your memory
does. As long as you start with empty memory, you
should be ok with 8GB.

So what do you do after
you spend your day/night recording everything you see? Well if you don’t
feel
like watching your movies on the device, it has a mini HDMI jack so you
can
watch them directly from the Flip onto an HD television with the
compatible
jack.  The HDMI cable is sold separately
so it will be an extra cost in order to have this option.

After previewing and
editing your footage, the next step is usually to put it online. The software that the Flip provides called
FlipShare is very good at helping to upload videos to some of the major
picture/video sites. FlipShare, which you need to install on your
computer when
you get the Flip, makes organizing and uploading videos very easy.  Its features let you directly upload them to
Facebook, YouTube, or MySpace accounts with the touch of a button.  If you want to upload to a different site,
the program will also help you with that but once you’re done editing,
you’ll
still have to go through the process of selecting the file from your
desktop to
upload.

Using the Flip was very
convenient.  The fact that
it’s small enough to have with
you all the time can be appealing to some people.  The
bottom line is that if you’re going to
use it for what it was made for, which is taking good, convenient HD
video that
is easy to put online, this product will do its job well.

Features:

• Colors: Brushed Metal or
  personalized at theflip.com
• Video
  Resolution: High
  Definition, 1280 x 720
• Records: 2
  hours (8 GB
  built-in memory)
• Screen: 2 inch —
  transflective (anti-glare); 960 x 240 pixels
• Audio: Built-in
  wide-range, omni-directional microphone; built-in speaker with
  software
  volume control
• Battery: Built-in
  rechargeable (Lithium Ion); up to 2 hours use
• TV Output: Widescreen
  with HDMITM output
• Zoom: 2 x Digital