Flip Video

How many times have you been out and about and missed a special moment that should have been captured on video? Or are you a blogger that needs to capture video to compliment your posts? Either way you should take a look at the FLIPvideo. This little handy digital video camera is perfect for those “wish I had my video camera” moments. The Flip video camera runs on 2 AA batteries, this is absolutely one of my favorite features. No more looking around for outlets or running out of battery life just when I’m shooting the most important content. It’s easy to handle, incredibly simple to use and inexpensive starting at $129 for 60 mins of video capture. The Flip video has no tapes to change, convert of lose. The video is shot direct to its internal flash memory. And downloading to your computer is easy, it has a built-in usb connector that flips out of the side of the unit (no more worrying about losing cables) and connects right to your usb port. I’m very impressed with this device! Take it from someone in the traditional and new media biz this camera is awesome for video bloggers and web video in general. The microphone quality is incredible and the picture quality (while it is a low resolution 640×480) it shoots phenomenally well in low-light conditions. It’s about the size of a pack of cigarettes making it so easy to carry anywhere! It’s amazing how many life moments end up being great video moments. Beyond videobloggers this is great for families, students, journalists, teachers and general consumers. I’d love to see more teachers using this in the classroom and allowing students to create, edit and publish their own stories – great for a media class. There are several models and colors to choose from, the two gigabyte version gives ya 60 minutes of recording time.
 

My bottom line: I’m flipping out on the Flip. An absolute must-have in my book! I have had one minor problem with the unit but after performing a hard-reset it was all good. Oh and just hold it very still as you shoot, it’s easy to fall into “shakey-cam” because it is so small and easy to move around while shooting, it feels like an extension of your hand. 

PROS: Lightweight, fits in pocket, no cables, runs on 2 AA batteries (YES! no complaining about a dead battery or the frustrated “I need a freakin outlet!”)

NEGS: 640 x 480 resolution (bye-bye HD), no flash (but somehow still does remarkably well in low-light environments), photos have to be extracted from the video

COST: Starts at $129 to $179 at www.theflip.com