Pure Digital, the folks behind the hot-selling Flip Mino pocket camcorder, are now giving consumers countless options for personalizing the camcorder's look.
You can choose from dozens of patterns and styles. Really jonesin' for a leopard-print Flip Mino? No worries; they'll sell you one.
Want to create your own pattern to put on your Flip Mino? Or add your own photo? Not a problem. A few clicks, and you're done.
Customizing the look of an electronic device isn't something new. For example, HP and Sony have offered consumers options for personalizing the look of laptops, portable media players, and such. But Pure Digital seems to be giving consumers way more personalization options. Despite the tough economy, I'll bet Pure Digital will sell a ton of customized Flip Minos for $180 a pop this holiday season.
I've had the opportunity to test the Kodak Z16 pocket camcorder, which takes high-def (720p at 60fps, 16:9 aspect ratio) as well as VGA-quality video. It's a compelling alternative to the Flip Mino, which doesn't record high-def but costs the same as the Kodak camera. (Both list for $180.)
Things I like about the Kodak vs. the Flip: The high-def camcorder can store videos and still images on SD cards; the Flip Mino only has internal memory and can't capture stills. The Kodak camcorder uses rechargeable or regular AA batteries; the Flip Mino's internal battery must be recharged and isn't replaceable.
However, here's something I really don't like about the Kodak camcorder. In bright sunlight, you can barely make out what's displayed on its 2.4 LCD screen. Shooting video at the beach on a beautiful day requires a fair amount of guesswork and squinting. This is one of the things that baffles and angers me about portable electronics. Why would you make a compact digital camera or camcorder whose screen washes out in bright sunlight? Don't manufacturers take into account that people like to shoot video and pictures outdoors? Hello? Is anyone home?
By comparison, the Flip Mino's screen is extremely bright and easy to view outdoors on a sunny day. The same is true with the Flip Ultra, the Mino's still-available predecessor. (It sells for $150.)
If the second-generation Z16 has a better screen and slims down a bit (it's bulkier and heavier than the slim Mino), it could be an extremely compelling product. As it stands, I wouldn't recommend it unless you rarely plan to shoot in bright sunlight.
Speaking of which, I snapped the image below with the Z16 at the South Yuba river near Nevada City. It was a bright, sunshiny day, so I just aimed the camera and hoped for the best.
P.S. Pictured below is Monarch, a former show dog who reigns at Harmony Ridge Lodge, just north of Nevada City. A former private residence beautifully transformed by its new owners, the lodge combines rustic charm with guest room appointments that look like something you'd find at a Four Seasons. The rates are reasonable, too, and the lodge is becoming a popular wedding spot, which should tell you something. At night you can sit out in the gardens and gaze up at the stars and the Milky Way. The inn has a secured Wi-Fi network, though it's not accessible from all rooms. My partner and I have been here five or six times already (the lodge just opened a year ago) and are already planning our next stay.
Just received a new Flip Mino today for review. The Mino is Pure Digital Technologies' latest point-and-shoot, Web-ready camcorder. It lists for $180 and was formally announced today.
I'll be testing the Mino in the coming weeks and comparing it to another new point-and-shoot camcorder, Creative's Vado. My first impression of the Mino is that it's much more stylish than previous Flip camcorders. For example, it has recessed control buttons that are illuminated when they're applicable to a task and go dark otherwise. In other words, during video recording, only the '+' and '-' buttons for zooming in and out are illuminated, while buttons for deleting and playing video are not.
One potential drawback to the Mino: It uses a rechargeable internal lithium-ion battery as opposed to the two AA batteries the Flip Video Ultra and earlier Flip models use. You'll need to recharge the Mino's battery by connecting it to your computer's USB port--which means you'll need to take your laptop when using the Mino during travel. Or you can recharge the battery by connecting it to a USB power plug (not included in the Flip Mino box). Pure Digital claims one battery charge will last for four hours.
CNET's Crave blog and other sites reported yesterday that a new Flip video camcorder may be about to hit the scene.
"The only thing we know about (the new camcorder) is that it carries a list price of
$179.99, comes in white and black, and it'll be released on June 4," Crave reports. CNET learned of the camcorder, reportedly called the 'Minos,' from a reader, who spotted it in a new B&H print catalog.
The compact, Web-quality camcorder field, which Flip dominates, is getting more crowded. Last week, Creative Labs introduced the Vado ($100), shown here. Creative claims the Vado, available in hot pink and silver, has 2GB of built-in memory (equal to the memory in the current high-end Flip Video Ultra camcorder retailing for $150) and a rechargeable, removable battery (the Flip camcorders use standard AA batteries, which can be disposable or rechargeable).
I'm sure both the Vado and Flip's new camcorder will be big sellers, given the success of earlier Flip models. But potential buyers should take note: Some Mini DV camcorders offer much better quality and can be bought for about $200 or even less. Also, many compact digital still cameras can capture video at about the same or even higher quality than what the Vado and Flip offer. Yet the cameras often store video (and images) on SD cards. That means your video recording capability is only limited by the number of SD cards you have.
The Grinch's guide to gifts you should not give this holiday season, continued:
> Sony GC1 Net-Sharing Cam. Attractive design is a Sony hallmark. So is a perplexing user interface, and this pocket video camcorder is a true blue Sony device in both respects. Despite its recent $50 price drop (the camcorder now lists for $149), this camcorder is still not a good buy. Video quality is mediocre (see the video clip below, which I posted previously on this blog). You can barely view what's on its LCD screen in bright sunlight. And for just $50 more, you can buy a good, low-end MiniDV-tape camcorder, the Canon ZR800.
> Amazon Kindle. I've yet to actually see one of these new $399 e-book readers, so take my advice with a grain of salt. Still, the reviews have been consistent: Yes, the Kindle's free wireless connection, for easily buying and downloading books, is a big step forward. But its hardware buttons for navigating the pages of a book are awkwardly placed, causing readers to unintentionally skip forward or jump backward. Bottom line? The Kindle is a first-generation hardware device. And as a rule, I rarely buy a first-gen product. I wait for a second- or third-gen product, to give the developer time to work out the kinks.
The Web is buzzing with holiday gift-giving guides for gadget lovers. I'm guilty of adding to the glut myself, with my recent "Head-Start Holiday Gift Guide" and "Gadget Gift Ideas," which recently appeared on PCWorld.com, Washingtonpost.com, and other sites.
And now for something a little different: The portable electronics you should not buy as holiday gifts. Here are two to get the ball rolling (with more coming in subsequent posts):
> iPod Touch--not for outdoors types. Apple's iPod Touch makes a great Internet tablet for around the house. It's a slick pocket video and audio player. But if your sweetie is an avid jogger, cyclist, or powerwalker, this is not the iPod for him/her.
In my experience, it's been a pain to switch playlists on the iPod Touch while running. To make matters worse, the screen often switches orientation on me when trying to change playlists while in motion. One second I'm in landscape mode, the next in portrait. It's just too much work.
Instead, for exercising, I recommend an iPod Nano (list: $149-$200). Even better, give them a Nano, the Nike + iPod Sport Kit ($29) chip (which calculates your distance, pace, time, etc.), and a pair of compatible Nike running shoes ($80-$120 or so). You'll still spend less than you'd have spent on an 16GB iPod Touch (which is about $400).
> iPod Shuffle. The Shuffle's biggest assets are its low price ($79 for 1GB) and ultra-compact size. And I can see its usefulness for someone who only wants to listen to podcasts, or one type of music, on the go. But because the Shuffle has no screen, users have to create one long playlist for all their music. And that's a pain for anyone who wants to switch music styles on the Shuffle. Also, my Shuffle has never gotten along with Windows Vista. In fact, I've had so many problems syncing my Shuffle with my Vista PC, I've stopped trying. My advice: Skip the Shuffle.
Over the past several weeks I've been monkeying around with the new Flip Video Ultra and Sony GC1 Net-Sharing Cam. Both are pocket digital camcorders for $200 or less. Both are designed to make it easy to shoot digital video and upload clips to YouTube and other video sharing sites. Here's my take:
> Video quality. Both shoot video clips at 640 x 480 pixels, 30 frames per second (fps). In my tests, the Flip Video Ultra clips had more accurate color and better image detail than those shot with the Sony. Once you upload the clips to YouTube, the quality differences are diminished but still noticeable. (YouTube is known for reducing video clips to their lowest common denominators.) Check out the two videos below--the same scene shot with both camcorders. Notice the color of the ocean in both versions and the details in the landscape. To my eyes, the Flip camcorder video captured the ocean's colors more vividly and with sharper detail.
> YouTube uploads. The Flip Video Ultra's software made uploading to YouTube easier than the Sony's software. But trust me: With trillions of amateur videos, it ain't all that difficult to upload to YouTube to start with.
> Zoom. The Sony camcorder has a 4x digital zoom, while the Flip is limited to a 2x digital zoom.
> Still images. The Sony camcorder includes a flash (for stills only) and can capture crisp images at up to 5 megapixels. Flip Video Ultra only lets you capture stills from video footage, which are fairly low-resolution.
> LCD. Even in bright daylight, the Flip Video Ultra's screen is sharp and perfectly legible. The Sony screen is dark and murky in those conditions, which makes shooting video outdoors a challenge. However, the Sony screen can swivel, so you can hold up the camcorder and video yourself and a friend. The Flip screen is lodged in the body of the camcorder and its position can't be adjusted independently of the camcorder.
> Storage. The Flip camcorders are limited to their internal storage capacity, which is either 512MB in the 30-minute versions or 1GB in the 60-minute models. The Sony camcorder has a small amount of internal memory for emergencies, but stores stills and video clips on Sony's Memory Stick Pro Duo cards. The upshot: You can add a 2GB or larger card, so you can keep shooting without having to upload your videos to free up space, as you must do with the Flip camcorder. (The other option is to delete your videos to make room for more.)
> Ease of use. A newborn baby could operate the Flip Video Ultra. The Sony camcorder will most likely force you to consult its poorly written manual.
> Price. A 1GB Flip Video Ultra can be had on Amazon.com for $150 (for the white, 60-minute version) or $180 (for one of the colorful 60-minute versions). By comparison, the Sony GC1 camcorder is $200 on Amazon. But you'll also have to buy a Memory Stick Pro Duo card, too. A 1GB card is $17. Total price: About $217, versus $150 for a plain white Flip Video Ultra.
The Flip Video Ultra is ideal for kids or anyone on a budget who wants the easiest possible camcorder to use. If the Sony camcorder had a screen you could see in bright sunlight and were easier to use, it would pose a significant threat to the Flip. As it is, the $217 (or more) the Sony camcorder will cost you might be better spent on a $200-ish digital camera that also shoots 640 x 480 video clips at 30 fps--which many digital cameras today do.
Note: The top video was shot with the Sony camcorder; the bottom one with the Flip Video Ultra. Notice how the sun turns into a black ball in the Flip Video Ultra clip. Also notice the impact the Sony's more powerful zoom makes and the difference between the two clips in the colors of the ocean.
Just got my hands on Sony's new NSC-GC1 camcorder, dubbed the 'Net Sharing Cam.' I haven't put it through all its paces yet. But my first impression? Like many Sony products, it's gorgeous, a bit overpriced, and more complicated to use than it should be.
The GC1 is a low-resolution (640 x 480 pixels at 30 frames per second) tapeless camcorder aimed at the YouTube crowd. It lists for $200, at least $20 more than its nearest competitor, the Flip Video Ultra camcorder. But with the GC1, you'll also need to buy a Sony Memory Stick Duo to store your videos (and pictures; it's also a 5 megapixel still camera). A 1GB Memory Stick Pro Duo costs $25 and up. By comparison, the $180 Flip Video Ultra camcorder includes 1GB of internal memory. The up side: With the GC1, you won't have to delete files or connect to a PC and upload your files when the Memory Stick fills up. Just pop in another. The Flip camcorder uses only internal memory, so that's not an option.
Just received a review unit of the new Flip Video Ultra camcorder, which was announced yesterday. The new pocket camcorders ($149-$179 list price) come in five colors/accents (including orange!), promise improved video resolution and better sound, and include a tripod slot and other enhancements.
I've not had time to do much more than unpack the thing. But I did take the camcorder outside, on a bright sunny San Francisco day. My goal: Perform a side-by-side comparison of the new Flip Video Ultra's screen to the Flip Video, its predecessor.
One of my problems with the earlier Flip Video model was that you could barely see what was on its screen in bright daylight. And if you can't see what's on the screen, it's kinda hard (make that impossible) to accurately frame your subject. I'm happy to report that the new Flip Video Ultra screen is far superior to the earlier Flip Video screen. I could clearly see what was on the Flip Video Ultra screen, even on a cloudless, brilliant afternoon.
Check back later for details on how the Flip Video Ultra camcorder stacks up in other areas.
P.S. My review of the Canon Exilim EX-277 digital camera with YouTube video capture mode is now live at PCWorld.com. The article also includes a brief review of the earlier Flip Video camcorders. I didn't receive the new Flip Video Ultra camcorder in time for my review.
In recent weeks, Casio has introduced four digital cameras with a YouTube video capture mode. Casio claims they have a unique agreement with Google's YouTube to be the sole provider of this feature, at least through the 2007 holiday shopping season. The YouTube mode lets you capture video clips on Casio Exilim cameras in MPEG-4 H.264 format, at 640 x 480 resolution and up to 30 frames per second. The cameras also include a PC software tool that promises to make uploading your video clips from the camera to YouTube (through your PC) easy.
In a few weeks, I'll have a review of the Casio Exilim EX-277 ($199) digicam with YouTube mode in my Mobile Computing column for PC World. In the meantime, you can see two videos I shot last week while on vacation in Maine: one was captured in bright daylight, the other under a full moon. The clips, below, should give you a sense of the quality you'll get with the Exilim/YouTube combination (keep in mind YouTube clips aren't known for their great clarity).
Instead, for exercising, I recommend an 
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