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July 11, 2008
Flipping Over Simplicity
Dear Larry,
I have been reading about the Flip “mino” recently. Can you
elaborate?
A. G.
Dear A. G.,
Question: What company makes the most popular camcorders on
the market? Sony? Canon? Panasonic?
Would you believe…Pure Digital?
Pure Digital Technologies is the company behind Flip Video, a
line of handheld mini-camcorders that fit in your pocket, not in your camera
case. But what makes these camcorders really special can be summarized in one
word: simplicity.
In an age when companies believe more is better, Flip Video
proves them all wrong. Their flagship product, the mino (pronounced like the
fish!) is the ultimate in simplicity. It doesn’t take pictures, it doesn’t make
phone calls, and it doesn’t play music. It does one thing, and it does it quite
well: it shoots video, no strings (or wires) attached. And it’s quickly becoming
the de facto pocketknife for the YouTube generation.
Roughly the size of a box of chewing gum, it sports a power
button, a record button, 4 directional arrow buttons, a button to play, and a
button to delete. And it’s a piece of cake to use; so easy that not only can
your child handle it, but also your grandmother. You hold it in one hand, and
your thumb does all the work. Press the power button and it’s on in one second.
Point and aim via the 1-1/2” screen, and press record.
Now let’s get real. You’re not shooting high definition video
here, more like old school resolution. But the mino produces surprisingly good
results, even when lighting is not optimal. It can record up to 60 minutes of
video and play it back a couple times over on one charge of its battery.
And when it’s time to shift your videos to your computer,
don’t go looking for the cable because there is none. Slide another little
button and up pops a USB connector that plugs directly into your PC. Oh, what’s
that you say about first installing software? Don’t even try because the mino
doesn’t come with a CD. All the necessary programs are embedded inside the mino
itself—programs that let you easily save your videos, e-mail them, or upload
them to YouTube, MySpace, or AOL. And in three hours, the mino will be fully
charged and ready to go for another round. Slip it into its storage pouch if you
wish—a pouch that naturally doubles as a cleaning cloth—slide it in your pocket,
and it’ll be there when you need it to shoot all the unexpected events that crop
up in a day’s time.
Sure, there are a couple of minor drawbacks. There’s no memory
card slot, which would allow you to offload videos on the go. Its zoom feature
is for the birds. And sadly for the stylistic out there, it only comes in white
and black. But plunk down $180, and you’ll be shooting video and sharing it with
friends and family on YouTube before you know it!
This is Larry Schneider, logging off.
