Flip Mino HD Reviews

The Flip Mino HD looks identical to that of its standard-def sibling, the Mino, and we similarly appreciate it mostly for its pocket-friendly design. (For a comparison of the various models, the company provides a comparison chart.) Both models are supercompact and weigh 3.3 ounces. Unless you buy the Flip Mino directly from the company, the HD version is only available in black; if you order it via Flip's Web site, though, you can get snazzier custom versions at no extra cost. The USB connector flips straight up, rather than to the side, for a smaller footprint that should fit better in a crowded USB environment. It has a smallish 1.46-inch transflective LCD display that enables you to still see what's on the screen even in bright daylight. The back navigation controls have responsive touch-sensitive buttons embedded into a shiny, flush surface; we like them, but on occasion you'll accidentally touch a button you wished you hadn't.

One of the Flip Mino HD Video camcorders' key selling points is how easy it is to get videos off the camera and distribute them, and the tradition continues here. You simply flip out the USB connector and plug it into your Windows (Windows 2000/XP or later) or OS X (10.4 or later) machine and up pops FlipShare, the company's newly redesigned software. You can play back one clip, string several together to make a movie, pull a single frame (still photo) out of the video, and share your clips with selected viewers via e-mail or the Web.

Like its siblings, the Flip Mino is designed to be exceedingly simple to use, and it is. Unlike some of its competitors, it provides virtually no settings to fiddle with apart from setting the date and time. You shoot in one resolution and that's it. There's no choice to drop to a lower video resolution to store more video, but why would you want to? Really, the Flip MinoHD is all about pushing the red button to start and stop recording and hit the playback button to see what you recorded. That's pretty much it.

To publish directly to YouTube, AOL, or MySpace from your Flip Mino HD Camcorder, you'll need to create an account for each service and log in. But once you do, you can automatically upload your videos to the Web for private or public viewing with a click of a button. If you're allied to some other video-sharing site, a click of a button allows you to prepare the video for uploading, but you'll have to manually upload the processed file from a folder on your desktop.

* The Flip Mino series cameras are small and compact, good battery life, good quality video, no cables or charger stations to drag about with you, easy to use software make this a good choice for someone who just wants a fun camera for instantaneous moments.

* Instant one click to YouTube and Video Email, Large Viewing Screen, and
720 Progressive (not interlaced) at 60 Frames Per Second !!

* The camera has been great for catching those quick shots of my kid when we are just doing our normal routine. This camera has no obtrusive parts and fits easily in a pocket. The video quality seems to be the best when you are in natural lighting.

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