Posted July 17, 2008
The original Flip Video camcorder from Pure Digital was dismissed by a lot of gadget snobs because it seemed so limited—a teeny video camera with relatively low resolution, no tapes (video gets saved to built-in flash memory), and scant controls. But, hey, sometimes less really is more, and consumers who just wanted to quickly shoot video without fussing with a lot of settings made it a runaway hit. Its newly released successor, the Flip Mino, sexes up the Flip franchise with a sleeker, smaller form (40 percent smaller that the original Flip) that is truly pocket-size (two inches by four inches, and just over half an inch thick). It’s prettier (it comes in shiny black or white) so it looks less like a toy and more like something Apple might have come up with. And it’s insanely easy to use, with its clear, bright one-and-a-half-inch diagonal LCD screen on the back, simple internal software, and a pop-up USB connector that plugs right into a Mac or PC, giving you the ability to effortlessly upload video (up to two GB of it) straight to YouTube, MySpace, or AOL Video, or to your e-mail if you’re just sharing with a friend. All-around genius.

$179.99 at J&R.

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