The Flip Mino
We've come a long way from those bulky old cameras we used to have hanging around our necks. Last month, I was at an electronics store (shopping for last minute holiday gifts), when I came across the cute little Flip Mino. It costs $179 USD and has great video quality. At less than two hundred bucks, it's quite the steal, even if it doesn't take pictures.
| Design | Rating  |
The Flip Mino is smaller than a paperback, and a mere 1.3cm thick. On the front, it has a small (but very bright) display. The Flip Mino only has one button you can physically press, which is the record button; the rest are touch-sensitive.
The back of the camera just has the camera lens. What I really like about the Flip Mino is that you can customize the back to suit your tastes. A family photo, a design, a saying; the choice is yours. I had mine customized with funky pattern, and it really sticks out next to those boring silver camcorders.
| Quality | Rating  |
The quality is very good for the camera's size, although not as good as an HD camera, but that was to be expected. The Flip Mino has a 640 by 480 resolution, which is pretty good for that teeny little thing. I shot a video and uploaded on YouTube, and I have to say, it turned out pretty good.
| Ease of use | Rating  |
The style was perfect, the quality was okay, but the strongest point of the Flip Mino has to be the simplicity. You can use it right out of the box, and even someone with limited camera know-how can operate the Flip Mino with ease. What I loved was that it had a USB plug that pops out of the side of the camera. No more firewires!
I used the camcorder both outside and inside, and the videos were great. What I didn't like, though, was the fact that the touch-sensitive buttons were very hard to use with gloves on your hands. Recording was fine, but to review the video, you'd have to pull of your gloves (and that's not too fun in sub-zero weather). But it's a small price to pay for such a cheap and easy device.
The Bottom Line
The Flip Mino is a cheap, easy to use, and fun treat for anyone. It's perfect or making podcasts, internet videos, etc., because of its simplicity. I would totally recommend it to someone with a passion for vlogging or a newcomer to the world of digital video.
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