Flip Video Camcorder Offers Instant YouTube Uploads
It's a clever hook, but there's more to this simple camcorder than just YouTube. It's an intriguing alternative for quick-and-easy home movies.
From DCHQ - Jun 28, 2007
The Flip Video Camcorder is an interesting product from Pure Digital, a newcomer to the camcorder market, and though you may not recognize their name, their new product is generating quite a bit of buzz in the media. The Flip Video Camcorder is beguilingly simple, just a small hand held video recorder that eschews bulky tapes and DVDs for a space-conscious hard drive. Everything about it is minimalist, right down to the swinging arm that magically produces a USB connector, allowing you to plug the camcorder right into the computer, without an additional wire or connection.
What's really got people's attention is the camera's ability to instantly upload your recordings to YouTube or other video-enabled social networking sites. The Flip Video Camcorder is directly appealing to those who want to be the next Internet star, or who maybe don't really care about taking long, tedious videos of family events but would prefer short bursts of fun with their friends. It's certainly a nice alternative for people who don't want to put much effort into capturing video, as its highly affordable (around $100 for the 30 minute/512MB model, $120 for the 60 minute/1GB model) and amazingly simple to operate.
Pure Digital Flip Video 1GB/60 min.
| A | is outstanding and exceptional, rated in the top 10% of camcorders. |
| B | means they are good, with some standout features. |
| C | means they are mediocre, and probably more trouble than they are worth. |
| D & F | mean they are absolutely awful or old. Avoid at all costs. |
Pure Digital Flip Video 512MB/30 min.
| A | is outstanding and exceptional, rated in the top 10% of camcorders. |
| B | means they are good, with some standout features. |
| C | means they are mediocre, and probably more trouble than they are worth. |
| D & F | mean they are absolutely awful or old. Avoid at all costs. |
It's not perfect. There's no optical zoom, and only 2x digital zoom, and it absolutely requires a computer to access and save the video (unless you leave it and view it directly on the camera, but storage space is tight for that). Essentially, it's an amped up version of a cell-phone's video camera, with better video quality and more versatility, but lacking any of the frills you'd expect from a typical run-of-the-mill camcorder. Some people might not be happy about that, but we suspect there are legions of consumers who'd prefer something that kept it as simple as possible.
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