Flip Video

Ohhh! I asked about these sometime around last Christmas! I'm so glad someone that I know has one and can fill me in on it!

Tell me more!!

This really is a revolutionary device. So many people have bought expensive cameras that they then rarely use, this one's simplicity means the average person gets a lot more mileage out of it.

The NY Times' David Pogue did a good write up on it.

Honestly? There's not a lot to tell, it's that easy.

Turn on button, press red record button, you can zoom or unzoom while recording, press red button again to stop recording.

Every time you start/stop recording it creates a separate file.

To download, press a lever and the arm pop out, and you plug it into your puter and follow the software directions.

You can edit the videos after downloading, I haven't done that yet, but it looks simple.

It's got a wristband and a little carrying pouch, so you can turn it on a second after something interesting starts happening.

I looked up reviews after I bought the thing and the complaints people had were silly.....

"you can only record 60 minutes" Well, how often are you going to need more than that?

"if you delete a file and you hadn't downloaded it, it's lost forever" No **** Sherlock.

"The arm broke off" Yeah well, learn to be more careful why doncha?

I didn't examine it that closely, but the only way it seems it would break off is if you were bending it all around. When you plug it in the computer, it goes directly straight in, don't mess with it trying to make it do something it's not designed to do. Just use reasonable care.

The positive reviews said the same things I did. Easy to use, fast/right there when you need it. Small. Fun.

The picture looked good to me. I mean, not like Hollywood or anything, but I thought the quality was fine.

I haven't messed around with the sound much, as far as making it louder, so I don't know about that.

Especially with mo, it'd be a really fun thing to have around.

This looks really interesting. Hadn't seen or didn't remember Pogue's review, he's not often that effusive about a product. (The video he made was entertaining too, without captions anyway.)

Yeah, that's another thing. I remember when camcorders first came out. Those big things you carried on your shoulder.

They got smaller and smaller, but didn't seem that much more appealing to use.

Come to think of it, video cameras always seemed like such a guy thing. Think about it, whenever you'd see a family with a video camera, who'd be running it?

This one is so much more approachable to women. Of course not saying women are dumb, but as a generality I don't think wimmens are as interested in playing with buttons and filters and stuff.

Average person....yeah, that's exactly it. I'm an average person that just quick wanted to record something, and don't want to have to drag out a video camera.

On the other hand, if I were the subject, I wouldn't feel like someone was recording me, no camera with a lense poking out aimed at me.

It's even more approachable for men, but their (on average) greater love of gadgetry often makes them snobs about simple products with bad specs like the Flip.

So a geekier guy might turn his nose up at this, but even he is likely better served by a more accessible camera than a more powerful one.



Yup. And the day a great phone has a great video camera is the day I'll start doing more video (I've probably recorded less than 20 in my lifetime). For the average use, the best cameras are the ones that are there when you need them, not the ones that have the best spec sheet. So the Flip is a great step towards that, but a phone with the same usability for video would be even better for the folks who don't want to carry both.

Wow!!!


THAT'S a gizmo!!!

It's $261 damn dollars here, though.

did you check amazon?

I don't know if there's an oz amazon, but will the US amazon ship to oz?

It's the same price on there, 119 or so, and had super saver shipping (free).

I'm thinking that's prohibited?

Hmmmm....by the time I paid shipping and accunted for the difference in US and Oz dollars, it might not be very different.

I might have to pay duty, too...dunno.