Flip Mino HD

The Flip Mino HD is a handheld camcorder of a size that (if you're particularly Apple-obsessed) you could describe as akin to about four iPod nanos stacked together. Except that instead of a scroll wheel, all you've got is a big red shiny button on the front, and a couple of indents. Power up the Flip Mino HD and the touch panels that surround the big red button will light up, but it's still the big red button that commands the gaze. Not surprisingly, it's a record button. Press it once, and the Flip Mino starts recording at up to 720p resolution, using H.264 MP4 files. Press it again and it stops. It's a simple approach that feels very Apple-styled, and this simplicity in recording permeates the entire Flip experience. Playback on the Flip Mino HD's tiny screen is easy to handle, as is deleting unwanted recordings. There's a minimal digital zoom function available, but in every single test case I found it preferable just to move closer to the target. At this point you might be wondering why it's called a "Flip" at all. Well, that's got to do with the method used for getting your video creations out of the Mino HD and onto your Mac. On the left-hand side of the Flip is a small switch. Click it down and a USB connector flips up out of the top, rather like a geek's version of a flick knife. From there you can plug the Flip Mino HD into your Mac, where it'll appear just like any other removable drive. In my tests, iMovie '09 had no problems identifying the Flip as a compatible camera for directly importing filmed clips. The flip-up USB connector gives the Mino HD its slightly amusing name, but it's also the weakest part of the unit. Not weakest in that it easily breaks, but weakest because the physical positioning of the USB connector and its short length means it can be annoyingly difficult to get it to fit into a USB socket if you've got other devices connected at the same time — even if you're using a USB hub. It's not an insurmountable problem, but it's definitely something to consider, and I can't help but wish that the Flip Mino HD came with a USB extension cable in the box. There's an obvious point of comparison between the Flip Mino HD and the iPhone 3G's video recording capabilities. The Flip Mino HD does record in better quality — and in my tests that was pretty clear — but neither is a fully-fledged camcorder, and if you want solid results for your video shooting you're still better off with a full-sized unit. The Flip Mino HD's designed to be that prototypical camcorder that you happen to have with you to record ad-hoc moments, and in that capacity it works well. It's fair to say that the iPhone does too, and I can't see too much of a crossover audience between the two products.