For my birthday I received a Flip Mino Camcorder!!! I love it! And isn't it beautiful?
What is a Flip Mino? Well, it's a pocket sized (yes you can fit it right in your pocket!) 2gb, 60 min camcorder. It's called "Flip" because it has a flip-out USB arm that plugs into your USB ports.
So why do I love my new Flip Mino?
Well, it's small so I can take it anywhere with me (and I do). I just throw it in my purse with the rest of my junk and I'm on my way.
It's really easy to use. There are only 7 (touch sensitive) buttons. Trash, Play, Record, Fast Forward, Rewind. My 3 year uses it!
The playback and sound looks awesome on the tiny lcd screen. My daughter loves to watch herself! Everyone I have showed it to loves it!
It doesn't take batteries. It charges while it is plugged into your USB port. (Also a con, see below.) You can purchase the Flip Ultra if you would rather run it off of batteries. This is one of the main reasons why I purchased the Mino over the Ultra. I HATE having to purchase batteries. And I knew if the Ultra was like any digital camera, then the batteries would last no time. Especially with my daughter "watching" herself all the time.
It came with a TV connector cable so you watch the videos right on the TV. They look great!
It comes with built-in FlipShare software. I was excited about this feature before I got the Mino but so far I haven't been really impressed. I haven't really used it that much so I can't go into great detail. I guess the software is a bit neutral, not really a pro or con.
It will attach to a tripod. I haven't use a tripod with it yet but I'm sure I will.
Now, it's not all good. (Although the good outweighs the bad.) There are improvements that could be made.
For example, the only way to charge the Mino is by plugging it into the USB port of your computer. I wish there was a way to plug it into an outlet. If I ever go on a trip, I'd have to take my laptop along with me just to charge it.
Another con is that the memory is not expandable. This makes no sense to me. Why not have a slot for an SD card? Since they keep upgrading the Flip, I'm sure one day this feature will be available. So if I run out of memory I have to move the files to my computer. Again, I'd have to have my laptop with me if I went away and knew that I would need to unload my files.
Those are really the only two things that bother me about the Flip Mino. Otherwise, I absolutely love it! I don't go anywhere without it! I really can't wait to play around with the software a bit more and see what I can come up with. If you're looking for a cheap camcorder, buy this! You will not be disappointed.