Be Smart

I'm a huge fan of the Flip Ultra video camera (sold at the Henri Bendel Popgadget Pop-up Shop last Christmas) because it's the only video camera that I could trust my father to use. You literally need to push just one button to operate it. The quality isn't anywhere near high-def, but for web use, and simple home video, it's definitely good enough.

The newest addition to the Flip family, the Flip Mino, adds some great new features, and actually loses some bulk from what is already a very compact camera. The Mino weighs just a hair over 3 oz, while the older models are just about 5 oz. Not a huge difference, but significant when you"ve already got a bag full of gadgets. It's a little shorter and narrower, and actually much thinner, just over half an inch thick.

Other cool new features:
-A higher resolution transreflective screen which makes the screen visible even in bright sunlight.
-Lithium-ion rechargeable battery which lasts for about 4 hours. The older models use standard batteries which last for about 2 hours.
-There are new touch-sensitive buttons and faster start-up time (4 seconds).
-The built-in mic is omni-directional for better sound quality.

The Mino, like all Flip models has the pull-out USB connector for easy uploading of video. You can upload directly to YouTube or MySpace.

While the Flip cameras, including the Mino, don't take true still images, you can use the Flip software to take screenshots of video frames.

The Flip Mino is available in black and white, and is available now for $179.
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