For those waiting to see what Flip Video will have for the holiday season, the company is about to ship an upgraded, "premium" version of its MinoHD pocket camcorder for $229.99.
In a nod to Apple, the new model is called the MinoHD, second-generation, and features a brushed metal body, double the internal memory (8GB vs. 4GB), a larger, 2-inch LCD, and an HDMI connection, though no cable is included.
Flip's designers have also rounded off the corners of the unit (it does look sleeker) and tweaked the FlipShare software package to include direct uploads to Facebook (MySpace and YouTube links were already available) and a new Movie Magic mode that takes your clips and automatically arranges them into a "movie."
Other than that, nothing else has changed. Like its older sibling, this model offers 720p video capture and two hours of battery life from its integrated lithium-ion battery. Flip Video has yet to add the electronic image stabilization or macro mode found on Kodak's Zi8, which also features 1080p capture.
The new MinoHD is available in silver or you can get a custom finish at no extra charge if you order the unit from the Flip website. Meanwhile, the original MinoHD ($199.99) remains on sale along with the standard-def Mino ($149.99).
We've been playing around with the new model for a couple of days and it's definitely nicer, though we can't say it's a huge upgrade. If the difference in price was really only $30, we'd say go for this guy, but we're seeing the original MinoHD discounted to around $170 online, which may create a buying dilemma.
Read the CNET review of the Flip MinoHD (second generation).
Comments?
While the name of the category is still up for debate--same say "minicamcorders," others say "YouTube camcorders"--everyone agrees that Pure Digital's Flip Mino was the pioneer product in the realm of tiny, low-priced flash-based digital camcorders. Now the company--which has since been bought out by Cisco--is back with two new models: the second-generation Flip Ultra, and the new Flip UltraHD. CNET's got the full review for each, along with hands-on videos.
Read the Flip Ultra HD review.
Additional coverage from CNET News:
Pure Digital not flipping out over a little competition
Got an opinion on these latest models? Share your thoughts below.
(Credit:
Sony)
Sony's first entry in the mini-camcorder arena was 2007's NSC-GC1 Net-sharing Cam. That model didn't fare too well in our review, but Sony seems to have learned from that experience and made some improvements to its new line of YouTube-friendly budget camcorders, dubbed "Webbie HD" models.
We picked up the MHS-PM1 ($150--Best Buy), which follows in the footsteps of models like the Flip Video MinoHD, with a vertical, almost cell-phone-like design. Sony also makes a horizontal, more traditional and slightly more expensive version, the MHS-CM1, which features a 5x zoom lens. Both models come in three colors--purple, orange, and silver--but Best Buy was only carrying the purple MHS-PM1 here in New York.
We had high hopes for Sony coming through with something truly compelling in this category. And yes, the Webbie HD has some nice plusses. But when all was said and done, the model we reviewed came up a little short.
To find out why, read the full review of the Sony Webbie MHS-PM1.
Sanyo steered clear of the madness that was CES 2009, and instead opted to announce its spring 2009 lineup of Xacti camcorders on Wednesday. Headed to stores in March are six new models (three horizontal and three vertical, pistol-grip siblings), all of them capable of shooting in HD--two of them in full 1080p.
Oh, and Sanyo's decided it's time to create a new category name by calling these "dual cameras" since they can take still photos at point-and-shoot camera resolutions.
Check out the slide show below to see up-close-and-personal shots from the press conference.
(Credit:
Creative)
Several people have e-mailed me wondering when we'd have our review up of the Creative Vado HD mini camcorder. Well, now it's up, and the big question everyone is asking is whether it's better than the Flip Video Mino HD. The short answer is yes--and no.
Basically, the Vado HD's video quality isn't quite as good the Mino HD's. But its feature set is superior. So, it's a tough call.
Amazon is selling the Vado HD for $200.
(Credit: Amazon)Things are heating up in the HD mini camcorder space as Creative gets set to release its new Vado HD next week. The camcorder retains many of the design traits of the original Vado but it doesn't share the exact same body. However, it does have something that neither the Kodak Zi6 nor the Flip Video Mino HD has: an HDMI connection (plus an included cable) for outputting 1080i video to your HDTV. And it comes with 8GB of built-in memory--all for around $200.
In our review of the Vado, we knocked it a bit for being pretty no frills, and Creative seems to have taken that to heart. Along with the HDMI cable, it's throwing in a protective case and a real software package for tweaking your videos after you shoot them. Like the Mino HD, it captures H.264 AVI videos at 30fps with a 1,280x720 CMOS sensor and gives you about 2 hours of battery life from its removable rechargeable battery. You can also shoot 640x480 VGA video if you want.
On paper, the Vado HD looks good, but the big question is, how will its video quality compare to that of the Mino HD and Zi6? We'll be getting a review sample shortly, so we'll hopefully have a full review up by early next week. The Vado HD lists for $229, but Amazon is taking preorders at $200 and we expect the price to stay there.
Comments anyone?
(Credit:
Sanyo)
And the mini-camcorder cavalcade keeps rolling on. Well, in Japan at least. Sanyo premiered its latest HD pocket-corder, Xacti, Wednesday in Japan. The DMX-HD800 records at up to 720p at 30fps in MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, and does so with an improved 8MP CMOS sensor.
There are some other tweaks to the specs that you can view on Sanyo's Japanese Web site (Google translated for your pleasure), but all-in-all it looks like another decent offering. (Though, personally, I find the gold and pink colors a bit too "look at me, I've got a camcorder.") The DMX-HD800 will be available August 22 in Japan for approximately $460.
Don't feel like waiting for this to make it stateside? Check out our review of the Kodak Zi6 that has solid 720p video performance in a compact package. You can also see a full roundup of the best mini-camcorders we've seen right here.
(Via Electronista)
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