Apr

Quick look: Flip Mino

Kevin on April 14th, 2009

Bought a Flip Mino today and thought I’d share a few quick pictures; in the outer box:

The unit comes in an attractive, matte finish black box with simple graphics:

Flip open the hinged lid, and there’s the Flip Mino (click on any of these images for a close-up view) -

It comes with a Quick Start Guide, AV cable for connecting to a TV or monitor, wrist snap and a small microfiber pouch…

The unit is quite small:

Yet it still has a tripod mount:

Depress a slide switch on the unit’s side, and the USB connector pops out, switchblade-style:

The icons you see when it’s turned on are illuminated and touch sensitive; when shooting video the + and – signs illuminate, and are your zoom controls:

Basic features:

Sleek, pocket-sized camcorder with one-touch recording
Built-in memory for up to 60 minutes of high-quality video
Rechargeable lithium ion battery— charges via your USB port. 4+ hours of recording per charge.
Start recording within 3 seconds of power-up
Advanced playback, pause, fast forward/rewind features
“Child Safe” mode to prevent accidental deletions of clips
Fast lens – great low or bright light results, 2x digital zoom
1.5” color high-brightness (transflective) display for easy recording and super-clear viewing in bright sunlight
Flip-out USB arm plugs directly into your computer for easy sharing and archiving
Silent mode for recording in sensitive situations
TV connector cable included to watch videos on television
Tripod mount fits any standard tripod

Other features:

Built-in software for instant viewing, editing, and one-click emailing
Integrated video uploading to AOL, MySpace, YouTube and other video sharing sites
Easily snap still pictures from video
Simple editing tools let you make custom-edited movie mixes with music
Create and organize your personal video library

Specifications:

Internal Memory:	2GB (60 minutes)
Screen Size:	1.5” (transflective TFT)
Screen Resolution:	528 x 132 pixels
Video Resolution:	640 x 480
Frame Rate:	30 frames per second (constant frame rate, progressive scan)
Video Bitrate:	4.0Mbps (average – auto adaptive algorithm)
Video Format:	Advanced Profile MPEG4, saved as AVI file
Lens Type:	Fixed Focus (1m to infinity)
Aperture:	f/2.4 (fast lens for great results in low-light environments)
Zoom:	Smooth multi-step 2x digital
Interface:	8 Touch-Sensitive Capacitive Buttons (Power, Play, Delete, Record and 4 way navigation)
Dimensions:	3.94” x 1.97” x 0.63” (H x W x D)
PC Connection:	Built-in flip-out USB arm (up to 2.0 USB speed)
TV Out:	NTSC (cable included)
Battery Life:	Rechargeable lithium ion battery, charges on both USB and Flip Video power adapter (sold separately; coming soon to the Flip online store)
Tripod Mount:	Yes
Operating Systems:	Windows XP, Windows Vista
	Mac OSX
Min. Requirements:	(Windows) Intel Pentium 4 2.0 GHz processor, Windows XP SP2 with 512 MB of RAM or Windows Vista with 2 GB of RAM, display monitor and video card support for 1024×768/24-bit color, Windows Media Player 9.0, Microsoft DirectX 9.0, USB port
	(Mac) PowerPC G4 1.0 GHz or Intel Core processor, 512 MB of RAM, OS X Tiger 10.4 or Leopard 10.5, display monitor and video card support for 1024×768/24-bit color, QuickTime 7, USB port
Online Sharing:	Unlimited Private Email Sharing
	Video greeting cards
	Upload to MySpace
	Upload to YouTube (public and private)
	Upload to AOL Video (public and private)
	Upload to other sites

I’ve shot a few quick videos with the Mino and have two quick conclusions: a) it couldn’t be easier to operate, and b) the video is surprisingly sharp.

I’ll be doing some experimenting over the next week or so; who knows, you might just see some video on this site!

Price: $159.-

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