I think one of the greatest gift ideas out there this season, has to be the Flip Mino HD. It’s a camcorder that is about the size of your cell phone, yet packed with such a huge punch. From the moment I got mine {Thank you Mom Central and Flip}, I was blown away. Not only does the box open in the same fashion that a sparkly piece of jewelry would {yes, it was shiny and I squealed}, but you can use it right out of the box. Within seconds of opening, I found the ‘on’ button and started recording video. Yes, it was that simple!
The Flip Mino HD can take up to 60 minutes of video, all in HD.
It comes with a half-charged battery yet have no fear – you won’t need to take batteries out, have a separate charger on hand and all the jazz. The Flip Mino HD has a built-in rechargeable battery. So when it comes time for some charging, simply flip open the USB arm on the camera and plug into your USB port on your computer. In about 3 hours, fully charged and ready to go.
And, there is no software to mess with either. Simply plug in the camera to your USB port and the FlipShare software is immediately available for use. There, you can download the videos you took in a matter of minutes {under 5 minutes for
the 25 short videos that I took},
Best of all, FlipShare allows you to edit your videos into movies. When I decided to tackle all my clips and make a movie, I became nervous. As much as I love technology, it takes me forever to get around to learning and completing them {Call it lack of time and lack of patience}. Yet FlipShare was so easy, I still can’t believe it. You can cut videos with one simple move, drag and drop them into sequence, add titles, music…oh the possibilities. I loved that I could preview what I was doing the entire time, since I kept second-guessing myself that I was really making a movie that easily. Whether it be a movie you created or the videos you took, as is – sharing them in emails or on various video sharing sites {such as YouTube, MySpace and more} is at the click of a button.
Wanna see my first Flip Movie?
I don’t think it’s bad at all, for my very first attempt.
And, it only took me 10 minutes to make!
My final take? I really wish that I had the Flip Mino HD long ago. In fact, I have been trying this whole week to slice and piece together videos that I took on my other camcorder. The process would have been much easier if I had the Flip at that time. It really is the simplest that I have used, the sleekest in design, and the smallest to carry. The only thing that I would want in a new design would be a larger screen, but that is minor once you get used to it. The Flip comes in many versions which range in price, and has standard colors or the option of a customized design.
Honestly, I can’t think of anyone that I know, that would not benefit from having a Flip Mino HD. Parents, students and travellers would certainly love the ease of use and compact size. Myself, I rarely carried my other camcorder outside of the home, due to it’s size and all the components that go with it. The Flip Mino HD fits in my pocket and personally, this baby is going everywhere I go! For under $200, the Flip Mino HD is a steal for all the memories it will provide {not to mention that it saves on time and stress}.
If you are thinking of someone would love to have a Flip Mino HD with their name on it this year, just remember – I squealed with delight when I got mine!
** Disclosure: Product was provided for review purposes, opinions are my own
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