Review: Pure Digital Flip Mino camcorder

PC World - In case you didn't have enough reasons to worry about videos of your escapades showing up online, Pure Digital Technologies Inc. has made video posting easier than ever. The $180 Flip Mino, the latest in the Flip series of pocket camcorders, is smaller and sleeker than the Flip Ultra, and it adds MySpace integration for video uploads.

When it comes to size, the thin Flip Mino is the iPod Nano to the $140 Flip Ultra's iPod Classic. Clocking in at 3.9 in. long by 2 in. wide by 0.6 in. deep, it's the smallest model in Pure Digital's popular pocket camcorder line. It's also the most versatile, thanks to the company's new video engine that produces great-looking SVGA-resolution (640-by-480-pixel) videos. The unit's 2GB flash drive holds an hour of clips.

At $180, the Mino also comes in at some $80 more than Creative Technology Ltd.'s Vado, a pocket camcorder with which it shares some similarities, including an onboard USB connector, direct-to-YouTube uploads, diminutive size and comparably slick design. Is the Mino worth the extra 80 bucks? It just might be, if you value video quality and Mac compatibility.

No brainer

If you've used the Flip Video or Flip Ultra, you'll know how to operate the Mino -- even its new features are a no-brainer for a first-time user to operate. The Mino adds touch-sensitive controls, which replace all standard buttons (other than the Record and Power buttons) found on the other Flip models. These four capacitive touch buttons surround the centrally positioned Record button; "plus" and "minus" buttons control the zoom and the audio playback volume, while left and right buttons allow you to select videos for playback. The Mino's full set of controls are rounded out by touch-sensitive Play/Pause buttons and a Delete button.

Although we liked the clean, slick look of the capacitive touch buttons, we found it way too easy during our testing to accidentally play back or delete clips by accidentally brushing a finger against the buttons. You can lock the Delete key by pressing it down for a few seconds, but that doesn't go far enough; the Mino's sensitivity may be a bit too touchy for some users.

That said, the buttons do seem to solve a problem that previous Flip models had, where you could accidentally start a recording while the device was in your pocket -- and the Mino fits very comfortably into a shirt or jeans pocket.

Also new to the Mino is the integrated lithium-ion battery (previous models used AA batteries), and the location of the flip-out USB jack, the magic component that makes the Flip models (as well as Creative's Vado) so plug-and-play convenient. Earlier Flip units had a flip-out USB connector on the side. The Mino's connector instead flips out, switchblade-style, from the top of the device. It makes the Mino slightly less unwieldy to plug in to your computer's USB port. When connected, the Mino can upload clips directly to YouTube, AOL Video or MySpace. You also use the USB connector to charge the device's battery, since it has no power cord.