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Ask Engadget: Best pocket-sized camcorder out there?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Lulu, who can't seem to select a camcorder worthy of being carried around in her Fifth Pocket™. "I need help! I want a small pocket camcorder but I'm not sure which one to get. I don't want to fall into the hype of the Flip because I worry two hours won't be enough. What should I be looking for when considering a small camcorder and where can I get a good quality one with expandable memory? Thanks!" The pocket camcorder arena has blossomed into something of a small giant here recently, with entries from Sony, Samsung, Kodak and Creative flowing in to compete with the Ultra HD. For those of you who've laid down the cheddar, why not share your experiences here in order to direct Lulu to making the right choice? Surely you won't pass on an opportunity to help a fellow nerd. Surely.
Engadget Podcast 158 - 08.07.2009
The gang's all here, folks! Yes, it's been a rough couple weeks apart, but Josh, Paul, and Nilay have finally managed to reunite, and Engadget Podcast 158 is the happy result. Join the boys as they take Apple to task for its recent App Store shenanigans and the dismissal of Eric Schmidt from the board of directors, pick apart the Windows 7 upgrade matrix, and then shift into cruising gear for a run to The Shack and some quick thoughts on a trio of new cameras. Yeah, it's good to be back. Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller Producer: Trent Wolbe Song: Ruby Soho Hear the podcast 00:02:20 - FCC queries AT&T, Apple on Google Voice iPhone app rejection 00:03:10 - Google's Eric Schmidt resigns from Apple board over "conflict of interest" 00:12:40 - Phil Schiller says Apple didn't censor a dictionary. 00:35:15 - Official Windows 7 upgrade chart is ridiculous 00:45:20 - The Shack! Radio Shack's current bid for relevance 00:52:43 - Nikon Coolpix S1000pj projector-cam beams into reality along with friends 00:59:28 - Kodak Zi8: Kodak Zi8 impressions: surprising functionality, but it's still a pocket camcorder 01:04:38 - Sony Party-show dock: Sony's Party-shot dock snaps incriminating Facebook photos while you drink Subscribe to the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace Download the podcast LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast 1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com. Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @futurepaul @reckless @engadget
Kodak Zi8 impressions: surprising functionality, but it's still a pocket camcorder
We've been messing around with Kodak's latest pocket camcorder, the Zi8, and find the shooter to be an interesting hybrid. With a flip-out USB plug, HDMI out and an easily accessible SD card slot, this is clearly a "premium" mix of features for the class, but the $180 pricetag keeps the device firmly grounded in Walmart-friendly reality. Other odd perks like a line-in jack and 1080p have us scratching our heads -- but in a good way. Overall, we'd feel pretty comfortable saying the footage is about the best you can obtain at this pricepoint. Colors are great, the image stabilization isn't a gimmick (sorry, Flip), and if you squint hard enough you can almost believe the 1080p is 1080p. Still, the camera is hampered by its cheap approach to processing and compressing the footage it's taking in -- despite its limitations, we'd say the iPhone 3GS is besting most cheap pocket camcorders on this front, motion just looks much more fluid. But don't take our word for it, check out a couple of video samples after the break.
Kodak's 1080p Zi8 HD pocket camcorder in hand
Yeah, you don't really need 1080p in a compact like this. You know it, we know it. Kodak probably knows it too. Still, it's always pretty wild to pick up a little piece like this and know it can shoot to a native resolution that our parents can't even pronounce. The new Zi8 is certainly bulky for a "pocket" camcorder, but makes up for it by sporting a rechargeable battery, line-in audio jack, HDMI out, 2.5-inch LCD and even keeping the pop-out USB plug around for old times sake. The perks of face recognition for improved exposure and gyroscope-based image stabilization are also pretty snazzy at this $180 pricepoint. We still aren't quite sold on the way this camera (like most of these compacts) processes video -- it seems to do a lot of damage to frame-to-frame motion, something that Apple fought off pretty well with the iPhone 3GS -- but we're going to take one home and test it out a little before we throw down a verdict.
Kodak's Zi8 HD pocket camcorder hits the 1080p mark, adds Facebook uploading
The Zi6 is still fairly fresh in our memory banks, but Kodak's already looking ahead with its newly unveiled Zi8 pocket camcorder. The Flip Ultra HD competitor boasts 1080p recording this time around, in addition to usual features like face tracking, image stabilization, a 2.5-inch LCD display, and SD card slot. YouTube uploading is back, and joining it Facebook support, too. It'll be out in September in blue, red, and black colors for just a hair under $180.
Flip Video Ultra HD video review
What better way to give you a look at Flip Video's new Ultra HD camcorder than by reviewing it on video... shot with the Ultra HD. The specs are simple: 720p / 30 FPS, 8GB of storage on-board, HDMI out, and pretty much nothing else. Still, a camera this cheap ($199.99) and this small definitely has its uses. Of course, you'll probably be distracted (like we were) by the bad, bad image stabilization issues. But don't just read about it -- take a look at the gallery below to scope out what the thing looks like, then watch the videos after the break to hear (and see) our thoughts, and catch the cam in some heavier -- shakier -- action. Needless to say, both videos are available in HD.
Pure Digital founder talks of Flip Video's future
When we got wind of Cisco's $590 million acquisition of Flip Video-maker Pure Digital, we immediately came to grips with the fit. After all, Cisco's been dying to pull another Linksys for some time now, and what better to expand its consumer electronics presence than with a cheap-o camcorder that's ripe for the addition of WiFi. Bigwig (and Pure Digital founder) Jonathan Kaplan recently sat down to talk about the product's future, and unsurprisingly, he definitely mentions the integration of Cisco's "strengths" into the handheld camcorder. Furthermore, he's hoping that an entity as large as Cisco can get the Flip Video line overseas, and he's also quite big on "building the brand." The takeaway? Don't be alarmed when a WiFi-equipped, streaming-capable successor hits the scene at CES 2010, complete with automatic upload-to-YouTube functionality.
Cisco acquiring Flip Video-maker Pure Digital for $590 million in stock
Funny -- that patently absurd half a billion figure we heard tossed about earlier this month was low. In reality, Cisco has just announced its full intentions to acquire all of Pure Digital, the maker of the immensely popular Flip Video camcorder, for around $590 million in stock. According to Ned Hooper, senior vice president of Cisco's Corporate Development and Consumer Groups, the "acquisition of Pure Digital is key to Cisco's strategy to expand our momentum in the media-enabled home and to capture the consumer market transition to visual networking." To an outsider, the move may seem somewhat odd; after all, what's Cisco doing spending this much on a consumer product? Let's just say that uploading HD video requires loads of bandwidth, and Cisco's all about that. Expect the deal to close in Cisco's fiscal fourth quarter of 2009.
Cisco said to be buying Pure Digital for around $500 million
Believe us people, popularity pays off. Just ask Pure Digital CEO Jonathan Kaplan, who is reportedly scrambling for ways to spend $80 million of the $500 million Cisco Systems is about to hand over in order to acquire the company. Granted, none of this has been confirmed just yet, but TechCrunch has it that the deal is all but done. Reportedly, Cisco's interested in bringing the firm into its portfolio in order to further push high-bandwidth using services. Obviously, user generated HD video fits pretty perfectly into that agenda. We suspect we'll be hearing more on the subject as the work week begins in earnest, but it sure sounds like Linksys is about to get a new cousin.
Hello Kitty Flip Mino can't stop recording self in mirror
Pure Digital Technologies' Flip Video lineup is getting Hello Kitty-fied with the Mino and MinoHD. Like their not-as-adorable kin, the camcorders sport one-touch video recording, a built-in USB port, and are able to record 60 minutes of video with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. Most importantly -- and sure to tip the scales in Flip's favor over the Vado HD 720p Pocket -- the camcorders come in eleven different Hello Kitty designs. Far East Gizmos says the price will be $179.99 for Mino and $229.99 for MinoHD, which is the same price as the respective models without these adorable skins. Between this and last month's C1 netbook, we hope this is a sign of an uptick in lip-bitingly cute Hello Kitty-branded tech gear.
Creative's Vado HD 720p pocket camcorder reviewed: toe-to-toe with Mino HD
First was the netbook craze -- suddenly, everyone was cool with a miniaturized laptop. Now, the same sentiment has apparently bled over to the camcorder realm, with the Mino HD, Zi6 and Vado HD all vying for that precious space in your front left pocket. The latter, Creative's latest, was recently reviewed over at CNET, and while it'd be wonderful to find a clear cut winner, critics simply couldn't say that it was definitively superior in all ways to Flip's formidable rival. In short, the Vado HD's video quality was slightly less awesome than that of the Mino HD, but the feature set on the Creative was found to be far superior. Before pulling the trigger on either, we'd have a peek at the read link to see what aspects are most important to you.
Hands-on shots of Creative's Vado HD 720p pocket camcorder
Creative's recently unleashed Vado HD 720p pocket camcorder isn't dramatically different (design wise, anyway) than its predecessor, but it's obviously what's tucked inside that counts. Still, we have to admire the subtle but meaningful updates that Creative has applied here, and while beauty will strike everyone differently, we personally like the direction the Vado HD has taken. For a few more looks, saunter on down to the read link.
Customize your Flip Mino for free, regret it when eBay time comes
For whatever reason, Pure Digital's Flip Mino has been a runaway hit. The video quality ain't that great, and it's downright bad in low-light scenarios, but there's something about the convenience factor that keeps folks coming. Now, there's one more reason to give this one a look over rivals: personalization. Thanks to a new partnership with CafePress, prospective buyers can customize their Flip Mino with a design of their own or choose one from thousands of professional designs, and contrary to what you're expecting, the service is completely free. In other words, you can finally get that pocket camcorder you've been wanting with your 2-week old girlfriend (or you skateboarding) plastered on there for not a dime more -- but who'll be laughing when it comes time to sell and upgrade?[Via Switched]
Pure Digital introduces Flip Mino video sharing camcorder
It's been quite awhile since Pure Digital's YouTube-lovin' Flip Video Ultra came around, but folks looking for its rightful successor can finally stop peering around every bend in vain. Announced today, the Flip Mino checks in at just 4- x 2- x 0.6-inches and weighs 3.3-ounces -- a full 40% smaller than the previously mentioned Ultra. You'll also find 2GB of internal storage for holding an hour of footage, along with a sealed rechargeable Li-ion, 1.5-inch anti-glare screen, touch-sensitive buttons and a TV output to boot. As predicted, this pocket-friendly camcorder comes ready to upload to some of the most popular video sharing sites on the web, and users in the US can procure their own (in black or white) on June 5th for $179.99.
Flip Minos coming on June 4?
People sure do love them some Flip Video cameras, and it looks like the company is getting set to cash in on that popularity with a new model dubbed the Minos, which was recently spotted in a B&H catalog with a due date of June 4. It's not clear what the Minos will offer over the existing Flip except a $179 price tag and your choice of a black or white casing, but here's hoping Flip handles all that fame responsibly -- no one want to see this guy go all Elvis and feature-bloated, you know?
Pure Digital announces million camcorder giveaway for non-profits
At under $200, Pure Digital's recently announced Flip Video camcorders are already pretty inexpensive, but the company now looks to be trying to make them even cheaper for non-profit organizations -- as in free. That's the goal of the company's just announced Flip Video Spotlight program, which aims to give up to one million of the camcorders to non-profits and other non-governmental organizations over the next five years. Apparently, the initiative (which is set to get underway this December) will operate as a donor matching program, with donors (or the organizations themselves) able to purchase so-called Flip Video Spotlight Kits, which Flip Video will match one-to-one. Much like the OLPC program, Flip Video sees virtually no end to the benefits of its camcorders, with Pure Digital CEO Jonathan Kaplan saying the company believes "video can help change the world."
Pure Digital reveals YouTube-friendly Flip Video Ultra camcorder
Merely months after launching the Flip Video, Pure Digital is hitting back with the sleeker, sexier Flip Video Ultra. The ultra-compact camcorder touts "on-board software to enable editing, organizing, and seamless video uploading to AOL, YouTube and other video sharing sites," and even includes a video output for watching captures on TV. The device includes a flip-out USB port for connecting to your PC, is already available in white, pink, black and orange motifs for $149.99 (1GB) or $179.99 (2GB), and reportedly holds "60 minutes of full VGA-quality video" on the latter.
Pure Digital revisits Point & Shoot cam, unveils Flip Video
When all else fails, repackage your device with some gimmicky new software and a new brand, then send it back into the field with a hyperbole-filled press release and see what sticks. That seems to be Pure Digital's plan here with the Flip Video, an exact replica of the drug store-friendly Point & Shoot cam, with a 30 minute version going for $120, and a 60 minute edition priced at $150. The main difference, other than that new Flip Video moniker, is some YouTube-friendly software that lets you edit and upload your videos to video sharing sites relatively pain-free. Of course, you can still do the photo lab thing and get your videos turned into a DVD, but Flip Video's video sharing thrust does seem to have a good eye for the current market, even if the actual tech is getting a little dated by now. The device should be available today.
