ALL THE RAGE
The Pure Digital Flip Mino is an affordable, highly portable, easy to use, and no frills video camera for the masses. Indeed, The Flip is not without its limitations or detractors. Are their some alternatives for the lateral thinkers who want and or need a smart solution for their budget portable video needs? The answer may surprise you.

PROS AND CONS OF THE FLIP
The specs for the Mino are what one would expect in order to produce acceptable video. Some of the highlights include: a small and light weight design, VGA (640 x 480) quality video at 30 frames per second, four hours of use per charge, touch sensitive controls that are easy to use, and a simple USB connection system. At an Amazon price of $159.00, the Mino has taken the YouTube video generation by storm. Take a look at some sample video.

There are, however, a few specs that can impact the usability of the Mino in a negative way. The 1.5″ screen will make the framing of a scene more difficult. The lack of an optical viewfinder will make scenes shot in direct sunlight very view within the LCS screen. The fixed focus optics of the Mino will limit the clarity of the image in certain conditions. As a video camera, the lack of an image stabilization system is unfortunate. The Mino will not take digital stills. Finally, the non-removable memory and battery will limit the amount of time between syncing and charging.

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