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===> Please read important updates at the end of this report (the main part is as I wrote it on October 28, 2010) and CONSIDER VERY CAREFULLY before paying more than $20.00 for this 'ORPHAN' (manufacturer no longer in business, product no longer made) camcorder Here is the latest press release from Cisco (Flip):
FLIP TRANSITION PLANS EMERGE
By Greg Tarr -TWICE [This Week in Consumer Electronics], 4/25/2011
San Francisco Cisco issued a statement Friday outlining its transition plans supporting its Flip camcorder business, which is being shut down.
A company spokesman told TWICE that "account teams are meeting with our channel partners to discuss the transition plan and selling inventory."
According to a statement posted on the company's website, "Cisco will continue its focus and commitment to deliver best in class solutions that extend the network as a platform, from businesses into the home through its Linksys products and consumer TelePresence solutions."
As for Flip, the company "will continue to provide technical support for Flip video cameras until Dec. 31, 2013 and Flip cameras will be available through our online and in-store retail partners as well as our Flip store while supplies last."
The company said it will continue to support consumers who purchased a Flip camera within the terms of its 1-year warranty. Issues not covered by the warranty or that are beyond the warranty period will continue to supported "for a nominal fee" until Dec 31, 2013.
E-support will also continue to be complimentary and available until that date.
Details and updates about support, service and the warranty policy are posted on the company web site.
The FlipShare software service will continue to be fully functional and will be supported until Dec. 31, 2013.
After that time Cisco will no longer support the application online though it may remain functional as software for offloading videos, editing, organizing and archiving.
Additionally, video sharing will no longer be supported past Dec. 31, 2013.
The company said it will continue selling Flip cameras through online and in-store retailers as well as through the Flip store, while supplies last.
Orders for customized Flip models will also remain available for a limited time on the Flip website.
===> Now isn't that 'nice' of them? December 31, 2013. They'll support a one hundred fifty plus dollar item for two and one-half years. After that, you're on your own.
Twenty dollars: that would be my firm target price for this camcorder. Twenty dollars and one cent? Nuts! Twenty dollars and not a cent more should be the firm close-out price. To me that would be all it would be worth. (I'm sorry for Amazon and other retail dealers who have paid full wholesale price for this unit. I should HOPE that Cisco will compensate them fully but I'll bet they won't!)
If you buy it at that close-out price and it breaks (after the warranty period), you could afford to just throw it away; I certainly would not pay Cisco's 'nominal fee' for any repairs.
You may feel differently about this model and this brand and it is your right to do so. But I suggest that ANYONE considering ANY Flip model camcorder think long and hard about buying an 'orphan.' If you can get it 'cheap,' well, if that's what you want, go ahead. But I recommend that NO ONE should pay 'serious' money for these products.
Other manufacturers make better (in my opinion) camcorders and, especially in the case of Creative and (hopefully) Kodak, they will be around for quite some time to support their products.
Thanks again for reading this and for considering my opinions.
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Update: March 2, 2013
If you buy one of these now, you are taking a big chance. This camcorder, indeed all Flip items, has not been manufactured for almost two years now. This means that if you buy one "new," the battery will have been sitting there uncharged for almost two years.
It's pot-luck as to whether or not the camcorder will even power on, much less function for any reasonable length of time.
CAVEAT EMPTOR!
Flip MinoHD Video Camera Black, 8 GB, 2 Hours (3rd Generation) NEWEST MODEL
The presentation after opening the outer box is really nice and certainly makes for a great gift!
We didn't even have to read the directions. My 13 year old just started using it right away. The set up (time and date, etc) was a breeze. I love the fact that it had a charge right out of the box and is immediately ready to use. No media card needed.
We played around with it for quite awhile and the video here shows the quality and zoom.
The size is so convenient and easy to hold, it fits in the palm of your hand. All you have to do is turn it on and click the red button to start recording. Even though the screen is small (approx less than 2 inches) it has a quality display to see what you are taping. The sound quality is excellent as well.
You can zoom with this but I don't know by how much. It didn't seem like a lot to me. I show that on the video attached here.
Also, every time that you plug in the camera it automatically turns itself on and charges.
As far as the software goes, it allows you to make a movie and edit it by adding a title, credits and music. You can add more effects with Windows Movie Maker. You also use the software to share videos by emailing them or putting them online.We emailed a 48 second video and it took 6 minutes to send using the Flip software. There is also an option for making greeting cards. You can select holidays, birthdays, new baby, love and friendship, travel, etc The video is placed in the greeting card and then you can share it. All this is done with a couple of clicks.
I absolutely love this flip video camera. It is simple to use and makes sharing videos super easy. I think the quality of the video is better than some regular cameras and definitely better than my cell phone.
If you go to their website you can purchase the Flip and customize your flip's look. I love the idea that you can customize it with your own picture. If you have any questions feel free to comment and I will answer them as best as I can.
Buy Flip MinoHD Video Camera - Black, 4 GB, 1 Hour (3rd Generation) Now
FLIP video has done a great deal to prove to me as a repeat customer that they heavily weigh simplicity and ease of use when designing their products. My family owns two FLIP camcorders and it is clear to me that the previous version:
-Flip MinoHD Video Camera Brushed Metal, 8 GB, 2 Hours (2nd Generation) OLD MODEL
is a much better value for the money as I do not believe the minor updates on this "new" model warrant a $70 plus price increase (a nearly 50% premium!!!!)
The new generation has maintained the small size and easy use of the second generation. They have added a new sensors and image stabilization to 720p video at 60fps. (Second gen-720p 30fps)
I bought the 2nd generation flip minoHD (ASIN: B002R5AM7C) as a present for myself and my family to use for many different applications. The kids have used it for making YouTube videos with their friends. We have used it to record Birthdays, Christmas and many other random filmable occasions all with great results. It has become a favorite of all of the members of my family and me.
My son recently moved away to college and I decided to give the second generation family minoHD to him for school. Conveniently for our Flip-Lacking family, the new 3rd generation minoHD just came out so I ordered it to replace the second generation.
I would be kidding myself if I did not acknowledge that the new features do add some recording benefits but the basis of this review is that my family and I have decided that these improvements just ARE NOT worth the extra $70.
The recording quality is still 720p; the fps increase is hardly noticed. I would feel much better about the price increase if 1080p recording had been incorporated but with the newest round of cell phones producing HD video now, FLIP needs to give us more upgrade for the money.
For now, IMO, the 2nd generation Flip minoHD is a much better value.
Read Best Reviews of Flip MinoHD Video Camera - Black, 4 GB, 1 Hour (3rd Generation) Here
I have several nice cameras and camcorders but anytime I ask my wife to take a picture, I have to go through a minor training program explaining what this is and what that is. By the time I get it all explained, the photo opportunity is usually lost. I have given up buying her cameras since even the simplest ones seem to baffle her.
I have a smart and very high tech friend, who has many excellent cameras, but often uses a Flip Ultra and loves it. When Amazon offered the Mino HD as the "Deal of the Day", I read a few reviews and went for it. I frankly find it to be an amazing and unique piece of equipment. In this day of cramming more and more features into smaller and smaller packages, Flip has taken the "Keep it Simple" route and I applaud them for that. There is no choice of several video formats, just the one that many of us consider the best. There is no separate still image feature but the software allows you to grab stills of pretty good quality quite easily. Essentially, there is one button to turn the unit on, one button to extend the USB connection, and a large red button to begin and end recording. There is no memory card and no battery, instead, an internal battery and built in memory that will give you two hours of HD recording. It has an image stabilization system, probably electronic that does fine. The LCD screen is beautiful and adequate in size.
In short, this is exactly what I wanted for my wife, something that turns on, takes videos, and turns off. The videos viewed full screen are very good. The sound is excellent. This camera is exactly what it was meant to be, fast into action and good HD quality with good sound. Videos are simple to get on the computer and play beautifully.
The Flip software loads right from the camera, no disc to keep track of. As soon as I loaded it, I was offered a chance to update the software and did. One of the new features allowed me to import my contact list for email. The email program, for the most part, is excellent, but more on that in a minute.
The software is excellent and very intuitive. You can shorten videos from either end and save the new video separately or replace the original one in your camera. You can take stills from the videos with the click of one button. A couple of times my videos were a little jerky, causing a dialogue box to appear that said something like,...."You seem to be having trouble playing your video from the camera. We suggest saving it to your computer and playing the saved copy" That was a one click operation and worked perfectly. I have tried stills, shortening, etc, everything except making a movie. I'm sure that will be easy.
emailing is a snap. All you do is click the email symbol. It lets you drag and drop any video or still and emails them easily. There is no sizing or changing of anything required. I love this feature! Although the emails do not appear in your sent mail file, the Flip software has it's own sent mail file. You can always find what you sent to someone.
So, why not give this Mino HD five stars? It is what it claims to be and it exceeds my expectations. I'd love to give it five stars but I find that the emailing feature, one of my favorites, is mishandled by Flip, at least in my opinion. The person receiving the email will feel that is has been sent by Flip,...and there are ads and invitations to click on this or that for more. It is very easy for the email recipient to find himself in the Flip store with many items offered for sale. Really now, Flip, should you attach your ads to what you call privately shared email? I don't think so. We all get enough spam without it being attached to our personal email.
Anyone wanting something small enough to have with them and simple to operate will love this Mino HD. I'll probably check back after my wife tries it Christmas day. I'm betting she'll love it.
Flip, if you see this, please consider changing your email presentation. You really don't need that with the excellent products you have. It wouldn't surprise me if people found your email ads more offensive than enlightening.
Jack
Want Flip MinoHD Video Camera - Black, 4 GB, 1 Hour (3rd Generation) Discount?
I got one of these as a gift and wasn't sure I'd use it much since I have accumulated an assortment of digital cameras big and small. This little powerhouse of a camera has become the go-to for all my video. It's very small and light but comfortable in the hand and I've been able to use it with ease without ever opening the instruction book which was a big plus for me. I also love that there is no power or USB cord that I have to keep track of because I'm terrible about keeping those handy for my other cameras. The video plays back crisp and clear even on the full-screen. It rivals my much larger and more expensive Canon HD video camera, which takes amazing video but I rarely use because it's such a hassle. Overall I think this new Flip is an amazing piece of hardware -stylish, compact, powerful -that couldn't be easier to use.
Leading out with the bad news, the first USB cable and wall charger I received did not work, but instead of dumping a bad review on Gizmo Dorks, I sent them an email through Amazon. Gizmo D. responded very quickly and sent me a new USB cable and wall charger that works just fine (No charge? No charge...for a replacement). The problem with the first shipment, I believe, was a bad USB cable (not designed for both data transfer and charging). It was a bit of a hassle, but considering that Kodak charges $24.99 for the USB cable sans wall charger, it was a stupendous deal. I recommend Gizmo Dorks...great seller. And actually, I use the little blue carabiner too...slather some more icing on my cake please!
