You’ll Flip for this video camera!

Can you guess what the best selling camcorder at Amazon.com is? If you’re thinking Sony, JVC or Canon - think again.

It’s the Flip Video Ultra, from Pure Digital Technologies. The Flip is in a new video camcorder category, somewhere between an expensive toy for the kids and a low end DV camcorder.

Key Features:

• Simple to use, pocket-sized camcorder with one-touch recording and digital zoom
  Holds 60 minutes of full VGA-quality video on 2GB of built-in memory; no tapes or additional memory cards required.
• Convenient USB arm plugs directly into your computer. No cables to lose.
• Built-in software lets you easily e-mail videos, upload to YouTube and AOL, and capture still photos from video. No drivers to install - once the Ultra is connected to your USB port, built-in software loaded in memory on the camera allows you to transfer your videos.
• Watch videos instantly on TV with included cable.

The Flip sports a hideaway USB connector and ingeniously stows the software in the camera itself - so, you can take the Flip to grandma’s house and send footage from the family reunion to the no-shows via email. Or if you’re so inclined, the software can upload video directly to YouTube, AOL Video, or other online-sharing websites from grandma’s laptop!

The Flip Video Ultra is made for simplicity and ease of use. You don’t need to be a geek to capture or share your video. There’s very little to learn, and it’s really hard to mess up! From a business perspective, a major feature of this video camera is its size. If you’re recording a video testimonial, this camera won’t intimidate your client like a professional set might. About the same size as an iPod, the Flip is mobile and lends itself to spontaneous video shoots.

Other than the “cool” factor, you might be wondering why buy a Flip Ultra when I already have video technology in my mobile phone or camera? Two reasons: Quality and Simplicity. In side by side video testing in various environments - from a dimly light corner of Shoney’s to Sam’s Club or outdoors at Sports Com - the Flip Ultra demonstrated superior performance and clarity. And it’s so easy to use; a Geico spokesperson could do it.

You can see my video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFH9yyfC-x

(But don’t judge the quality until you make the Player the right size - see below)

We’ve discussed the good: so here’s where I think the Flip has room for improvement - it currently has no SD memory card slot; don’t expect video quality to match that of MiniDV camcorders; and we’d like to see a flip-out LCD.

That said, would I still buy one? Oh yeah! The Flip Ultra definitely receives the Ken Ivey stamp of approval! Although the previous Flip models are in most tech outlets, the Flip Ultra is currently out of stock locally. You can purchase it online at www.amazon.com or at www.TheFlip.com .

Note: I had originally planned for this review to be a comparison, pitting the Flip Ultra against the RCA and Sanyo models - but apparently the Flip Ultra was too tough for them; my request for a demonstration unit from them was unanswered at press time.

About the Author:
Ken Ivey is a veteran technology addict, consultant, author, web designer, and President of MidTN Technology, a marketing and web design firm. His website is www.The-Tech-Reporter.com