The camera is shirt pocket-sized and runs on AA batteries. The Flip Video I've been using is one of the only gadgets I own where I can say nice things about its battery life.
But what sets Flip Video apart is that all the software you need to perform simple video-editing chores and then publish to your favorite video-sharing site are built right into the camera. No extra software required.
There are only a few buttons on the camera for playing, stopping ,and zooming in and out so its easy to get up to speed. Once you're ready to transfer your work, a retractable USB connects you to your PC. Plug the USB into a PC and you also have tools to edit, archive, and share your work, all built in to the camera. You can quickly send a video greeting card or email, add music, transitional effects, or voice to the video. It's by no means a full-fledged video editing package, but it's sufficient for most people most of the time.
The new Ultra has an improved 1.5-inch display and microphone. The first generation camera held either 512MB or 1GB of video. The new version is available in 1GB ($150) or 2GB ($180). The video is captured at VGA resolution but still looks good enough to output to a TV. The new camera has a video output and a slot for a tripod.
I find the Flip Video camera useful for all sorts of things. I've used it to document trips, narrating what I'm seeing so that I can remember the names of all of those pretty mountains, churches, and museums. It's great for documenting schoolwork, analyzing your golf swing, creating a walk-through of your home for sale, and more. I've given the camera to kids as young as 5 years old and adults as old as 80 to try. They instinctively figure out what to do. A story in USA Today said that Flip Video is currently the No. 1 best-selling video camera at Amazon and Target.
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