Cisco announced this morning that it would be discontinuing the popular Flip Camcorder lineup and laying off 550 employees to boot. While I've been a Flip fan since the beginning, you can't help but notice the upswing in smartphone use to capture on-the-go videos. But if you don't want to rely solely on your iPhone, Android, or BlackBerry device to record your life, check out these handy pocket camcorders that will do the trick and fit nicely in the smallest of handbags.
Since the Flip SlideHD was preemptively put on the shelves at Best Buy last week, we've all been waiting to see when Cisco would come on out and announce the SlideHD. Resembling a mini Nintendo DS Lite, the Flip SlideHD got official yesterday with a press release that detailed the new touchscreen-enabled pocket cam's specs.
Coming with 12 hours of video storage and four hours of recording time, the SlideHD lets you record and instantly play back your videos on its slide-out 3-inch touchscreen display. The mini camcorder comes with 16GB of internal memory, a two-hour battery span, 2x digital zoom, and video recording in high def resolution (1280x720) at 30 frames per second. Plus, you can customize your SlideHD with different artist skins, your own photography, or don a generated pattern to give your Flip some flair. As you already know, the Flip SlideHD is available online and in stores now, and comes with a $280 price tag.
This post comes from OnSugar blog The Frugal Geek, where reader Toddie blogs about indulging her gadget obsession without breaking the bank:
So what do I currently own that I have been willing to spend my hard-earned dollars on?
Granted, this isn't exactly what one would call a "budget" item. But it has been worth every penny. When my prior phone contract ended, I was spending close to $50 a month for a phone that had no data plan, and whose only bells and whistles were a pretty nice calendar and contacts list. So yeah, I'm willing to spend $30 more a month for a phone that has become nigh indispensable to my daily life. Watch for a post soon on my favorite iPhone apps.
I found a refurbished Flip Ultra for $70. Consider the following. The video camera we owned prior to the Flip (and which my husband still prefers, frankly) gets dragged out on rare occasion — the recitals, school programs, etc. Once I got the Flip, however, it's so portable that I use it to tape pretty much all the time. The kids riding bikes out in the alley? Check. Opening presents Christmas morning? Check. I love that you can send video postcards through the Flip website; it added an easy and fun way to send out Christmas thank-you notes.
To see the rest of her list (and find out what her favorite gaming console is), head on over to The Frugal Geek. Create your own OnSugar blog, and you may not only see your posts featured on GeekSugar like Toddie's, but you'll also be entered to win an iPad just for blogging!
