GeekSugar

The New 8GB Flip MinoHD Features a Bigger Two-Inch Screen

GeekSugar — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:05:02 -0700

Familiar with all of the pocket-sized Flip Video Cameras? Well the tiniest of the Flip family - the Flip Mino - has just introduced a new camera to its Flip MinoHD line.

You can now pick up a new MinoHD for $230 which can record up to 120 minutes of footage (which is double the time from the previous version) and it features a new 2-inch anti-glare display.

The 120 min MinoHD is currently only available in brushed metal, but after Nov. 9, you'll be able to personalize your new Mino with an image of your own or one from The Flip's design gallery.

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The Flip Mino Now Available in High-Def!

GeekSugar — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 11:05:39 -0800

Pure Digital Technologies, the masterminds behind the popular Flip Mino, have just announced their latest addition: The Flip MinoHD.

With this tiny pocket-sized camcorder, you can now shoot and capture beautiful HD video on the go and then easily upload the footage to YouTube, TeamSugar, or MySpace with Flip Video's new FlipShare software (which is both PC and Mac friendly and it allows you to make edits to the videos).

The camera costs $230 and can record up to 60 minutes of HD video. Is it just me or do I smell a perfect holiday must have?!

Customize Your Flip Mino With CafePress

GeekSugar — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 13:03:53 -0700

The pocket-sized Flip Mino video camera has just gotten a whole lot sassier, thanks to a new partnership between Flip Video and CafePress. Now you can personalize your tiny flip with thousands of professional designs, or custom-design your own Flip Mino camcorder with Flip's exclusive design engine - the Pattern Generator. The price for a Flip Mino, with a design or without, is $180.

The New Mino Gets Sized-Up

GeekSugar — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 11:16:26 -0700

I've already provided you with all the deets about the new and improved Flip Video Mino, but it's definitely a see-it-to-believe-it upgrade. . . . which is why you need to see a side-by-side comparison to understand how tiny it really is! If you scroll down below, you'll notice how much smaller the Mino is next to the Ultra Series Flip Cam. And my favorite part? The super-sleek flat back panel that makes this digital camcorder that much more sexy. The interface is basically the same as the Ultra Series model but navigation is much easier with the touch-sensitive buttons.

The Flip Video Mino is priced at $179.99 and is available today nationwide from stores like Amazon, Best Buy, The Flip, and Walmart.

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The Flip Video Mino Hits Stores Today

GeekSugar — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 02:01:21 -0700

Pure Digital Technologies has just announced their latest addition to the pocket-sized camcorder family - the Flip Video Mino! Forty percent smaller than the Ultra Series Flip Cam (the one Joshua Jackson and Diane Kruger use), the Mino weighs only 3.3 ounces, yet it can hold up to 60 minutes of video with 2GB of on-board flash memory.

The back-panel includes a 1.5-inch no glare LCD display and new intuitive touch-sensitive buttons that allow you to record, fast forward, rewind, pause and delete.

“Flip Video Mino delivers the perfect combination of high-quality video, sleek design, and ease of use,” said Jonathan Kaplan, CEO of Pure Digital Technologies.

The camera also includes a rechargeable lithium ion battery that will charge whenever the camera's USB arm is connected to a computer or laptop. You can also purchase an AC power adapter.

The Flip Video Mino is priced at $179.99 and will be available today nationwide from stores like Amazon, Best Buy, The Flip and Walmart.

The Flip Video Mino

GeekSugar — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 10:44:18 -0700

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Testing 1, 2, 3: The Flip UltraHD Review

GeekSugar — Tue, 26 May 2009 01:47:17 -0700

To help capture some Memorial Day weekend festivities, I took the latest camcorder from Pure Digital Technologies - the Flip UltraHD - out for a test drive. Since the first Flip was announced in 2006, these simple-yet-sophisticated cams have not only been the video camera of choice among celebrities, but the general public has fallen in love with them as well (with sales skyrocketing after Oprah sang its praises).

Why is the UltraHD getting so much attention? Unlike its predecessor, the MinoHD that also records video in high-def, the UltraHD ($200) can capture up to 120 minutes of HD video footage with its 8GB of built-in memory - unlike the MinoHD, which is priced at $230 and only holds up to 60 minutes of video. The UltraHD also comes with a bigger, brighter antiglare LCD screen and an HDMI connector output.

To see more photos of the Flip Ultra HD camcorder and continue reading my review, just read more.

Flip features I love that come with the UltraHD? Well there's the flip out USB arm that makes it easy to upload videos and charge your camera (the UltraHD comes with two rechargeable AA batteries) and the fact that you can practically start recording as soon as you power it on (for those "grab the camera!" moments). I also love that it effortlessly works with so many different video applications including iTunes, QuickTime, and Windows Media Player - making it less of a headache to access your clips.

The Flip UltraHD is noticeably larger than the MinoHD but with its rubbery exterior and the fact that it can go in your purse or beach bag like any other camera or cell phone - the size wasn't really a thumbs down for me. I've uploaded my footage in HD through Vimeo.com so you can get an accurate idea of how clear the picture is (especially after being uploaded online), but if I connect it to my HDTV with a HDMI cable, it's so crisp, you'd be shocked that my video was recorded from a tiny $200 camera.

My sister who just had a baby (and isn't as nearly as techie as me) purchased one to capture all her little one's firsts, and she's already sent me a few videos with remarks on how much she loves her new cam. Overall, it's affordable, takes stellar video footage, and is extremely easy to use.

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Conan O'Brien Is New to the Flip Video Celeb Crew

GeekSugar — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 04:00:26 -0700

Just when I thought I had included the best of the best in my stars flipping out with their Flip video cameras slideshow, none other than Conan O'Brien shows off his geekery in LA yesterday.

And who is the adorable subject that Conan is capturing with his ultra-compact Flip Mino? That would be his son Beckett, who was taking a little pony ride in Griffith Park. . . sister Neve wasn't too far behind. Now if only we could see some of that footage on YouTube!

Pacific Coast News

And The Winners Of The Flip Video Design Contest Are...

Sponsor — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 05:15:00 -0800

Drum roll please.... the 5 grand prize winners of the Flip Video Design Contest have been chosen! Our winners will soon be the proud owners of their very own, completely personalized Flip Video Mino - the sleekest camcorder you can get! It makes editing and uploading videos a breeze! Check out our slideshow to see the five winning designs. Thank you to all participants for sending us your awesome designs!

View Slideshow ›

Geeks We Love: Doug Aamoth of CrunchGear

GeekSugar — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 09:06:23 -0800

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, we're kicking off our third annual Geeks We Love interview series to showcase some of the most talented and loved tech writers in the industry. And who better to get things under way, than the charming Doug Aamoth, who spends most of his days reviewing high-tech gadget goods for CrunchGear? I had the pleasure of meeting Doug at the HTC Touch Diamond Event in London last year, and found him to be very much the way he comes across in his work - passionate and knowledgeable about technology, and a really great guy with an addictive sense of humor. By the end of this interview, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about - enjoy!

GS: Considering you're the king of product reviews, what types of gadgets are you most excited to take for a test drive?

DA: I'll review just about anything, but I really like to take a look at stuff that has some sort of technological slant to it instead of being a full-fledged technology product. Basically, if I think it's something that would be interesting to other geeks, I'll review it. We get some pretty good response from stuff like the Penguin Home Soda Machine and a little four dollar keychain breathalyzer that also has a built-in stopwatch and flashlight. Of course, right? Every breathalyzer should have a stopwatch just in case you want to have an emergency footrace outside the bar before you figure out if you're okay to drive home.

As far as "real" technology products go, I'm really enjoying this netbook craze right now. I think it'll get much better, too, once Intel sees some more competition from AMD, NVIDIA, and VIA. Other than that, I also really like reviewing things that make people's lives easier. The simpler the better. Oh, and energy drinks. I love taste-testing energy drinks.

To learn more about Doug, including his "ah-ha" moment and his thoughts on technology and dating, read more

GS: What's the most outrageous and hilarious gadget that's arrived on your doorstep?

DA: I think that one of the best reviews I've done was for a product that never showed up. I spent a few days waiting for the new Flip Mino to arrive, at first thinking it would be here on a Tuesday morning, then being told Wednesday instead, then getting a press release envelope but no camera on Thursday, and finally having it show up Friday morning after all our competitors had gotten theirs on Wednesday. It wasn't really that big of a deal but I thought it'd be funny to chronicle the event as though it were an episode of The Office.

Aside from that, the most outrageous review would definitely be for a product called FyreTV, which is a set-top box that streams, um, "non-traditional" video. It's weird because it's basically a review just like any other. We rarely look at the media content for set-top boxes, but more at the actual hardware and how well it handles streaming. So for the FyreTV review it was like, "Here's the box, here are the connections, here's the remote, it streams stuff really quickly, and the video quality is pretty good. Oh, whoops, sorry I had to blur everything out and block the camera with my hand at certain points but you get the idea."

GS: Describe one of the most memorable moments of your career thus far. . .

DA: I had an "a-ha" moment about six months into my career when I was at this Acer conference in Spain. It was my first real work trip and I postponed my own bachelor party to go to it. I remember getting into this big conference hall with a bunch of other reporters, and sitting down at this long table with my laptop and my voice recorder waiting for the presentation to begin. I looked around and thought to myself, "This is what I'm supposed to be doing with my life. I love this stuff." I've had over 30 jobs in my lifetime (I get kind of restless) but I finally felt pretty calm for the first time.

In retrospect, I wouldn't have moved my bachelor party for a work trip but at the time I didn't know how often an opportunity like that Acer conference would come around. Turns out, it was a lot. It was still a great experience, though. Singing White Wedding at CES this year was pretty cool, too.

Also, any time I meet someone that I used to read before I started blogging is always really cool. Every person I meet always looks at me weird when I tell them I'm a big fan of theirs or that they're like a hero to me. I used to read tech blogs and magazines and think "Man, that would be the best job." Now that I'm actually doing it, I still haven't forgotten that feeling. I consider myself to be really fortunate.

GS: How geeky is your significant other? Who makes the final decision when it comes to gadgets for the home?

DA: My wife is probably about a three out of ten on the geekiness scale. She's not into tech stuff whatsoever, but she'll think some of the things I tell her about and some of the products I show her are cool. So she's definitely not against technology and she's pretty savvy with the stuff she uses on a daily basis. She does NOT like all the boxes we have around the house, but I can't blame her for that. It gets pretty out of hand sometimes.

I handle all the IT administration and technical support in the Aamoth household. Interestingly enough, I've been terrible about picking a good cell phone for my wife. I got her the LG Chocolate a few years ago and she didn't like it. Then I recommended the Samsung Glyde and between the non-responsive touchscreen and the poor reception, it's really been a terrible device as far as our relationship goes. One of these days, though, I'm going to pick out a good phone for her. It's just tough being in the doghouse for two whole years while we wait for her contract to come up for renewal!

GS: In the new movie He's Just Not That Into You, Drew Barrymore's character has the following to say about technology and dating:

"I had this guy leave me a voice mail at work, and so I called him at home, and he emailed me to my BlackBerry, and so I texted to his cell, and now you just have to go around checking all these different portals just to get rejected by seven different technologies. It's exhausting."

What are your thoughts on this topic? Do you think technology makes dating more complicated?

DA: Sure, I can see technology complicating things for people who don't embrace it. As someone who's into all this stuff, though, the thought of having seven different technologies that don't synchronize with one another is mortifying to me. I have a single Grand Central phone number that forwards to any other phones I might currently be using and my various e-mail addresses all funnel into a single Gmail account.

It's funny, though, because people will be like, "Give me your cell phone number, I can never get a hold of you at your work number," and I'll try to explain that my work, home, and cell phone numbers all forward to the same place. So they'll leave a voicemail on what they think is my home number saying that they'll try me on my cell, which leads to them leaving the same message in the same voicemail system two minutes later. Same thing with email: the same message three times to three different email accounts.

I think just starting to date someone would be really weird nowadays with Facebook and Twitter and everything. Do you friend this person right away or what? Is there a rule as to how many dates you go on before you can friend someone? And it'd be super weird if you were dating someone for a little bit and then they told you they were getting too busy with work or whatever, and then all of a sudden you see their status change on their profile and you see photos of them with someone else and all that. My buddy told me he watched his little brother's relationship with his girlfriend fall apart over Facebook, which seems totally surreal to me. That's what happens now, though, I guess. Everyone has access to everyone else's private lives with all the social networking stuff.

I'm really apprehensive to admit this but a former girlfriend and I actually broke up over AIM once. And we'd been seeing each other for a long time - like a couple years. We'd been living together in Seattle and I'd moved home to Minneapolis and I think we were both kind of ready to move on, so the mutuality of it made everything easier. I don't think most breakups would work that well over AIM but if you're both pretty much on the same page and it's going to be a relatively clean breakup because you both want the same thing, then it actually kinda works. Weird, huh?

GS: Now for the lightning round!
Mac or PC? DA: PC
iPhone or BlackBerry? DA: I love my T-Mobile G1 but I'd take a BlackBerry. I need a real, physical keyboard.
MySpace or Facebook? DA: Facebook (as the lesser of two evils).
iPod or Zune? DA: I really like my iPod Touch.
The Hills or Gossip Girl? DA: I've never seen Gossip Girl, but The Hills is absolutely, positively, 100 percent the bane of my existence. My wife has to watch it in our bedroom with the door closed or when I'm not around because the way the brats on that show talk is like fingernails on a chalkboard for me. So Gossip Girl.
Steve Jobs or Bill Gates? DA: Bill Gates. His acting in the Seinfeld Microsoft commercials was mesmerizing.
Picasa or Flickr? DA: Picasa. Great example of a desktop app working harmoniously "in the cloud."
Texting or Emailing? DA: Email. I like the cost better.
WiFi or Wired? DA: I'll borrow from a golf saying here and say WiFi for show, Wired for dough.
Pac Man or Space Invaders? DA: Pac Man, preferably Ms. Pac Man.
Star Wars or Star Trek? DA: Star Wars
Laptop or Desktop? DA: Ouch. That's like Sophie's Choice. I have both and could never part with either of them.
The Bachelor or the Bachelorette? DA: ABC should cut out the fluff and have them marry each other. I mean, they're both looking for the same thing, right? Set them up together and spare us all from having to sit through it.
Coffee or Tea? DA: Monster Low Carb energy drink. Coffee will do in a pinch, though.