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Page 1
Intro:
Since ASE Labs is getting more and more into producing videos, it is time to start reviewing digital video cameras. The first such device is absolutely perfect for the Youtube crowd and has been making the rounds on the internet. The Flip Video Mino from Pure Digital promises web videos made with ease and they aren't kidding.
Box:
The box basically shows the exterior of the product contained inside as well as some technical details. It is black with some other color accents.
When you open it up, it has a very iPod like feel to the packaging. I'm sure someone put a great deal of thought into how the initial impressions of the unit would turn out.
Parts:
Aside from the Mino itself, you get a carrying case (felt), RCA hookups for watching videos on a TV, the manual, and a wrist strap. There is no software CD, everything is stored on the device itself. No Linux software was included so the software portion wasn't tested.
The Mino:
The Mino itself is about as big as an original iPod Nano and thicker. Included with the Flip Mino is a flash storage size of 2GB (1800MB usable) which is internal so you can't just add memory when it runs out. Pictured here is the lens (which the protective cover still on) and the audio port behind the flap. There is also an orange light that lights when it is recording so you really can't do stealth recordings that easily.
The back of the unit contains the various buttons for controls. The center red button is the heart of the device. It is the one touch button for recording and really gives the unit that ease of use you should expect with the price it's asking. The remaining buttons on the back are all touch sensitive and will light up when the unit is on. You have controls for digital zoom (don't bother), stop/play, deleting, play navigation, and volume control. The screen is 1.5" diagonal and is 528x132 (the specs say). That means that there will be some chopping of lines when viewing on the device itself, but the Mino records at 640x480.
The slide button on the upper left of the unit pops out the USB connection for transferring and charging. The unit features an internal battery that should last about four hours of use which is pretty good considering you only get 60 minutes of video to record. The USB connection flips out (I guess that's why it is a Flip?) and looks like it would be the first thing to break.
The included RCA cabling on the device can plug into the lower left port. It is only active when playing video. You cannot see what you're recording on the TV. It serves its purpose fairly well. You can bring the decide and the cable and plug it into any TV with RCA to view the videos. The internal screen shuts off when this mode is in use.
The other side of the unit contains the power button and the location for the wrist strap. If you couldn't tell by now, the device screams of simplicity.
The bottom of the unit contains the mount for a tripod (and it is metal which is nice). Inside the tripod mount is the reset toggle. Stick a pin in the hole in the mount to reset the unit. I had to reset it once.
Intro:
Since ASE Labs is getting more and more into producing videos, it is time to start reviewing digital video cameras. The first such device is absolutely perfect for the Youtube crowd and has been making the rounds on the internet. The Flip Video Mino from Pure Digital promises web videos made with ease and they aren't kidding.
Box:
The box basically shows the exterior of the product contained inside as well as some technical details. It is black with some other color accents.
When you open it up, it has a very iPod like feel to the packaging. I'm sure someone put a great deal of thought into how the initial impressions of the unit would turn out.
Parts:
Aside from the Mino itself, you get a carrying case (felt), RCA hookups for watching videos on a TV, the manual, and a wrist strap. There is no software CD, everything is stored on the device itself. No Linux software was included so the software portion wasn't tested.
The Mino:
The Mino itself is about as big as an original iPod Nano and thicker. Included with the Flip Mino is a flash storage size of 2GB (1800MB usable) which is internal so you can't just add memory when it runs out. Pictured here is the lens (which the protective cover still on) and the audio port behind the flap. There is also an orange light that lights when it is recording so you really can't do stealth recordings that easily.
The back of the unit contains the various buttons for controls. The center red button is the heart of the device. It is the one touch button for recording and really gives the unit that ease of use you should expect with the price it's asking. The remaining buttons on the back are all touch sensitive and will light up when the unit is on. You have controls for digital zoom (don't bother), stop/play, deleting, play navigation, and volume control. The screen is 1.5" diagonal and is 528x132 (the specs say). That means that there will be some chopping of lines when viewing on the device itself, but the Mino records at 640x480.
The slide button on the upper left of the unit pops out the USB connection for transferring and charging. The unit features an internal battery that should last about four hours of use which is pretty good considering you only get 60 minutes of video to record. The USB connection flips out (I guess that's why it is a Flip?) and looks like it would be the first thing to break.
The included RCA cabling on the device can plug into the lower left port. It is only active when playing video. You cannot see what you're recording on the TV. It serves its purpose fairly well. You can bring the decide and the cable and plug it into any TV with RCA to view the videos. The internal screen shuts off when this mode is in use.
The other side of the unit contains the power button and the location for the wrist strap. If you couldn't tell by now, the device screams of simplicity.
The bottom of the unit contains the mount for a tripod (and it is metal which is nice). Inside the tripod mount is the reset toggle. Stick a pin in the hole in the mount to reset the unit. I had to reset it once.
Page 2
Features:
The Mino is all self-contained. It charges by USB and transfers the same way. The videos themselves are Xvid (MPEG4) AVI files. I would have liked to see H.264, but Xvid is pretty good as well. The files are encoded at 30 frames per second with a bitrate of 4Mbps. With 1800MB of usuable storage, this works out to exactly 60 minutes of video. The lens itself is fixed focus, macro shots are out of the question. It focuses from 1m (about 3 feet) to infinity. The battery is internal and lasts for four hours. I never got around to verifying that fact, but I know it lasts for well over 2 hours. Everytime you run out of space, you need to copy the videos onto the computer which also charges the device.
Testing:
What better way is there to test a unit than just showing you how it works and what the quality of videos it takes. Let me summarize additional findings. The color quality is fine for the intended purpose, but is lacking as opposed to a digital camera (or quality camcorder). You can't get close to any subject due to the fixed focus on the unit, but it handles everything else very well including low light shots. It can transition between lighting situations very fast. This device is very much a pickup and go type of thing. To use it, turn it on and push the red button. After, you plug the Mino into any computer to transfer the videos which is good since the unit acts as USB mass storage and the videos are just AVI files. Once you delete the videos off the unit, the numbering reset which is pretty strange since you can't just keep dumping the videos into the same directory since the files will be overwritten.
I actually had the unit crash while attempting to see how it looks on a TV. When I plugged in the TV connections, the unit froze. The only way to fix this was to push the reset button which is hidden in the tripod mount. After that, I never had another problem. The picture on the TV looks fine as a standard TV offers about the same resolution as the Flip Mino.
I suggest you watch the video supplement featured with this review as it contains some additional footage taken with the Mino itself. You can see the quality by just watching the video.
Conclusion:
The unit costs a pretty penny coming in around $160 at the time of this review. At this price, it is really hard to justify if the Flip Video Mino is a purchasable product since there are other camcorders that do much more for the same price. Let's talk about the intended audience before making a judgment call. This product is made for the Youtube generation that wants a device to handle videos and make it easy at the same time. The Mino does just that and the videos can be directly uploaded to Youtube without transcoding them.
Whether the unit is worth it for you is a different story. You might need a camcorder for proper videos that has more features and can record on removable media with a higher resolution. There are camcorders that have the upright form factor and while bigger than the Flip, they do much more. I would love to see the Flip with removable media. It all comes down to your intended use. Do you want an easy to use device for primarily web uploads? The Flip Mino is a perfect choice. If you need anything else out of a video camera, look to buy a proper one with more features and not the boutique price.
I'd like to thank the team at Pure Digital for making this review possible.
Features:
The Mino is all self-contained. It charges by USB and transfers the same way. The videos themselves are Xvid (MPEG4) AVI files. I would have liked to see H.264, but Xvid is pretty good as well. The files are encoded at 30 frames per second with a bitrate of 4Mbps. With 1800MB of usuable storage, this works out to exactly 60 minutes of video. The lens itself is fixed focus, macro shots are out of the question. It focuses from 1m (about 3 feet) to infinity. The battery is internal and lasts for four hours. I never got around to verifying that fact, but I know it lasts for well over 2 hours. Everytime you run out of space, you need to copy the videos onto the computer which also charges the device.
Testing:
What better way is there to test a unit than just showing you how it works and what the quality of videos it takes. Let me summarize additional findings. The color quality is fine for the intended purpose, but is lacking as opposed to a digital camera (or quality camcorder). You can't get close to any subject due to the fixed focus on the unit, but it handles everything else very well including low light shots. It can transition between lighting situations very fast. This device is very much a pickup and go type of thing. To use it, turn it on and push the red button. After, you plug the Mino into any computer to transfer the videos which is good since the unit acts as USB mass storage and the videos are just AVI files. Once you delete the videos off the unit, the numbering reset which is pretty strange since you can't just keep dumping the videos into the same directory since the files will be overwritten.
I actually had the unit crash while attempting to see how it looks on a TV. When I plugged in the TV connections, the unit froze. The only way to fix this was to push the reset button which is hidden in the tripod mount. After that, I never had another problem. The picture on the TV looks fine as a standard TV offers about the same resolution as the Flip Mino.
I suggest you watch the video supplement featured with this review as it contains some additional footage taken with the Mino itself. You can see the quality by just watching the video.
Conclusion:
The unit costs a pretty penny coming in around $160 at the time of this review. At this price, it is really hard to justify if the Flip Video Mino is a purchasable product since there are other camcorders that do much more for the same price. Let's talk about the intended audience before making a judgment call. This product is made for the Youtube generation that wants a device to handle videos and make it easy at the same time. The Mino does just that and the videos can be directly uploaded to Youtube without transcoding them.
Whether the unit is worth it for you is a different story. You might need a camcorder for proper videos that has more features and can record on removable media with a higher resolution. There are camcorders that have the upright form factor and while bigger than the Flip, they do much more. I would love to see the Flip with removable media. It all comes down to your intended use. Do you want an easy to use device for primarily web uploads? The Flip Mino is a perfect choice. If you need anything else out of a video camera, look to buy a proper one with more features and not the boutique price.
I'd like to thank the team at Pure Digital for making this review possible.