Maximum PC flip RSS Feed

Upcoming Flips to Include Wi-Fi Functionality

Bart Salisbury — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:57:20 -0600

The Flip digital camcorder may be headed for an upgrade. So reports Pocket-lint, anyhow. According to the website, Cisco, which purchased Pure Digital, the creator of the Flip, is poised to integrate some new features, including its own networking technology.

Pocket-lint confesses “details are thin on the ground” but that the new Flip will have a large screen, which will slide to reveal the record and menu buttons. (It doesn’t seem that touchscreen, because of price, will be part of the upgrade package.) And that it will also have Wi-Fi, allowing users to record and upload with having to use an intermediary.

It’s expected the upgraded Flip will be available about the middle of 2010. No information on pricing was available.

Image Credit: Pure Digital

Cisco Planning FlipShare TV: Watching Flip Videos on Your TV Made Easy

Bart Salisbury — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:28:15 -0500

Let the wild and rampant speculation begin! Apparently some on the Internet have become all worked up over a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) filing by Cisco Systems. The filing covers a remote control, produced by Foxconn, which doesn’t match any current Cisco offerings, but seems to tie in nicely to an existing product, marketed through Pure Digital Technologies: the Flip digital camcorder.

Information on the new product suggest it to be a device for streaming video from your computer to a television--with the biggest hint being an unreleased “FlipShare TV” manual. The device comes with three parts: the remote, a box to attach to your TV, and a transmitter for your computer. Video on your computer can be accessed with the FlipShare software and streamed wirelessly from the transmitter to the TV box. (Doesn’t AppleTV already do this, and much more?)

Little else is know about FlipShare TV. Does it, for example, do anything more than stream Flip videos? And information on pricing or availability is not yet known. But the picture sure does look nice.

Image Credit: Cisco System

Next-Gen Aluminum, Higher Capacity Flip MinoHD Announced

Jason Barry — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:01:08 -0500

The latest Flip MinoHD was announced today featuring a sizable memory upgrade, an aluminum shell and a half-inch on the screen.

With the new MinoHD, you can record up to 120 minutes of HD (720p) video onto the internal 8GB of memory, doubling its predecessor. It sports a 2-inch (diagonal) screen running at a resolution of 960x240. They wrapped it all in an aluminum shell. The folks at Gizmodo got their hands on one and said “The aluminum shell feels great: Much more solid and smaller in the hand than the previous plastic version.”

The newest Flip also supports the latest Flip Video Engine, which adds some onboard editing and clipping features.

Price only jumped 30 bucks to $229 over the $199, 60 minute/4GB version. It is probably worth checking out if you’re in the point-and-shoot video recorder market.

Flip MinoHD

Gordon Mah Ung — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:55:05 -0500

We’re big fans of Flip Video’s incredibly easy-to-use pocket-size video cameras, but it’s been difficult to wholeheartedly recommend them given the superior video capabilities of today’s point-and-shoot digicams.

Flip’s new MinoHD changes that. This svelte camera is the same size as the standard-def Mino (4”x2”x.06”) but can record an hour of H.264-encoded 1280x720 720p video. The quality of the video ranges from fair to good, with noticeable video compression occurring on occasion. The MinoHD puts digicams and other SD-resolution microcams to shame; however, it’s not the right choice for enthusiasts who put a premium on image quality. Footage shot with an HDV 1080i or even 720p cam will easily outclass the MinoHD.

But that’s not what the MinoHD is about. This camera is all about spontaneity—the ability to whip out a camera at a moment’s notice in order to capture HD video and share it. While larger-format cameras certainly produce better-quality video, they won’t satiate the needs of your inner voyeur. Want to grab video of your buddy falling down a flight of stairs and get it on the Internet ASAP? The MinoHD will record the event in all its HD glory, and you can upload and edit your mini masterpiece from any computer with an Internet connection.

Once you’ve shot your video, flip out the built-in USB port, plug it into a PC, and you can upload the video as fast as your Internet connection will allow. The built-in app even has rudimentary titling and trimming capabilities. There are a few downsides, however: The camera is in bad need of a stabilizer and the composite-out video is a disappointment, but these issues don’t outweigh the fun you’ll have with this camera.