How much does it weigh? I want to strap it to my TREX helicopter and record my flight.

SARdog wrote:But they are closing the Flip part of their company down.

They will assign another company to do the warranty repair work (many warranty repairs are not done by original manufacturer).

Didnt Cisco just announce they are not making these anymore? Will there be support for them if I buy one?

TechGuy125 wrote:I have personally dealt with Cisco Business and Consumer product support and have always been happy. One of few companies I can say that about.

While they may honor warranties, etc, it's unlikely that there'll be any future software or firmware updates. This can be important when new Operating Systems come out from Microsoft or Apple.

Compatible drivers are especially crucial for The Flip because it's one of the very few palmcorders that don't use removable SD cards. That means your computer MUST recognize the device to access the videos. You can't just take the SD card to put into your computer.

Can anyone help me with this?: I ordered the Ninja Master Food Processor on 4/8/11 and checked the tracking number this morning since it seemed like it was taking a long time to arrive. According to the tracking website, it was delivered 4/15/11 but I never received it. FedEx said I should contact the company. What happens in a case like this? It might have been stolen off of my porch if they just left it there without a signature. Has this happened to anyone else? What are the next steps. This will be the last thing I buy from Woot if it turns out I'm simply out of luck.

pstreidl wrote:Can anyone help me with this?: I ordered the Ninja Master Food Processor on 4/8/11 and checked the tracking number this morning since it seemed like it was taking a long time to arrive. According to the tracking website, it was delivered 4/15/11 but I never received it. FedEx said I should contact the company. What happens in a case like this? It might have been stolen off of my porch if they just left it there without a signature. Has this happened to anyone else? What are the next steps. This will be the last thing I buy from Woot if it turns out I'm simply out of luck.

Dude -- really "It might have been stolen off of my porch if they just left it there without a signature." How is that WOOT's fault?

These work awesome. I borrowed one from a friend of mine when I went to the PAX East show in Boston. The battery outlasted the record time on the one I had. HD picture quality was great and the Image stabilization works well when holding the FLIP.

Transfer Time via the USB is ok. Its not fast but its not insanely slow either.

sdc100 wrote:While they may honor warranties, etc, it's unlikely that there'll be any future software or firmware updates. This can be important when new Operating Systems come out from Microsoft or Apple.

Compatible drivers are especially crucial for The Flip because it's one of the very few palmcorders that don't use removable SD cards. That means your computer MUST recognize the device to access the videos. You can't just take the SD card to put into your computer.

Point made. You do not like the device. However I've had similar devices for up to 2 maybe 3 years before its outdated and time to buy something else. How many firmware update do you intend to do? Besides on the OS side The life cycle for Microsoft XP has ended however most of the main stream use it now with out issue. I really fail to see your point.

I addition the reasons you hate this device look concurrent to those who hate Apple Devices. The thing you don't get is that the main stream people (90%+) really don't have any intention of using extra memory cards, wires, updating firmware, trying different software... so on and so on. They want to turn it on and for it to work. I understand the fact you hate the device but if so then it was obviously not designed with you in mind. Maybe your parents or grandparents? IMO It is a great device for what it does just like all Cisco/Linksys products.

I've purchased 2 flips as gifts and currently own one myself; and here are my quick thoughts on the flip:
1. Its a great piece of hardware for fast videos; sure the Kodak or whatever brands that may have more "features" but I prefer the flip. I don't need features, I just need a product to do one job really well.
2. 720p resolution; while some may want 1080p hd video; the simple fact is, that kind of motion isn't optimal for video in certain aspects. Take a look at the broadcasts for sports from major networks (Fox, Espn and possibly ABC). They are all displayed in 720; its more an aspect of motion control than image. Trust me, in HD the flip looks great.
3. Even if flip has been discarded; they can still provide support. Cisco is a pretty good company in terms of repairs; and I dont think they are going away. Its different than, say a company closing and you're buying merchandise.
4. Firmware updates; while that may be true; most devices will have compatible aspects built in to allow different operating systems. (Most products that work for Vista also work for Windows 7)

sixdolla wrote:The stabilizing feature might just be enough for me to forgive the 720p on this.

Are you saying that you think that 720P isn't enough and you really think that what amounts to a pinhole lens and a tiny sensor should be doing 1080P? Because that isn't a great idea. Much of the reason for the poor performance on these cams is that they are trying to squeeze too many pixels onto a small sensor already.

Edit: Also forgot to mention that even if this thing did perfect 1080P you'd need something like a 60" TV and also need to sit within 6feet to even tell 720P from 108P.

On the average 42" LCD, in the average living room, most people cannot tell the difference between 720P and 1080P. Article below shows why 1080P is needed, but also shows why 1080P won't even be noticed in many situations.

http://carltonbale.com/1080p-does-matter

Here's a video sneak peek at the original flip in action...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_WOf6N5Puc&feature=related

The logo hasn't even changed that much over the years...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q2Jh4JF4oQ

Does anyone know if the hole for the mounting screw on the bottom is proprietary in size and thread?

I want to be able to mount this on my motorcycle to record myself at the track, and the Flip tripod shown on their website looks like it sucks.

Will a universal camera mount work?

Edit: Never mind, after a closer look at the site, I discovered that yes, it is a universal mount. That seals it. I'm in for one.

trying to find out more about the 'wireless' extender...

http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/15/flipshare-tv-review/

sounds great, the amazon reviews pretty much bash this system though...

I was hoping to wirelessly send video to the HDTV but this is all proprietary and somewhat underpowered (compression/codec and distance to transmit). Doesn't seem like there is a way to just stream other video through this software or use the device i.e. VLC, XBMC, Plex, et.al..

Trying to figure some other use/application for this and coming up dry...

mesostinky wrote:Are you saying that you think that 720P isn't enough and you really think that what amounts to a pinhole lens and a tiny sensor should be doing 1080P? Because that isn't a great idea. Much of the reason for the poor performance on these cams is that they are trying to squeeze too many pixels onto a small sensor already.

The next common size down is 640x480. The optics can do better than 640x480 (in good light). So they had some justification going to the next size up.

The optics aren't near good enough to justify 1080p.

elbob1023 wrote:The biggest problem I've had with my camera is finding something worth recording. Adulthood is boring.

Good one!!!

Can I use FlipShare TV Wireless A/V Extender to play any other video files in my computer on TV?

bdlsmoran wrote:Dude -- really "It might have been stolen off of my porch if they just left it there without a signature." How is that WOOT's fault?

All I'm saying is that I don't know what happened, but if it was stolen it wasn't my fault either. I never took delivery. Shouldn't signatures be required, or shouldn't we be given that option?

alexhodge wrote:Email service@woot.com and they can help you.

Thanks! - I did that, and they are helping.

Amazing: a conspiracy theory wrapped in suspense and grounded by numbers. I was sucked into the mystery, when I was suddenly cockblocked by the damnable cliffhanger. Why, oh, why did it end so soon? What really happened at Cisco? What happens now?

There'd better be a sequel.

In short: Great writing, Woot writers. Especially "You nerds are a sliver of a substratum of a niche." -- couldn't stop laughing at that.

What I don't understand is how they are backing out of the market now. My Flip has a clean image, and sound quality is far better through my FLIP than my Samsung Captivate. I've had my Flip for 4yrs. and my Captivate phone for 1yr.

I understand that the sound quality in video recording with phones may change, but I get better sound/video at concerts with my FLIP. AND! when the Samsung Tab 10.1 comes out I'm not going to be dragging that to a concert venue for video recording. I will be taking my FLIP and cellphone as well. Instant pictures with phone to Facebook with a video upload later from my FLIP. PLUS, uploading videos at concerts always fail for me.

The FLIP was probably my best purchase from WOOT to date. (or was it Amazon?)

RingFingerSlave wrote:What I don't understand is how they are backing out of the market now. My Flip has a clean image, and sound quality is far better through my FLIP than my Samsung Captivate. I've had my Flip for 4yrs. and my Captivate phone for 1yr.

I understand that the sound quality in video recording with phones may change, but I get better sound/video at concerts with my FLIP. AND! when the Samsung Tab 10.1 comes out I'm not going to be dragging that to a concert venue for video recording. I will be taking my FLIP and cellphone as well. Instant pictures with phone to Facebook with a video upload later from my FLIP. PLUS, uploading videos at concerts always fail for me.

The FLIP was probably my best purchase from WOOT to date. (or was it Amazon?)

I rarely use mine, always forgetting it but everyone I know with it gets nice videos out of it. They're small, easy to carry if you don't want to drag around a large video camera and inexpensive.

I don't understand why they're getting out of it either. Maybe there's too much competition out there now with many different brands.

Cool, I would actually pick this one up just for the flip since it is the latest one. My old one with no image stabilization is starting to fade away...

Just called flip support as well cuz I was worried about the warranty, they said they will be honoring all warranties and doing exchanges so count me in for 1.

crowsnest wrote:Didnt Cisco just announce they are not making these anymore? Will there be support for them if I buy one?

yup I just called them they said they will be supporting all support and warranty returns.

I've had my Flip MinoHD for almost two years now (it records up to two hours, whatever size that is in GB) and it's never failed me. I'm a journalist and aside from the very adequate 720p picture quality, it picks up sound very well, which is probably the most important aspect of this device (kind of surprised nobody has mentioned it). It doesn't do particularly well in low light situations, but still gets the job done. I bought the little screw-on tripod for about .38 cents somewhere online and it is pretty useful, plus both the camera and tripod are super portable. I've had zero use for the software that comes with it, but importing into iMovie couldn't be any easier. Also, the A/V extender is pretty sweet, I've always wanted to hook it up to the TV but didn't feel like buying the HDMI cord (it's not the standard one either). The battery life is fine, and those who are into specs and features, there might be other options out there, but this is a solid, reliable recorder that's very user-friendly.

elbob1023 wrote:The biggest problem I've had with my camera is finding something worth recording. Adulthood is boring.

We mostly video our pets doing weird things. Like the kitty running in circles around the rungs of the dining room chair.

Yummmm... Spam... delicious mystery meat, salt, and other exciting ingredients! They go great with rice and eggs.

But seriously, I'd get one of these if I didn't already get a GoProHD as a gift.

All of these Flip Cameras are just plain fun. You can lose it or break it and not worry that you don't have a phone anymore. Sure, a small sensor/ lens has its limitations, but if you're just recording goofy or fun stuff, what's the point of investing in a $1000 camera?

I get that people have smart phones, but to me putting all of your eggs in one basket is dangerous. If I'm running, I don't wanna bring a smart phone. Same with rock climbing, hiking, or anything where the smart phone would possibly break. Not to mention, watching movies, music, online browsing all drain the battery quicker. I've heard more often than not "oh my camera's dead". I'm not against smart phones, but I'd rather have both a smart phone and a cheap camera like this Flip.

How often will people transfer video to DVD to watch on a sub-42" screen anyway? 720p is fine as most people will watch on their laptop off of Vimeo (which most people have never heard of) or Youtube.

60fps is super fun too if you wanna do slo mo stuff!

ozymandias2 wrote:I'm still waiting for woot to offer the UltraHD -- the one that has a waterproof case, sO I can take it Scuba diving. I have an original Flip, and MinoHD (from woot) and I like them both -- and use them fairly often.

We're currently diving in Cozumel with an UltraHD in the Ikelite housing (which costs more than the camera). It's fairly decent for such a tiny underwater video setup. Unfortunately Ikelite doesn't (and probably never will) make a housing for the MinoHD.

This guy http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/4823907-post4.html made a housing for his MinoHD.

Some people dive with Aquapac cases, but I wouldn't.

Hey this has nothing to do with the deal today, but did anyone else get a random Best Buy gift card from woot in the mail?

zcor27 wrote:I'm a journalist and aside from the very adequate 720p picture quality, it picks up sound very well, which is probably the most important aspect of this device (kind of surprised nobody has mentioned it).

RIF:

gantt wrote:I've used a MinoHD a couple of times, most recently to record a lecture, and the results were quite good (both video and audio).

zcor27 wrote:Also, the A/V extender is pretty sweet, I've always wanted to hook it up to the TV but didn't feel like buying the HDMI cord (it's not the standard one either).

It's not clear: when you say it's "pretty sweet", do you actually own/use the FlipShare TV product?

I recently picked up a mini HDMI cable from Newegg for around $6. I probably overpaid. I have my lazy moments, but it would take considerably more inertia that I have to spend well over $100 to avoid buying a cable. Plus the cable solution doesn't require a computer.

jjmcc2 wrote:How much does it weigh? I want to strap it to my TREX helicopter and record my flight.

You'd be better off with a gopro, lighter, does higher res and is meant for just that sort of thing with all sorts of mounting brackets usually included.

TechGuy125 wrote:Here is the one I use, Its awesome!

I liked what you had to say about the Kodak Playsport and tried to order it on the Samsclub site but they didn't seem to remember my account settings. Went over to Amazon and discovered same camera for even less money and no shipping cost.

Thanks!

I'm just happy the St. Louis Rams made the write up today! Go Rams!

I prefer my jelly free T2i.

pstreidl wrote:Can anyone help me with this?: I ordered the Ninja Master Food Processor on 4/8/11 and checked the tracking number this morning since it seemed like it was taking a long time to arrive. According to the tracking website, it was delivered 4/15/11 but I never received it. FedEx said I should contact the company. What happens in a case like this? It might have been stolen off of my porch if they just left it there without a signature. Has this happened to anyone else? What are the next steps. This will be the last thing I buy from Woot if it turns out I'm simply out of luck.

You have a problem with Fed Ex, not with the seller. Unless you have a prior arrangement, they need a signature. And just because the truck marked it delivered, it may not have been, or sent to the wrong address. Get on the phone to them and speak to a real person. You may want to get Wot involved too, as they carry some weight as a major customer.

sdc100 wrote:I'm not a fan of The Flip. It is one of the most overhyped, overpriced and underpowered gadgets out there. AND ... it's been discontinued by Cisco. No big loss.

Why I hate it:

1) Of all the palm type camcorders out there, Flips have the fewest features. Compare with models from Creative, Kodak, JVC, Sony, etc. Most are even cheaper. Essentially, you're paying for the status symbolism and he gorgeous box it comes in. I have a Flip and a Kodak which cost half as much and I use the Kodak about 90% of the time (even though I hate the MOV format used by Kodak).

Those who tout The Flip for its simplicity should realize that all these palmcorders are point-and-shoot. Just Turn on, press Record. But other models like my cheap and very old Kodak Zi6 ($49 refurbed) offer Still Photo, multiple modes to save space (i.e. VGA, 30fps, 60fps), multiple play speeds, etc.

2) It's the only model I know of that can't do still photos. Instead, you need to do a screen capture on your computer. Even $20 Chinese-made camcorders do still photos.

3) It's one of the very few models that doesn't use removable SD memory. That means that you need to be by a computer to free memory. Since you can't Pause while recording, you'll have a lot of junk footage wasting space. In other words, you'll easily fill up the 1 hr capacity of this Flip. With the popularity of smartphones and iPads, fewer and fewer people are dragging their laptops on vacation. Do you really want to dump 4gb of videos onto your iPad (if that's even possible) given that some models only have 8gb total? What to do then on a 7 day vacation??? Removable memory also allows me to quickly share my videos with friends. The lack of removable memory is one of the biggest problems of the Flip line.

4) The famous Flip arm is actually one of the worst features. First, it's fragile and not replaceable. Second, it takes up lots of space. Few people have enough desk space to have this jutting out a laptop. And you certainly can't suspend this out a desktop's USB port without breaking the Flip arm. In other words, you'll likely end up using a USB extension cord which defeats the whole purpose and novelty of the Flip arm. A MUCH better solution is the built-in USB cord on the Creative Vado. Or a simple old fashion USB port that uses an EASILY replaceable $2 USB cord. But then the Flip wouldn't be The Flip, right?

I agree with EVERYTHING you say.

pstreidl wrote:Can anyone help me with this?: I ordered the Ninja Master Food Processor on 4/8/11 and checked the tracking number this morning since it seemed like it was taking a long time to arrive. According to the tracking website, it was delivered 4/15/11 but I never received it. FedEx said I should contact the company. What happens in a case like this? It might have been stolen off of my porch if they just left it there without a signature. Has this happened to anyone else? What are the next steps. This will be the last thing I buy from Woot if it turns out I'm simply out of luck.

Sorry to hear about your loss but you really can't blame Woot. After all, you can't expect Platinum delivery service when Woot only charges $5 s/h. And that includes 50lb flatscreen TVs. Fedex charges extra for signature service. My problem has never been with Fedex. The USPS (the second half of SmartPost) is another story. I've beeen having a 10% failure rate where the post office fails to deliver, and then fail tos to tell me that it's waiting at their office. It then gets sent back to Woot, who refunds my money completely. I actually feel really bad for Woot because they absorb the full cost of these USPS failures.

You can try asking Woot to send you another one, but don't hold your breath. Their customer service is fantastic, but they don't run a charity. Still, they've been very generous with me. Try filing a claim with Fedex. I've actually had two incidents where they claimed something was delivered but I never got it. When I got on their case, both turned out to be lost in the depot, which they later found and delivered to me. Seriously, get on their case and get the phone number of your local depot or warehouse (not just the 800 number). They can even contact the driver as they did in my case.

Another suggestion: Leave a large note on your door telling the delivery person not to leave things on the porch.

Can't wait to get mine! What makes it an awesome Woot deal also is that it's nearly half the price of what this whole set is being offered for elsewhere. Yeah, I have a cam on my phone...but video eats up battery power, so if I know I'm going to be at an event I can just bring my Flip and save my phone for other business