Flip SlideHD Camcorder

Cisco recently introduced the Flip SlideHD Camcorder priced at under R3200 at Have2Have.co.za. Great for amateur photographers, hobbyists and those looking to buy a quality camera for someone they love, this latest member of the Flip family is worth a second look. Here’s why:

Unique features of the Slide HD

Among the best features of this little video camera tagged the Flip SlideHD is its 3” resistive touch screen that has been designed with the ability to ‘fold down’ keeping the unit compact in record mode, and during use in playback mode, the screen can be popped open to resemble a portable media player! How’s that for a truly fantastic experience you’d flip for?

That’s not all: the camera sensor contained in the Flip SlideHD is the exact same imaging sensor as found in the MinoHD and thus, it has the ability to capture images at 720p HD, though it falls short of the 1080p standard fast becoming the norm on high end screens, which would have been a welcome feature. That being said DSTV HD which everyone raves about as having superb quality also only broadcasts in 720p!

However, despite this oversight the Flip SlideHD comes equipped with a sixteen GB internal memory for recording approximately 4 hours of videos or HD photos (double that of earlier Flip models). Alternately you can switch to Space Saver format by using its FlipShare software and use it for up to 12 hours straight!

Pros and Cons

Other highlights include neat stereo speakers, a jack for the headphones, built-in USB arm that flips out (hence the name!). The Camera’s built in LI (lithium-ion) battery is charged via USB. What’s more you can use on of your own image or one of the many cool graphics available on the web for customizing the exterior of your Flip SlideHD.

Oh yes, did we mention the HDMI slot? This makes HD playback as easy as plugging in a cable to your HD TV.

With the Flip, you have lots of great new shooting features, and can enjoy a variety of cool, new playback features, LCD that slides up at an angle. 16GB of internal memory — that's double the storage capacity of previous Flip models — and allows you to capture up to four hours of 1280x720 video.

Because of the touchscreen technology in the Flip, there are minimal buttons that are usually found in older makes of video camera’s, thus the Flip SlideHD helps you gain total by simply touching one of its virtual buttons, including functions like play back for content (just by choosing a thumbnail image!)

So you are already impressed by the hardware, but Flips secret has always been its easy to use intuitive software! It’s got built into the camera firmware an easy one touch upload function. So, you can easily broadcast your video on sites like Facebook, YouTube, MySpace and others.

Flip may not sport the 1080p or optical zoom that the big league guys like Canon, Panasonic, JVC Picsio, Samsung, but their prices are in the high-end range and are far more complicated to use than the Flip Slide HD, that being said the quality of the Flip is still far better than normal TV which is why we think this latest gizmo on the block manages to win hearts without breaking the bank.