By Andrew Liszewski
Flip took an early lead in the compact & dead-easy-to-use camcorder market, but a lot of companies, including Creative, have caught up and even surpassed what the Flip is capable of with their own products. The latest version of their Vado HD camcorder features a vastly improved and sleeker design that comes in various colors, patterns and finishes that will definitely appeal to the average consumer.
But the Vado HD will also appeal to those who care more about functionality than flash. It captures video at 720P ‘HD’ which equates to about 2 hours of footage on it’s 4GB of built-in memory. It’s also got a standard-sized HDMI port (since requiring an uncommon HDMI to mini-HDMI cable is lame) and a swing out USB connection with a flexible rubber arm with I find more convenient to use. But anyone who uses a device like the Flip for interviews will appreciate the Vado’s audio port on top which can either accept a pair of headphones, or an external microphone for improved audio quality. $179.99 available sometime this year.
