This week is quickly turning out to be the week of the pocket digital camcorders! First the Creative Vado shows up in the mail and now the new Flip Video Mino has arrived. I''ve had a few hours to play with the Mino, here''s my first impression.

It''s much smaller than the previous Flip Video camcorder, the Ultra, and the new interface is very nice. It uses "touch" sensitive buttons instead of physical buttons. The record button and power button are still "real" buttons though. They also work fine through gloves and such, I tried it. I did find myself bumping buttons while handling the Mino. That was somewhat annoying. The Mino is much thinner than the Ultra and the USB plug has a new mechanism for flipping out, it''s pretty cool! They also included a built-in rechargeable battery (non-removable.)

Other than those physical changes, the camera itself isn''t much different. Quality appears to be very similar to previous versions and the menus are updated a touch but nothing drastic. If it ain''t broke, don''t fix it! The original Flip and the Flip Ultra are great handy pocket cams! The screen on the back appears to be the exact same screen in the Ultra. The new Flip Video Mino sells for $179.

Of course I HAVE to compare the Mino to the Creative Vado. They are about the same thickness, almost exactly (see pic below.) The Mino''s camera actually sticks out about a quarter of an inch from the front so it won''t lay flat on that side. The Vado''s USB plug sticks out on the bottom so it can''t stand up on it''s base.

The screen on the Vado is a large 2" compared to the 1.5" screen on the Mino. It makes a big difference, the Creative screen is MUCH nicer. The Creative gives you more options. It lets you select the video quality (you can fit up to 2 hours in low quality on the Vado) along with a few other video settings. This may be "too much" for some non-techies. On the other hand it''s exactly what us geeks crave... more options!

As for the video quality... I think it''s a draw. I liked the wider angle of the Creative Vado lens but I liked the warmer colors on the Flip Mino. You know what they say, 6 in one hand, half a dozen in the other. I''ll let the videophiles battle this one out.

Bottom line is, the Mino costs $179 while the Creative Vado is only $99. Is it worth the extra $80 for the cool touch sensitive buttons, cool auto flip out USB port and the included audio/video cable? Or would you rather pay less for the larger screen but not get the video cable, carry bag and touch sensitive goodness? I''ll save my money and go with the Creative Vado. I suggest a hands on at the store with both before you decide for yourself.

Check Out These Mino/Vado/Ultra side by side pics!


Check out my unboxing and comparison of the Flip Mino