Flip mino camcorder is perfect carry-along

The brand-new Flip mino camcorder from Pure Digital is my favorite, must-have-with-me camcorder.

I’ve tried every one of these units since they first came out three years ago and each version is better, smaller and more useful than the previous one. There’s now even one that does HD.

One of the latest versions, dubbed the mino for its diminutive size, came out just recently. On its first day, it was the top-selling camcorder on Amazon. That’s how popular these little gizmos have become and how loyal a user base they’ve garnered.

I did a very quick self-shot video with the new mino, showing some of its features. Here it is:

In size, the mino is smaller, lighter (3.3 ounces) and thinner than the previous Flip model, about as thick and tall as an iPhone but a bit narrower. The 1.5-inch color screen is a tad smaller than earlier models, a necessary trade-off for the reduced size of the new package.

Another change: The USB connector flips up from the top, rather than the side as on previous models, making it easier to insert into a computer. And instead of replaceable batteries, the mino has rechargeable batteries that charge directly from the computer, like an iPod. It takes about four hours to completely charge.

The new unit has kept the Flip’s so-simple-your-don’t-need-to-read-the-instructions operational controls, this time replacing the tactile buttons of earlier units with touch- sensitive controls on the back that light up when it’s turned on.

The unit loads software directly into the PC or Mac. You don’t need to run a separate CD or DVD. And the mino works really well with the Mac, something the previous models didn’t do. In fact, when I plugged the mino into my iMac, I was pleasantly surprised to see it opened iPhoto and allowed me to directly import the videos into that application. From there, Mac users can then bring them them into Final Cut Express or Pro or iMovie, if they want to do fancy editing.

But the built-in Flip software is pretty good. You can edit start and end points directly from it, string a bunch of clips into a movie, send and post directly to YouTube, MySpace and AOL Video or send a Flip vid as an e-mail attachment.

The 2GB of flash memory holds an hour’s worth of flash video, recorded in as many clips as you want. It lists for $179, but can be found cheaper online