that's funny, I just bought my wife one today. WE have had a bit of an adventure to get the avi files it outputs into iMovie, but we found MPEG Streamclip and everything is working smoothly.

We haven't done a whole lot with it yet, just recorded some family goofing around, but the sound is passable, and the picture is fine.

The Sony I bought for $700 a few years ago remains packed away in the garage because it is tape based and I bought it just before disc based tech came out...

I think it is the super explosion of the Youtube generation. Video quality is not as important as accessibility and ease of use (although the 640x480 of the flip isn't bad). People aren't sharing video anymore by gathering the family around the TV, they are sending a link to their family via youtube or similar site.

I also think the stylish nature of this camcorder is what makes it so appealing. There are not too many other camcorders you can tuck into a coat pocket or purse and at the same time not be completely embarrassed by the way it looks.

the fact that it's on every product's page on amazon may have helped a lot too

Too few people realize that this camera is simply an upgraded version of the infamous CVS disposable video camera. IE you could get one of these for $20 then hack it to make it multiuse.

I think a lot of people are looking for a good regular camera to take up about 50% of their camcorder usage. I am still waiting for the Panasonic DMC-TZ5 to come out. I think this might be my nifty 50/50. Of course make sure the reviews all stay postive.

I'm thinking that also, a lot of people don't want to have to read a manual just to take some video. And there has to be more people like me that realize after spending a chunk of change on a nice video camera that it's mostly used for footage that ends up on a DVD and doesn't really need all the fancy settings. Plus, this thing fits in my coat pocket and is a lot easier to take with me. We received one as a gift from Google and I end up using it a lot more often than the expensive one.

the point of this camcorder is essentially to use it where/whenever you wouldn't use a "real" camcorder.

my dad, mom, brother, and grandparents are all obsessed with the flip video--to the point of ridiculousness.

i totally believe this statistic and wouldn't be surprised if it continued to grow at an alarming pace.

I wonder if the popularity has anyhthing to do with the price... about half of what a "real" camcorder costs.

I have a flip and if you type "thechansen" in the search field on youtube, you'll find a poorly recorded concert shot by me. It's on par with camera phone or a shitty point and shoot camera. Honestly not bad for something you can pocket and it's cheap as hell. Also the concert I bootlegged was fucking awesome and I probably would have no record of it, if it wasn't for the flip video camcorder.

sorry, but i don't understand the success of this camera. why not just using the film/video-cam on the mobile phone??? its there, its free, its similar low tech...?

people do love shiny new toys... if you are in the mkt for a new cam and you buy this which is cheaper and easier to use, you feel like a winner..

so then what are the alternatives?

I am a videographer. I look at camcorders and digicams and stuff like that all day long. I am active in the video enthusiast circles.

And it's the first time I ever heard about this product.

Wrong again. I'm a pro and I use it for net-quality videos.

All kinds of entry level "pocket" DVR's out there now, including HD models (I snagged one of those for less than $150)
It seems as if the market is pushing towards less bells and whistles and more toward the basics like battery life, capacity (in hours of record time), and ease of use.
Which would you want to do?
Point and shoot -or- fiddle with setup for 5 minutes.
I'm a "Instamatic" kind of person, I want to turn it on and start shooting. I do not like to experiment with the settings.

David Pogue's voice irritates me. His reviews are always entertaining to watch in a "look I'm a nerd in the high-school AV-club" kind of way, but I always have to convince myself to not stick rusty nails in my ears every time I hear that guy flap his yapper.

@Eugenia: And that surprises you? You're living in a completely different world from what this cam is intended for.

I'm not entirely sure whether it's causal to the sales of this thing, but it's been interesting watching this migrate from a little box display with about 4 units to the main camera display counter at Best Buy, with dozens of them in stock.

I really like the Flip. My wife and I just had our first baby in January and the flip has made it easier to get video to my side of the family as they are strewn across the US. My wife, who typically has a lot of trouble with some gadgets, has no trouble shooting a 2 minute video of our baby smiling for the first time, converting it and emailing it to everyone in the family in no time.

@Eugenia: you're an AV snob. we get it.

I want to get a canon hv20 hd camera, when my wife is looking at the selection "how bout this one its so small", "I like the look of this one" "it looks so simple to use" I can see why these might be popular.

I've got to say, I've got 3 kids, with 2 of them in soccer right now and I have yet to see one of these on the field or at a school play.

Mostly, I'm seeing Digital Still Cameras with a "movie mode" being used. They far outrank the number of camcorders. Among the camcorders, I'm seeeing Sony and Canon DV tape based units, with an occasional DVD based unit in the mix.

The only time I've seen these things in Real Life was in a clearance basket at OfficeMax. Something tells me this 13% figure was pulled from someone's puckered browneye.

Might I remind Mr. Pogue that there are Lies, there are Damn Lies, and then there are Statistics.

looking at things like the EEE pc and this, i think what people want right now are simple, cheap, reliable gadgets.

i dont own that exact cam but i own one that is pretty similar. Know what? its pretty great! my only real problems with it are that i need to get some recharable batteries for it, and a usb extension wire (the way it hooks up to the computer leaves the connector in an extremely vulnerable situation).

it can be great to have lots of devices in one gizmo..can save space, and even time if the device is set up correctly. however, when you combine everything, you often have to make sacrafices in one way or another. This does one thing and one thing alone. Because it in, in comparison to other devices, a relatively simple device, they can keep the cost low.

When a device that is low in cost and at least reasonable in quality comes along, people in both upper and lower classes will buy it. The lower classes because that might be all that they can afford, and the upper ones because they would want a video camera, and wouldnt be too worried about losing or breaking something that in their eyes costs so little.

Because they are on opposite sides of the spectrum, I think both groups can exist harmoniously with each other. When i want an 800 dollar mp3 player/tv/toaster i can get that. If i want a simple mp3 player however that has little to no extras that pratically costs pocket change in comparison with other mp3 players, i'll get that. I think the whole comes down to a basic question. Do you want a device that can one thing relatively well and cheaply, or a device that can do alot of things, some of which not so well, for alot of money?

@rg:

"We received one as a gift from Google "

am i misinterpreting this, or is there something you can do to get google to send you free stuff?

Verizon was giving away this camera for anyne that signed up with them a while back.

Rosie O'Donnell plugged this Flip on her blog a few months ago and talked about it a lot. She uses it for her blog video stuff. I think a lot of people bought this on her recommendation.

I've surprisingly not seen this before, but yeah, pretty much as everyone has said, it's a nice little camera to toss in your pocket and go out to a concert or something along those lines. I personally go to a lot of concerts by heavier bands and am quite a fan of the moshing. So when slamming into people at high speeds I can safely tuck it away somewhere where I don't plan on slamming into another person at high speeds. Whether it be on my person or hidden in a dark corner somewhere should it so happen to break or go "missing", I won't be entirely pissed because my ultra megzor camera tron 5000 is safe in it's hidden lair under my home. Also I bet the emo kids all have these. Cheap and simple. Not to mention those emos are camera whores. "Quickly take a picture of me self loathing, but make sure my loathing angles are perfect!". Oh silly emos... Ok, /rant.

@MeMikeYouNot: People are pirchasing stuff based on Rosie O'Donnell's recommendations? What is this world coming to.

@jackfrost132: Purchasing even.

I love my flip video and I'm very glad I bought one for myself, as well as one for my parents. I purchased one for my mom last year, and I found it by going to Amazon.com, searching for camcorder, and sorting by rating. This little gadget has over 400 REVIEWS and is averaging 4.5/5 stars. You just can't be it. Its one of the most rated products on Amazon, and its easy to see why. The auto features are also better than my Sony MiniDV camcorder, especially when walking into a very bright room or anything with a bright backdrop.

On another note, I do believe people mostly want simple/easy, but as technology improves I think simple/easy will continually close the gap between itself and the higher-end markets. Here's hoping anyway!

It fits the needs of many for a simple input source. YouTube has changed so much lately. Spend tons of money on equipment, output HD and blah, blah, blah. You can reach a larger audience simply by publishing to YouTube and all the HD means nothing in that format. very interesting.

@SouldrinK: I suppose in a crunch it's neat and all for low-grade crap video, but I wouldn't trust a Flip with my 9-month old's first steps and smiles. I trust my Sony Hi-Def hard-drive based camcorder for that. Anything less than 720P in this day and age is just plain shameful.

Still, for some YouTube fun or quick and nasty clips, I can see its appeal.

This is something I would get a pre-teen learning the ropes with camcorders. I wouldn't let my almost 10 y.o. man my mini dv, but if/when the price of this comes down to around $50 or so, then I could see getting it. Like others have mentioned, cameraphones (especially with storage) are just as convenient for on the go.

I'm on the road a lot so I really like cameras that power up quick and are ready to shoot without fumbling with the settings. Anything from that casual sexual encounter you want to share with your friends or ex to the local police (9 of them) shooting a man with a toy gun 46 times. This camera gets the job done.

I don't know a single person who has bought a camcorder in the past 5 years. My parents, who were first among those to have a home-video-recorder back in The Day, currently shoot all of their video on their digital (still) camera and send me a link on YouTube (this ensuring that I can witness all of the cute things my mother's cat does on a daily basis.)

The world of video seems to be quickly merging into two camps: professional and Evebody Else, who just needs a camera that will do basically everything. (Stills/video) I'm a professional photographer (just stills) and as such get a lot of friends come to me for camera advice... all of tthem want a camera that shoots video too. Can't really argue against it.

Ill get one as soon as they come out with an HD version with decent picture quality and it can hold an hour or two. I know thats quite a bit to ask for a cheap device though

I got one when it first came out as a company gift and quickly sold it on Ebay as it was such a single-life use. It appeals for the quick clips people usually take with their big camcorders but now it's portable. I got rid of it because 640 is too grainy for bigger screens.

Recently I got the opportunity to get the mid-march pre-order of the TZ5 (one of the reasons being the 1280x720 movie ability) WITH the 9MP camera and I am extremely happy with it! I wrote it up on amazon. No reason to get a mess of little gadgets (and hope you grab the right one at the right time) with single uses when you can have just one that does it all and does it well.

@igneous: "Ill get one as soon as they come out with an HD version with decent picture quality and it can hold an hour or two. I know thats quite a bit to ask for a cheap device though"

No that's not a lot to ask for at all. I agree that (at least) a 16:9 720P Flip with a 2 hour capacity would be enough for me to rant and rave about it.

one word: OPRAH

she featured this cam on her show. that's all there is to it.

"The shocker is the Flip's low-light abilities, which trump even $1,000 camcorders. Not only is the video grain-free, but recorded dim scenes actually look brighter than they looked to your naked eye."

This was not even remotely close to my experience, which was that the video was universally indistinguishable from that produced with a circa 1995 webcam. Sure, it's 640x480, but the digital noise was readily apparent, even in bright light.

yup. what @hansning said. Oprah featured this. My cousin has twins and stopped by to rave about how amazingly awesome and easy and wonderful this camera is. I pointed out that my digital camera takes great pictures and great video. to each their own however..

I find it kind of grainy and the color is not the best. Is this normal or am I expecting too much?

Got this at Christmas for my daughters who are 9 and 11. It's super easy for them to understand and difficult to break. They and their friends make movies with it -- it feels more "authentic" to them than making a movie with a still camera.

@T.K.: Yes.