Gizmodo
If you had a hard enough time wading through the millions of horrible home videos to get to the good ones on YouTube now, wait until old people start putting stuff up there. Pure Digital's Flip Video camcorder is designed to be easy to use for non-techies, complete with built-in USB adapter and software to make it easy to upload to YouTube, Google Video or Grouper.
The devices themselves will come in two versions, one with a 30-minute capacity for $119, and the other 60-minutes for $149. When tested, Flip Video really was as easy as it sounds to use. So get ready for some grandma videos, and we don't mean the good kind.
YouTube for soccer Moms [CNN]
Comments
Well played, my friend, well played.
Just as long as people don't post anymore of those Numa Numa videos!
I like the title of source link: "YouTube for Soccer Moms"
MILF FTW
Why isn't "the good kind" a hyperlink?
Do you really want Giz to post links to sordid geriatric action?
my brain!!!!
Interesting. This is the same camera you can get at CVS drugstores or similar as a "one time use" video camera. Looks like they've just added a USB port to the thing. There's a pretty active hacking community centered around this camera. It records video in XviD format, so it's a natural choice for youtube.
If they were REALLY smart, they'd find some way to partner with youtube.
I've actually got the CVS version of this. At 640x480 you get a good 10 minutes of video at reasonable quality. At QCIF you get 20 minutes of very good video. Hacking isn't so easy because they changed the hardware and there are a lot of dead end links out there, but it's $30 instead of $119.
Balmer hands these out to old people to take a bite out of google.
One more thing, there is no zoom feature on the CVS unit, I don't know if this one has it or not.
I'm sure theres a lot of talented/funny people out there that can't figure out how to operate their toaster, let alone make and upload video's to the internet. Maybe more devices like this will inspire creative people that aren't very techie to join in the online community. I don't think we have anything to fear from grandma though, this is probably still too complex.
If it does have zoom, it's only going to be digital--which you might as well just do in post...
The newer CVS/PD camera firmwares have the zoom feature! Look for the blue "new" sticker (instead of red) on the front of the package to increase your odds of getting one with zoom.
Some of the new models are tricky to hack though. Check out http://camerahacks.10.forumer.com for the state of the art in CVS/PD camera hacks.
The first thing I thought of is since it is available at very common stores and the price is somewhat reachable, parents will be buying these for the kiddies.
"Heres a video of a bug I warmed with my magnifying glass..."
This is supposed to be new? I've had one of these (the 30 minute version) for almost a year now. It doesn't have this fancy "easy upload" software I'm hearing about, but YouTube isn't exactly the most complicated of websites in the first place.
This is the exact same Pure Digital video camera I own and love now -- in fact it IS the same:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/002-2919676-8640053?u...
They just renamed it. This thing is great. Got it for my wife could not be happier.
Its been out for awhile.
Hey Jason Chen- nice minireview, but really, what is with the prejudice remarks against "old people"? Is that simply the byproduct of technological advances, or is it just "hip" to trash the elderly?
I'm 29, don't know how much longer I'll be able to keep up with you guys.
I own own of these, and it's pretty decent. All I use a video camera for is filming all the stupid crap my friends and I do, so this little guy fits the bill. Sure, the quality isn't great, but it's quick, easy, and YouTube doesn't have to compress and uglify the video as much.
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