Cool Tech Reviews

Flip has introduced the UltraHD camcorder which brings high definition video to their pocket video camcorder line in a form factor that is slightly larger than their very compact MinoHD, but with additional features.

First the UltraHD specs:

Product Features

• Easy-to-use, pocket-sized HD camcorder featuring one-touch recording and digital zoom with a simple user interface
• Captures 120 minutes of HD video on 8 GB of built-in memory. No tapes or additional memory cards are required.
• Convenient flip-out USB arm plugs directly into your PC or Mac to launch FlipShare software which allows import of videos as well letting you easily email videos, edit individual clips, make custom movies, capture still photos from video, and even upload video to sharing sites like YouTube and MySpace.

Technical Details

Internal Memory: 8GB (120 minutes)

Screen Size: 2.0" (transflective TFT)

Screen Resolution: 960 x 240 pixels

Video Resolution: 1280 x 720 pixels

Frame Rate: 30 frames per second (constant frame rate, progressive scan)

Video Bitrate: 8.8Mbps (average - auto adaptive algorithm)

Video Format: H.264 video compression, AAC audio compression, saves as MP4 file

Lens Type: Fixed Focus (1.5m to infinity)

Aperture: f/2.4 (fast lens for great results in low-light environments)

Zoom: Smooth multi-step 2x digital

Interface: 8 Buttons (Power, Play, Delete, Record and 4 way navigation)

Dimensions: 4.25" x 2.19" x 1.17" (H x W x D)

PC Connection: Built-in flip-out USB arm (up to USB 2.0 speed)

TV Out: HDMI™ Mini Connector (Standard HDMI™ Cable not included)

Battery Life: Up to 2.5 hours (with 2x AA Alkaline batteries)

Up to 6.5 hours (with 2 x AA Energizer® e2® batteries)

Tripod Mount:
Yes

Operating Systems: Windows XP, Windows Vista
Mac OSX

The pros of the Flip UltraHD are exactly what you would expect - it’s a compact HD camcorder that’s it incredibly easy to use for the average consumer and takes great HD video, which is only what you would expect from a Flip.

The cons mostly come by size comparison to the MinoHD which at 3.94” x 1.97” x 0.63” (H x W x D) is smaller and sleeker and equally easy to use. However, the UltraHD still fits in a large pocket and the size brings some advantages over the MinoHD:

• 8 GB of storage instead of 4GB
• 2-inch screen instead of 1.5-inch
• Real buttons instead of touch sensitive (i.e. capacitive) "buttons"
• Replaceable batteries. The unit comes with a rechargeable battery pack, but you don’t have to recharge it to keep on shooting. You can use AA batteries or buy a separate battery pack and recharger.
• HDMI output

One real con I have seen is that the built-in flip-out USB arm can be a pain depending on your PC set-up so you may need an extension cable. Here’s how it is supposed to work:

All in all, the Flip UltraHD is a fun, quality pocket HD camcorder. The MSRP is US$199.00, but Amazon seems to be currently selling the UltraHD for US$162.00 and you may find an even better deal if you shop around.

Amazon yesterday launched the $489 Kindle DX, the big screen version of the Kindle 2, but the puzzle is who the target for the rather large portable book reader actually is. The big 9.7 inch diagonal e-ink screen makes the Kindle DX pretty bulky for merely a ebook  reader, but Amazon has announced new deals with for magazine and newspaper publishers which presumably are a better fit for the format.

In fact, the New York Times, Boston Globe, and Washington Post will subsidize the Kindle purchase price if you live in an area where they do not offer home delivery and purchase a Kindle DX and an electronic subscription.

Another target market for the Kindle DX is college students as Amazon also announced deals with textbook publishers for Kindle versions as well as trials at major universities:

The schools will distribute hundreds of Kindle DX devices to students spread across a broad range of academic disciplines. In addition to reading on a considerably larger screen, students will be able to take advantage of popular Kindle features such as the ability to take notes and highlight, search across their library, look up words in a built-in dictionary, and carry all of their books in a lightweight device.

Time will tell how well that works out - I think I would still prefer a paper textbook. However, one market where the Kindle family seems to be a definite success is in good old fashioned books for reading. According to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Kindle sales are now 35% of book sales when Kindle editions are available and there was a huge jump in February when the Kindle 2 went on sale.

The long and rancorous negotiations between Apple and the major music labels are apparently over and Apple’s iTunes will be able to offer their music DRM-free, but it came at the expense of Apple’s long standing "one price for all" policy:

Apple has cut deals that will finally enable iTunes to offer songs free of copy protection software from the three largest music labels, according to two sources close to the negotiations. In exchange, Apple has agreed to become more flexible on pricing, the sources said.

The three largest labels are Warner Music, Sony BMG and Universal Music Group.

Under the terms of the deal, song prices will be broken down into three categories–older songs from the catalog, midline songs (newer songs that aren’t big hits), and current hits–said one of the sources. Apple has offered songs free of digital rights management protections from EMI for more than a year. But EMI accounts for less than 10 percent of music sold in the U.S.

Apple and the music labels have also apparently come to terms on over-the-air downloads, according to a source. That would allow iPhone owners to download songs to their mobile devices via cell networks and without the aid of Wi-Fi. Apple, which closed the deals last week, could announce the agreements as early as Tuesday at the Macworld Conference and Expo in San Francisco.

There is some questioning of whether the availability of DRM-free music makes any difference to consumers. While I agree that the average consumer probably doesn’t pay attention to DRM in the normal course of events, they get really cranky when for whatever reason their subscription lapses and all their tunes are unplayable.

From the same source, the rumored pricing for the tiers is $0.79, $0.99 and $1.29 per track. Yes, it would have better if they had gone lower at the low end.

Update: Apple did announce it at MacWorld and the prices are: $0.69, $0.99 and $1.29 per track.