June 18, 2008 In May last year we praised Pure Digital's Flip Video camera for its simplicity, ease of use and instant YouTube upload facility. Now, the Flip has been upgraded - and downsized - with the release of the Flip Video Mino, a 2GB flash video camera that's smaller than the average cell phone, with a 1.5 inch LCD screen and flip-out USB connector for immediate uploading.

Portable digital video cameras are nothing special - chances are your mobile phone's got one built in - but where the Flip range has excelled is in its immediate convenience of video sharing. Recognizing that a large number of users tend to make videos with the express aim of editing them and then sharing them via YouTube, Pure Digital designed both the original Flip Video and the new Flip Video Mino with fold-out USB connectors and software that fast-tracks the video editing and YouTube uploading process.

The Mino features a simple and basic control setup, 2GB of onboard Flash storage, a TV-out connection and a lithum-ion battery that charges through the USB connection whenever the Mino is plugged into a powered-up PC. USRRP is $180.