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Pure Digital Flip Video Ultra Camcorder
- a users review

The Flip Ultra makes video recording an absolute breeze.  It has ditched all the teccy buttons, options and controls leaving you with a refreshing handful of easy to use buttons.  Yep, this thing is totally stripped down and still amazingly functional.

What can it do for you?  Read on to discover more fascinating facts and features of the Flip Video Ultra Camcorder.

Ease of Use

The whole buzz around the Flip is that it's really simple to operate.  And at £99 it's a very affordable price too.  But most of all it makes the uploading process onto

I wouldn't say I was a complete technophobe but I am a bit challenged in that area.  And I have definitely been rather slack when it comes to actually sharing the videos and stills I have taken, so my Flip is a dream for me.

Portability and the Fun Factor 

The Flip Video Camcorder Series has had a rather excellent response.  It's been the number 1 selling camcorder on Amazon.com since its release capturing approximately 13% of the camcorder market, according to its creators, Pure Digital. 

There are 2 versions of the Flip - the original 1GB which stores 30 minutes of recordings and the latest 2GB Flip Ultra which holds 60 minutes of recording.  Along with its greater capacity the Flip Ultra also has improved video quality, sports a new tripod mount and has a range of 5 fun colours  - white, black, orange, pink and green.

The Flip Video Camcorder gets its name from the flipping action of its arm, supporting the USB on the end.  This plugs directly into your computer.  It has a non-removable, internal flash memory which is stable and shock resistant. 

It also sports a 1.5 diagonal colour anti-glare playback screen where you can instantly view your footage and delete as necessary. 

Navigating Your Way Around Your Flip

If you are bracing yourself for a difficult ride, don't!  Relax and let go!  For this is probably the smoothest, most uncomplicated ride ever around a piece of video recording equipment.  The reason why the Flip Ultra is so simple is the complete lack of the usual camcorder features.  And this doesn't mean it's as good as useless, oh no!  This is video recording made dead-simple enabling you to record and upload good quality videos in a jiffy. 

The are almost no manual controls - no exposure, no focus and no Scene modes.  On the back, there are 4 buttons which are clearly labelled.  They are the familiar, basic buttons and symbols that you would see on any standard camcorder.  The large red button begins and stops recording.  The play button plays clips.  To delete the clips, press the trashcan button.  The arrows skip though the clips.  You can operate the 2x digital zoom by pressing the plus and minus buttons. 

Simple, basic and functional navigation.

So, I hope this review of Pure Digital's Flip Video Ultra Camcorder has been useful for you.  Owning the Flip means there are no more "if only I had the camcorder" moments.  It’s portable, dead-simple to operate and very affordable.  It makes shooting videos as simple as making a jam sandwich.  And, now you can easily upload and share your footage in a jiffy onto emails and uploads to blogs or social network sites like YouTube.  What are you waiting for?!

Here are some more in depth, teccy specs of the Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder:

Video Resolution is 640 x 480 at 30 frames per second. 
Screen resolution is 528 x 132 pixels. 
Bitrate is 4.5Mbps, average - auto adaptive algorithm
Video Format is Advanced Profile MPEG4
Lens Type is Fixed Focus - 0.8m to infinity
Aperture is f/2.4
Fast lens for great results in low and bright light, multi-step 2x digital zoom
Interface has 8 Buttons (Power, Play, Record, Delete plus 4 way navigation)
PC Connection is an in-built flip-out USB arm - up to USB 2.0 speed
NTSC TV Out with included cable
Battery Life is up to 2.5 hours with 2x AA Alkaline batteries and up to 6.5 hours with 2x AA Energizer e2 batteries
Dimensions - Height 4.17" x Width 2.16" x Depth 1.25"


PC Requirements are Pentium 4 2.0 GHz, Windows XP SP2 or Windows Vista
SVGA display monitor (1024×768) and video card
Windows Media Player 9.0, Microsoft DirectX 9.0, PowerPC G4 1.0 GHz, 512MB RAM

Mac OS X 10.3.9
SVGA display (1024 x 76 8) monitor and video card
QuickTime 7 or later version

It’s the power of video in your pocket. Capture the everyday moments that happen anywhere, and share them with family and friends everywhere. That’s idea behind the new Flip Video Ultra Series. It’s portable, simple to use and amazingly affordable. Shoot anything. Share everything.