R.I.P. Flip. You will be sorely missed.

Every once in a while, a company does a bone-headed move that makes me furious and CISCO did just that last week when they announced that they will be shutting down Flip Video. Let me tell you, why this makes me angry. I’ve been using notebooks for almost twenty years, digital cameras for about fifteen and Smartphones for around ten years and I can’t remember sticking to any one particular model for more than a couple of years. The only gadget that I haven’t replaced since I bought it over two years back is my trusty Flip MinoHD camera.

My MinoHD has seen the world with me and has never let me down. Some are speculating that the ever increasing capabilities of Smartphone cameras is the reason for the closure of Flip. I disagree on three levels. First, MinoHD is always instantly available by pressing the power button and hitting record whereas on almost all Smartphones I’ve used, I have to find and launch the camera app which takes quite a few seconds.

Secondly, the MinoHD is almost always fully charged whereas cameras on the Smartphones consume a lot of battery and the last thing I need is a smartphone dying on me because I took a fifteen minute video. They can also get pretty hot to use when recording larger videos which, I agree the Mino does too, but I don’t have to hold the Mino next to my ear. With the MinoHD, it charges every time I plug in it to transfer videos which brings me to my last point.

It is so much easier to transfer videos from the MinoHD with it’s built-in USB plug. With my Smartphone, I have to make sure that I have the USB cable with me. If not, then I have power it off, remove the MicroSD card and find the adapter to make sure it goes in my laptop. On the MinoHD, its just a matter of sliding the switch on the side.

Lets not forget other things that MinoHD is also capable of- such as image stabilization which has made many of my shaky videos appear smooth and a form factor that is so simple yet functional that it looks as if it has come out from Cuperteno. There have also been many times where our team of four has shared the flip on different events- I can’t just pass my Smartphone to someone else.

R.I.P. Flip. You will sorely be missed.