First it was the Flip Video Mino HD that began to turn consumers’ heads: a relatively inexpensive pocket-size recorder that takes near-HD video and then uses a built-in USB plug to connect directly into a PC.
Now the Flip Mino has some competition (along with Kodak’s Zi6). This week a firm called Creative is unveiling its Vado HD, which, like the original Flip Mino, is the next-gen HD edition of its early SD mini-cam. The Vado HD comes with a HDMI connection (cable included) for outputting 1080i video to HD sets (something the competing products do not boast).
The Vado HD is capable of recording H.264 AVI video (30 fps) with a 1,280x720 CMOS sensor (similar to the Flip Mino). The battery life runs about two hours on each charge. The unit, which is about the size of a large cell phone, also comes with 8 GB of internal memory, some post video-tweaking software, and a protective carrying case. MSRP is around $200.
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