If you haven't used the Flip before, the user interface is designed to be as easy as possible. The on button on the side activates the camera. You orient the camera using the 1.5" widescreen display. There's no settings to fiddle with after you set the date and time on first use, just point and press the big red button to start and stop recording. A minimal digital zoom is included, but it doesn't move too far.

While the Ultra is powered by two AA batteries, the Mino has an internal battery that is charged by the flip-out (hence the name) USB dongle, which also performs your data transfer to the PC. I greatly prefer USB charging, and you can get about two hours on a charge with the MinoHD, and four hours with the non-HD Mino.

While the first generation Flip used a codec that caused me much conversion drama before I could bring it into Adobe Premiere for editing, the Mino HD gave me .mp4 files that Premiere had no troubles with at all, allowing me to get right down to editing.

And the picture quality the Mino HD produced was beautiful and clear, particularly when viewed on a high-definition display. And if you want to watch your Flip videos directly from the camera on your TV, an output jack and cable are included.

The one still missing feature I'd love to see is a microphone jack, so I could connect an external mic for better quality audio. Pure Digital tells me though they intend the Flip to be a primarily consumer offering, so a mic jack is an unlikely addition. I urge them again thought to reconsider.