Sum and Substance:

Thumbs Up:

Recording controls are still simple, big three inch LCD, 16 GB of internal storage, excellent integrated software

Thumbs Down:

No options for expanding the memory, lacks HDMI cable, touch screen controls are finicky, expensive.

The Whiz Kid Speaks:

Flip SlideHD has 2x digital zoom, videos are stored in H.264 format. Internal memory is 16 GB. Lens aperture is F/2.4. Additional features are Tripod mount, Child safe mode, touch screen. Bundled accessories include wrist strap and soft protective case.

The display is three inch big. Connectors include HDMI and USB 2.0. The device is powered by lithium ion batteries. The Flip SlideHD is 2.2 inches wide, 0.9 inch deep and 4.1 inches high.

Razzle Dazzle:

Flip SlideHD is a two tone body: one is made of silver and the main body is white colored. The manufacturer lets you personalize your SlideHD by imprinting a design on the body. The exteriors are made of plastic and feel very cheap. We liked the metal body of second generation MinoHD. It is thick and bulky but we won’t complain much about that here since you don’t carry it that often like a mobile phone.

Inside Dope:

Flip SlideHD costs $279.99 and it is quite expensive as compared to the competition. The high price can be attributed to the big three inch touch screen LCD and big 16 GB of internal storage space. Apart from the touch screen, the screen of the camcorder slides up at an angle so you can keep the device on your desk and watch movies just like some high end smartphones. Shooting and sharing of videos is still easy thanks to the user friendly interface but apart from that, there features are not enough to command the high price tag. It seems like the manufacturer is trying to brag about the big screen.

You use the touch screen for most of the controls but there are a few physical buttons. On the Flip SlideHD’s right, there is the tiny power button and on the left you get the switch which pops the USB connector out. On the bottom, there is a headphone jack, tripod threaded mount and mini-HDMI jack. For storing your videos, you get 16 GB internal memory but you cannot expand it.

You can play recorded videos with the device closed or open but for recording; you will have to keep it closed. The display slides to right which prevents the display from opening while recording videos but we would have liked a better way to keep the two parts closed securely. The touch controls on the device are pretty much the same as other camcorders in this class. You get buttons for four way navigation, record, delete and play. They remain on the screen while recording so you don’t get to use the entire real estate of the display when recording. The display does have accelerometer just like a cell phone. When you tilt the phone the orientation changes however the video remains vertical when you play it.

The device is powered by lithium ion battery which is supposed to last for two hours. It is pretty good but when we tested it in our labs, it fell about ten minutes short. You cannot change the battery easily since it is hard fitted on to the battery. The battery needs three hours to be charged fully. You can buy a separate power adapter for $25 which will reduce the recharge time to two hours.

Settings on the Flip SlideHD are limited to date, time and turning the operation Tones and Record light on or off. This keeps the things simple which is what Flip camcorders are famous for. If you are looking for multiple resolution options, macro focus, digital image stabilization, etc, this device isn’t meant for you.

The Flip SlideHD doesn’t have shooting options but it doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world. This is the simple point and shoot camcorder and you get nothing other than a 2x digital zoom. Price is also an issue here because there is more offered for less price in the market right now. But the sharing the videos remains this device’s strongest point.

We were pretty impressed by the Flip SlideHD’s video quality. Of course, you cannot compare it to full fledged camcorders but amongst other such mini camcorders, SideHD’s video quality was much better. Clips were reasonably sharp with vibrant and accurate colors. Videos in low light conditions were a bit noisy but this is not unexpected in such camcorders. Sound quality is also good; we would recommend you to be close to the device for best results.

The three features that we liked here are good results (for its class), easy to use interface and straight forward sharing. But the high price tag plays spoil sport. The touch screen on the device is great for watching recorded videos, no doubt about that but there is no way we are paying $280 for it. You also might balk at the finicky controls of the touch screen, lack of shooting options, and bulky body. You also might have to purchase extra charger and cables according to your needs. All this makes the package difficult to sell.

Nitty Gritty:

We won’t recommend this just because the price is high and the features don’t justify it. Remember, you pay extra just for the touch screen and nothing else.

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