The Flip Video Mino is one such camera. Let’s take a look at it.

A few months ago, I took a look at the big brother of the Mino: the Flip Video. The camera gets it done and I thought it was small enough. However, the Mino takes it up a notch (or should I say down?)

What’s So Different About It?

First, what are the primary differences between the original Flip Video and the Mino?

• Uses an internal battery rather than AA batteries. Is charged by way of your USB port and provides about 4 hours of use.
• Smaller form factor (only about 0.2 inches shorter, but about half the thickness). Also weighs less.
• More up-to-date video compression engine
• Uses touch sensitive buttons on the back rather than “easy press” buttons
• Pause, fast forward and rewind capability
• Omni directional microphone
• Included software includes native Myspace support (for those who care)
• Comes with a power adapter (earlier models do not)

The price comes in at $179.99. This is about $30 cheaper than the Ultra model I reviewed earlier. Is it worth the extra scratch?

If size is a big issue for you, then yes. The Mino is noticeable smaller than the Ultra. There isn’t a pocket this couldn’t fit in. And the weight makes it easy to fit even into a shirt pocket without it dragging your shirt down to your knees. The next thing to do is run some video tests (obviously).

Video Trials

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A quick video review while driving

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Florida rainstorm and a dork recording it behind the wheel

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Using the Flip Video Mino for quick family moments

As you can see, the video quality is really pretty good for a camera this size. The microphone does a good job of capturing everything that is going on. I also noticed that the 2X zoom seems to look a little better on this camera than it did on the Ultra.

My Observations

Like the Ultra model, the USB plug is not flexible. Seeing as you need to charge the Mini from your USB port, that means you’re going to have the camera hanging straight out from your USB port for an extended period of time. There would be some definite benefit to having a standard USB cable included with this camera so that it can be connected yet still sit on my desk without having to hang out there in the air.

Also, the buttons on the back combined with a lack of motion compensation means you’re likely to see some camera movement on your videos. You’re likely to see a little jolt when you push a button to zoom or start/stop recording, for example. he situation is helped on the Mini, though, because the buttons are touch sensitive - an improvement over the larger models.

The Flip Video Mino is great for anybody who wants a video camera on the go. As a blogger, I find it handy to be able to easily record quick videos with no preparation required. You could also use a Flip for records purposes. For example, one person I know uses a camera similar to the Flip when doing home inspections. Makes for a good record of the inspection for easy writeup when he gets back to the office. The uses are plenty.

To me, it is amazing how such a small device can so revolutionize the field of video recording. And you can have a piece of the revolution if you get your own a Flip Video. I do recommend you do your research, though. The Flip Video series are great cameras, but sometimes you can find similar cameras at more competitive prices elsewhere. Pure Digital obviously has some great marketing folks in order to give the Flip the attention it has received.

Fruitfultime Task Manger is a Windows-only software solution to the problem. The software covers all the usual bases, including:

• Ability to split tasks into sub-tasks (a necessity for any decent task manager)
• Ability to track progress on any task (not just done or not done)
• Assign tasks to contacts
• Reminders
• Ability to sort tasks
• Free-form notes entry for any task
• Reference into and/or links for any task
• Tagging (yes!)
• Print your task list
• Encrypt your tasks for security
• Portable version for carrying your task list around on your USB thumb drive

I am running a Mac, but I loaded it up into my Windows virtual machine to have a look.

The interface for FruitfulTime is very Outlook-ish so you will have pretty much immediate familiarity with it. Another nice thing is that the application is super light. The size of the EXE file is only 488KB and, yes, it loads super fast.

Using the application is easy, especially once you get used to the keyboard shortcuts. When you don’t need to have your task list in your face, minimizing the window reduces it to a taskbar icon.

There are a few shortcomings to the program that I think could be improved upon:

• There does not seem to be a way to export or otherwise back up your database. The data files are split into multiple XML files inside your user directory (in “Documents and Settings”). You have to hunt for the files. I believe there should be a menu option.
• Changing the status or priority of a task is done by way of a dropdown, but it takes at least 2 clicks to do this because you have to activate the dropdown first (so it appears at all). This is a minor point, but a small interface enhancement that would be nice.
• There were a couple of times when adding a sub-task would simply insert it as a blank with no ability to edit it. I closed the program and re-opened to fix the problem, although I do not know if that was necessary.
• Would be nice if you could use free-form tagging rather than having to set up your tag list ahead of time. This would make it more similar to a web-based application.
• More levels of hierarchy would be nice. Right now you can create sub-tasks, but no tasks beneath that.

These are all fairly minor points and only listed to allow the programmers to perfect the program even further. For me, the ability to export tasks from within the application would be the first thing added.

All in all, FruitfulTime Task Manager is a worthy contender for any Windows user looking to put some order into their day. The program can be used free for 10 days, after which you will need to purchase a license to continue using it (currently $29.99).

In short, this product installs as a virtual print driver under Windows (sorry, Mac or Linux users). It allows you to print anything to PDF, TIFF, JPEG, PNG, PCX, DCX, GIF or BMP. Probably where this would get the most use is when printing a Word document to PDF or when trying to convert a PDF to an image format.

I installed the freely available trial version. It will run indefinitely, but it will install a pretty large and annoying watermark onto anything that you print. The installation was nice and easy and, within a minute, I was able to run a test by printing off a webpage directly from Firefox. By default, it saves the resulting file to the “UDC Output Files” directory directly off your C drive. You can, however, change this in the Properties for the print driver. If you want it to ask you where to put it every time, you can also set this as an option.

The resulting prints are, as expected, true to form accurate depictions of what I printed.

The product most definitely does what it is supposed to do. The underlying question in my mind would be this: Do you really need this software?

Universal Document Converter runs $69 for a single user license, with volume discounts the more you buy. This certainly isn’t cheap for a virtual printer driver. Plus, there are free options available such as PDFCreator if PDF printing is your first priority. Printing to image formats is not nearly as easy to accomplish if you are trying to remain on the free side of things so it is in this arena where I see the most potential for this software. They have several tutorials available on how to run the various conversions.

Printing a document to an image format is probably something most home users won’t have a need for. However, it is not uncommon in enterprise environments where image formats are used for archival purposes for documents or for printing situations where you cannot have any alteration at all (we’ve all seen documents print differently at times than the way they appear on screen). It can also come in handy if you need to send a document to somebody without them being able to make any changes to it.

In that light, Universal Document Converter looks to be a nice option for the person who needs a quick and easy way to convert a document to a lossless file format, whether it be for archive or print purposes. It isn’t for everybody, but for the person who needs it it is a huge time saver.

NOTE: The preceding review was a paid review.

I set this up at work and it was a breeze. Basically all you have to do is plug the router directly into your computer, open the router’s control panel (something like http://192.168.1.1) and tell the router to use DHCP to obtain it’s address.

That’s pretty much it. Of course you will want to apply the appropriate wireless security. If anything gets misconfigured, just reset the router (using the tiny reset button) and start again.

The Flip Video is a super small video camera that retails for only $150. In fact, it is easily small enough to fit into your pocket. I had an opportunity to give the Flip Video a try. So, is a compact, sub $150 video camera any good?

Specs

What makes the Flip Video unique is that it is super tiny and uses internal memory. This means you have no memory cards to worry about. This is convenient, but of course you have the tradeoff of being limited to only what is inside the camera. But, the Ultra Series (and you shouldn’t consider anything less given the price) comes with 2 GB of internal storage, providing for up to an hour of video footage.

The camera comes with a 1.5″ LCD screen on the back. Yes, this is small and it would be nice to have a larger screen. However, a smaller screen keeps costs down.

The camera records at 640×480 resolution using a 1/4″ VGA CMOS sensor. It records at a full 30 frames per second and records in MPEG4 AVI format. The lens can zoom in only 2X. This isn’t much, of course. But, this is a cheap lens with fixed focus. A camera in this price range just isn’t going to compete with a real camcorder.

The camera’s interface is USB (pictured above). The USB connector simply flips out (pun intended) from the side of the camera and you plug it into your computer. The connector is not connected to any internal cord so there is no flexibility. When I connect the Flip to my Mac Pro, the Flip just hangs out there stationary in front of the computer. You obviously could not easily connect this to a USB port on the back of your computer.

Lastly, the camera runs on a couple of AA batteries (included). This is nice because you can easily just flip any kind of AA battery into it when they die. I have yet to kill off my batteries, but the specs show that it will last 2.5 hours on a pair.

The camera pictured above is in orange (obviously), however the line comes in silver, black, red as well as light green.

Using the Flip

The selling point of this camera lies very much in the software. The Flip is obviously not going to compete with a real camcorder. However, it is meant to be extremely convenient. The bundled software is no exception.

When you plug the Flip into your computer, it is automatically detected just like a standard USB drive. On the drive would be stored your video files, any images you took, as well as the Flip Video software (which comes in both Mac and Windows flavors). Since I am using the Mac, I just dragged the Mac app over to my hard drive and ran it from there. Nice and easy. For Windows, I assume you would need to run an installer.

Once you’ve launched the Flip software, it will interface with the camera and scan for any videos stored on it. You can then save the videos to your computer (in AVI format), share the videos (by emailing, creating a greeting card, or sharing online using sites like Youtube). The software has built-in support for Youtube and AOL Video, but . The software also makes it easy to create quick movie mixes using your video footage. If you want an actual DVD of your movies, you can burn a DVD of your movies or set it up to have a DVD created at a number of retail locations.

The software stores everything in albums under a directory on your computer called “My Flip Video Library”. You can organize all your videos there in whichever album structure you want.

Once you’ve got the footage on your computer, you can do anything you want with it. You don’t necessarily need to use the Flip software except to pull the videos off the camera and put them on your hard drive. From there, they are just AVI files and you’re free to do what you want.

Performance

The performance of the camera is great for a camera this cheap. It has very quick power up so you’re ready to record quickly. It has great sensitivity to light and it picks up good video quality both in high and low light levels.

The 2X zoom isn’t much. When you do zoom up on an object, too, I’ve noticed that the image can get a little bit blurry. Picture quality is definitely best when you don’t use the zoom feature, but it is there when you need it.

Previewing and managing videos on the device itself is self-explanatory. You can flip through your clips, play them (with audio) and delete them directly from the device. The picture quality on the 1.5″ screen is acceptable.

This Camera Is Great For…

Anybody who wants quick access to video. If you’re the kind of person who carried a digital camera around for that “just in case” moment, you might enjoy the Flip Video.

But, we also know that video is big on the Internet. I am a blogger. What is more convenient for a blogger than a simple, slip-in-your-pocket video camera you can carry around and capture video whenever and wherever? And the video quality is more than enough for online use. So, bloggers would definitely be a niche market with definite use for this camera.

In fact, I wanted one bad enough where I actually went out and bought one - BEFORE the folks at Flip sent me their review unit to check out. Call me impatient, but I now have two of these things.

Driving With the Risley’s

To illustrate usage of the Flip Video, I recorded some random footage (with my wife’s cute review of the Flip Video) a few weeks ago while we were driving back home from an outing. Here you go:

So, it is a given you need to back up your data. The question is: how?

You can go the free, more manual way - something similar to what Jason outlined when he provided his batch script. You could go the open source route using something like Cobian Backup. Cobian will get the job done, but there is no support whatsoever. Or you could go the commercial route. There are several commercial options out there, but I am going to take a look here at Backup Platinum, by SoftLogica.

Backup Platinum is a Windows-only utility that makes it super easy to have automated backups. You can back up to pretty much anything, including a network drive, a remote server (using FTP) or recordable optical mediums and USB. The program’s notable features include:

• Built-in CD engine which allows for automated CD burning, automatic erasure of optical media as well as spanning several discs
• Integrated ZIP compression
• 128-bit encryption for secure backups (requires a password to unlock a backup)
• Built-in scheduler to run automatic backups at any time. Uses a Windows service, too, so it doesn’t depend on being logged into Windows to function
• Multi-threaded engine so that it can function without slowing down your system
• Command line interface (if you want to use it in batch scripts)
• Ability to backup registry as well as certain keys in the registry
• Email notifications
• Ability to start or shut down programs when executing backups

In short, this thing more or less does it all.

I went to their site and downloaded the 30 day trial. Install went through without hassle. Upon starting the program, I went through a wizard which walked me through creating an “item”. An “item” is the name for a particular set of files/folders/settings that I want to back up. I can have as many items as I want and execute each on its own schedule.

I was running this application in a virtual machine on my Mac (Windows XP running under VMware Fusion). So, my Mac looks like a network drive as far as Windows is concerned. I set up an item to back up my Quickbooks data (which is on the virtual disk) and back it up to the host disk. I was impressed that it easily allowed me to keep multiple versions of the data file on the system and it automatically timestamps the backups. Nice. So, I set it up to back up Quickbooks, storing up to 4 different versions. I executed it and it worked and did so quite quickly.

My Conclusions

I get asked to review a lot of things. Sometimes those things are just a real stretch. I always call it like I see it. In this case, it isn’t a stretch at all.

Backup Platinum does exactly what it is supposed to do. It is clean software and easy to use. It is fast and they also threw some “kitchen sink” features in here to boot (like encryption and email notifications). Backup Platinum is a powerful backup utility for Windows.

My only thought was that, well, I’m on a Mac. Of course, on the Mac, I have Time Machine built right into the operating system. Now that VMware has fixed the conflict between Time Machine and VMware Fusion, my entire Windows session is backed up. But, most definitely, if I were still using Windows as my primary operating system, I would certainly use Backup Platinum.

Cost of the software is $67. Last I looked, this was right in line with other comparable backup software for Windows.

NOTE: The preceding review was a paid review. But, trust me, as always, I don’t mess around with reviews. There is really nothing bad to say about Backup Platinum.

But, you want a little more detail, perhaps. Fine, I’ll provide it. Warning: don’t expect me to benchmark this machine. I’ll leave that to the countless others who have already done it. I’m a practical guy. I USE the machine to get work done and it is from that perspective that I review it now.

The Specs

I picked up the “entry” level 15″ model. I call it “entry”, but it is anything but. There is a reason it has the “Pro” label in it’s name. Those specs:

• 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (Penryn)
• 2 GB of PC2-5300 DDR2 memory
• 800 MHz front-side bus
• 200 GB hard drive
• 8X slot-loading Superdrive
• Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT graphics, 256 MB memory, dual-link DVI
• 15″ antiglare TFT display at 1440×900 native resolution.
• 1 Firewire 400, 1 Firewire 800, 2 USB ports, ExpressCard
• Integrated wireless, Ethernet and Bluetooth
• Backlit keyboard, multi-touch trackpad

Usage

When I first bought this notebook, I cranked it up and ran through the setup wizard for OS X Leopard. No problems at all. Once into the desktop, I was immediately at home in OS X. Since I had been using a Mac Pro for a while before buying this laptop, it was nice to be able to have a mobile equivalent to it. I was using a Vista-powered HP laptop before this (yuck).

When buying this notebook, I decided to get the anti-glare screen. It was a wise move. The glossy screen looks quite nice inside, but outside usage of the glossy screen is no picnic. My prior laptop had a gorgeous glossy screen on it, but it was really hard to use outside (even when I was in the shade on my back porch). The image on the anti-glare screen is very, very nice and I have no complaints at all. And the fact that I can see what I’m doing when I’m out on the porch is really convenient.

I also really dig having a larger screen resolution. Packing 1440×900 onto a 15″ screen is something you would think would make it hard to read. Not at all. In fact, again, my prior laptop only went up to 1280×800 and I wished it could have gone larger. The native resolution on this MacBook Pro provides for plenty of workspace. Of course, combine that with Spaces (built into OS X) and you’re going to have plenty of space.

The engineering of this laptop is great. It is easy and light to carry around (lighter than my prior HP laptop). The speakers sound quite good for being so low profile. The Isight camera provides great imagery while being super small. When I am doing live streaming shows from the MacBook, it really is amazing that so many people are watching me out of what seems like a tiny pinhole on my computer. The omni-directional microphone picks me up quite well (so I’m told) and you cannot even see it.

The speed of the laptop is more than enough. I’ve edited videos on it in Imovie. I’ve done live streaming video to UStream with it. I’ve watched movies. I’ve done some in-depth web programming on it. I’ve run Windows on it inside VMWare Fusion. And, yes, I’ve done some of these things at the same time. It just takes what I dish at it.

A Video

What I Like

When you pay $1,999 for a laptop, you expect to like pretty much everything about it. And I do. There are a few things I’d change (which I’ll go over below), but first let me sum up what I particularly like about the MacBook Pro:

• Nice screen resolution
• Firewire support is handy
• Slim design and easy to carry around
• Backlit keyboard is awesome and keyboard has a nice feel to it. Even my wife commented on the feeling of the keyboard and she doesn’t much care about computers.
• Fast and takes everything I dish at it

What I Don’t Like

I think the price for this unit is fair, however I would like to see Apple offer a more competitive warranty with the unit without additional charges. The AppleCare plan is great, but they charge you more money for it. Out of box, they only provide a 90 day warranty. That just isn’t enough for a laptop. If you’re going to buy a MacBook or MacBook Pro, I suggest you spring for the AppleCare plan.

Secondly, the unit only comes with 2 USB ports. Additionally, the placement of those ports isn’t very good. The one on the left side is fine, but the one on the right side is not well placed. If you use a USB mouse and are right-handed, you then have the USB plug hanging out right where the mouse would usually go. If you use something larger than a mouse in that right slot, it would be even more in the way. The right-side USB port would have been better placed on the left side or on the rear of the unit.

Same goes for the DVI port. Again, if you’re using the trackpad, it is fine. If you want to use a traditional 2 button mouse, anything hanging out on the right side will get in the way potentially.

The Verdict Is…

I suspect you already know. This is an awesome laptop. If you want to use OS X rather than Windows (or perhaps both) and want a laptop powerful enough to keep up with actual work, the MacBook Pro is the one to get.

The MacBook is, too, a great unit. But, I played with it in the store and there was a noticeable performance difference between it and the Pro. You’re also getting a 13″ screen which is something I didn’t want as my primary notebook computer.

I know many people on the forums here prefer to use a combination of various free programs to accomplish the same tasks. However, I personally believe the all-in-one’s are a good purchase for novice computer users who don’t have a “geek” to fall back on. A restrictive computer is much safer for someone who has no concept of computer security compared to a wide open one.

When I received an offer to review the Edifier E3350 speakers, my first thought was – who the hell is Edifier? I took a look at the spec sheet that I was provided and was initially impressed with the unique look of the speakers, and also found it interesting that they won an award at CES this year, the CES Innovations 2008 Design and Engineering Awards Honor. I decided to take them up on their review offer, and I was certainly intrigued by the results. These speakers offer a Bose-quality sound at a Creative and Logitech-level price. Yes – I did just compare these on the same level as Bose. Soon, you’ll see why.

Speaker Specifications

The Edifier E3350 is a 2.1 speaker system with the following technical specs:

• Power Output: RMS 32W + 9W x 2 (THD=10%)
• Signal to Noise Ratio:>=85dBA
• Distortion:<=0.5% THD
• Input Impedance: 10K Ohm
• Input Sensitivity: Satellites—550+/-50mV; Subwoofer—200+/-50mV
• Frequency Response: R/L: 130Hz - 20kHz SW: 30Hz - 130Hz
• Bass Unit: 5 inch driver, magnetically shielded, 5Ohm
• Satellite Unit: 2.75 inch oval shaped driver,4 Ohm and 3/4 inch PV dome tweeter, magnetically shielded, 4Ohm
• Dimension: Subwoofer — 248 x199 x 294mm (W X H X D)
• Satellite — 96 x 234 x 118mm (W x H x D)
• Gross Weight: approximately 5 kg
• Power Input: 100V-240V wide range AC power adapter,18V

Initial Impressions and Tests

When I opened the box for the first time and was able to see the speakers, my first thought was, “These look pretty sweet.” I hope by the picture below you can see what I am talking about. The design is definitely unique compared to the typical box-like speakers you will find from many companies – it is somewhat hard to describe exactly why these look cool, but they just do. There are no straight edges anywhere on the speakers or the subwoofer, which are all three shaped like pyramids, and they feature a slick-looking plastic top. The subwoofer is neat in that it fires downward instead of outward, allowing them to play with the design a bit.

My first instinct when it comes to testing speakers is to plug them in, turn the volume as high as it will go, and play the THX trailer on them. I have done this on several different speaker systems, including 5.1 speakers, so I am accustomed to how most systems sound. I played the trailer called “Cavalcade.” I can not tell you how blown away (quite literally) I was by the beautiful quality of sound that blasted out of these little speakers. Not only was it extremely loud, but the pitches were produced perfectly, without the slightest hint of distortion or stress that you get from many speakers when cranked up all the way. These speakers are definitely impressive.

Sound Quality

For testing sound quality, I used several different types of music that would test the different sound ranges, from the very lowest to the very highest pitch possible. My first test was the THX trailer Cavalcade, but after that, I ran it through about everything on my playlist – including these specific songs:

Star Wars Episode II Soundtrack – Love Pledge, The Arena
John Williams

Overture to Candide
Leonard Bernstein

If Everyone Cared
Nickleback

Superman Kryptonite
3 Doors Down

I tried to play a little of everything so I could hear the speaker’s response to a variety of tones and chords. Overture to Candide is probably the best all-purpose tester because it has everything from a very brassy low sound to an extremely high piccolo part. The balance of bass (which is adjustable) does not overpower the mid-range or high-range sound of the speakers – even when the subwoofer is turned all the way up.

Conclusion

Ratings (1 = lowest, 10 = highest)

To conclude this review, let me tell you something: if you are looking for speakers and have about $100 to spend, buy these speakers. I’m not getting paid to say that, nor was I asked to even give a positive review – these speakers just kick ass, period.

You can visit their website at http://www.edifier.ca/