Making video where ever you go doesn’t get any easier than the new Flip portable video device launching here in the UK this month (June).

We’ve been carrying video recorders in our pockets around for a fair few years now, at least I have. Mobile phones often allow you to record video - but the quality is often grainy and choppy, and the time the phone can take to start up to get recording can be a joke (I’m thinking about my HTC phone here).

The Flip’s big selling point is the quick startup time - you simply flick the switch on the side and the device springs in to account ready to record at a literal click of the start / stop button!

The Flip hardware includes 2GB of built in non-removable storage - giving you approx 60 minutes of video time. A 2x digital zoom allows you to get up a little closer, although you do loose a bit of quality in the video when zoomed in.

The video camera encodes the movies as divx compatible AVI files, directly on to the camera. Removing the need to encode you video before emailing it as you would from a traditional digital camera AVI file.

Flip Video in Orange

To improve the usability of the camera everything is integrated in to the single box. The USB plug pops out the side, and when hooked up to your PC or Macintosh you’ll see a standard USB Storage Device which you can browse and copy off the videos you’ve recorded.

Further still is the built in Flip software provided right on the camera. The software, although a little flaky during testing on Mac OS X Leopard, provides you with ways to manipulate, edit, and mass upload videos to popular video sharing sites like YouTube, AOL etc. from a simple user interface.

The concept of the Flip is great for less technical users, and people who love to catch spare of the moment incidents. The Flips small 1.5″ LCD screen is functional and provides a simple display of the functions to manage videos on the move.

The battery life has so far been impressive. I’ve not had to charge it up in days, and often recording 1-2 minutes of video in a single session with small breaks between. What’s even better is that the unit works on 2 simple AA batteries, so you can always grab some spares - rather than needing an obscure charger or spare proprietary battery.

The only reservation I have about the whole Flip concept is the size of the unit. Measuring 2.3 x 4.1 x 0.8 inches in size makes it much bulkier than most mobile phones and digital cameras these days. Having the Flip in your pocket all the time for that chance video moment would get uncomfortable over time.

If you fancy yourself as a bit of a movie maker you’ll be able to pick up a Flip in the UK from June 9th 2008 for the RRP of £99. Check out www.flipvideo.co.uk and all good retailers (and some rubbish ones as well) closer to the launch date.