Flip Video Mino Is Supder Duper Cute!

It's official. Small is the new Big. Not too many years ago, people wanted big things: big houses, big cars, even big tobacco! But the tables have turned recently, and now people want smaller and cuter things. Out are the SUVs and in are the Smart Cars. Out are the big, monolithic news corporations and in are the small, underfunded, boutique-style news blogs. And now, it's even out with the chunky camcorder and in with the Flip Video Mino!

This is the third iteration of the ultra-compact Flip Video we've seen now, and I have to admit that with each passing version, I'm more and more tempted. The new version comes in at an even more compact 0.63" thick, a slightly smaller screen and the flip-out USB port (where the name comes from) located on top of the camcorder for easier use. A few other changes, like a rechargeable, iPod-esque battery, round out the new version of mobile video capture juiciness.

The whole point of the Flip Video Mino is to be able to take the camera with you everywhere, which is something that most camcorders could learn from. Just ask the kids from Cloverfield. If they hadn't been lugging that camera around, maybe things would be better for them now... but I digress. The Flip camera's also come prepared to load your videos directly from your camera to YouTube and MySpace video, making things extremely easy for the party-goer to show her friend exactly how much she puked the night before. Also, all her friends will be able to not only laugh at the story, but see it for themselves in just a few minutes.

I can't be too sure what it is exactly about this gadget that makes me want it, but I do. The new Mino is available as of today for $179.

Flip Video's mighty Mino [CNET]