Tech News on G4 Hey Canada, You Can Now Pimp Your Flip June 30, 2009 By Greg Gazin - Apple Gazin’ - G4 Canada

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While everything today seems to be mass-produced, it’s nice to know that you can still get something personalized without paying through the nose. And it’s not a keychain, t-shirt or a license plate – it’s a pocket camcorder! Now In Canada – Eh! While they’ve been out since the fall south of the 49th Parallel, these handy-dandy little pocket camcorders the Flip Mino and the Flip Mino HD have just recently been made available for sale in Canada. They are basically point and shoot versions of video cameras. You hit record and voila! There is a built-in USB signature flip arm that “flips” open. You plug it into your computer (PC or MAC) and with it’s own built-in software, you can copy to your computer, edit or post your videos on YouTube or MySpace faster than you can boot into Windows Vista. Now you can get these from your favourite on-line or bricks and mortar retailer in either black or white, but you can chose to Pimp up your Mino with a design of your own, which the good folks at Flip call it the Flip Video Personalization Platform- the Next Generation. (Where have we heard that before Captain Picard) Now it doesn’t cost any extra to do this, but you must purchase your Flip Mino from the Flip on-line store. Create Your Own Design Now personalization goes beyond just putting your name on it, you can actually create your own design and if you’re like me who has challenges drawing a straight line – I blame in on caffeine, you need not worry, you can choose from a whole whack of pre-configured designs on a whole slew of themes – like Countries, Hello Kitty, Sports, Nature, and Retro, just to name a few. Some of the designs are pretty funky. Many have been created by artists leading design firms, celebrities and  yes, you can “Enter Your Name Here!”   Yes, you too can be a designer and create your own Picasso; you can use a pattern generator, upload your own images and designs – the sky is the only limit. Even better, you can offer them for sale. Earn or Donate If you do decide to make your masterpiece available to others in cyberspace – and they sell with your design, you can either earn a commission or register via CafePress to be part of a program that donates earnings to various charities. The Mino has Huge Capacity             Both pocket cams measure a mere 4”x2” and they are only 2/3’ thick and weigh only 3.3oz. They also both feature a crisp 1.5”TFT (528x132) display screen with feather touch sensitive controls for quick and easy navigation. The Flip Mino (C$219.99) has 2GB of built-in non expandable memory and shoots 60 minutes of standard definition video (640x480) the Flip MinoHD (C$279)  has 4GB of memory and also yield an hour of shooting at 720p (1280x720) resolution. Again, you can get your Flip at your favourite retailer or e-tailer, but to personalize it you need to visit the Flip Store. You can also read the reviews.   Greg Gazin can be reached at  gadgetguy “at” telus “dot” net Or GadgetGreg.com

About G4 in Canada
G4 launched on September 7, 2001 as the ultimate television resource for technology news, information and entertainment. Co-owned by G4, Rogers Media Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc., G4 is Canada's first television channel 100% dedicated to technology, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The channel features the latest technology news, information and entertainment in an exciting and high-energy format. G4 is available on digital cable and satellite.