Pocket Video Recorder

Duff

Duff

Well-known member
I use an iRiver iFP-890 to record audio "notes-to-self", and recently I got the idea of recording video "notes-to-self". Quality isn't important -- youtube quality would be acceptable for this purpose so long as audio is clear and intelligible (the iRiver records at 160kbps, and the built-in mic is surprisingly good.). I'd like it to be as small as possible, since the iRiver it will be replacing is as tall and wide as my first two fingers. I'll be carrying this in my pocket at all times. Also, I'm not looking to spend more than $200 (I know they have miniature "spy cams", but they're prohibitively expensive). Anyone know of a device that fits this bill?

Thanks.
 
I might be on the wrong tack here, but what's wrong with a cameraphone?
Mine's great for notes to self, and I frequently take stills or clips to remind me about things.

I have an O2 XDA orbit, which is also available as the HTC P3000.
I absolutely love it! it's a PDA, phone, GPS (the GPS receiver is built right in - you don't need any extra bits to use it), radio, media player, basic camera etc, all rolled into a unit not much bigger than an ordinary phone.

You don't say where you are, but I think you sould be able to find either a badged or the original HTC version somewhere.

Review here: http://www.mobiletechreview.com/phones/HTC-P3300-XDA-Orbit.htm


Of course there are many other camera phones that will record video, but I like the "One Stop Shop" of the XDA series.
I had an XDA II and a IIs before the orbit - the Orbit is much smaller and neater.
 
Yeah. Most camera phones have a video function as well. Some even accept micro SD cards, so you can record a TON of stuff.
 
That would be ideal, but so far I haven't come into contact with a phone that has a capable camera built in. For instance, I have an LG Chocolate, and it can take still pictures at 1280x960, but they look terrible at even half that resolution. It also can record video, which is no more than a joke. Perhaps camera phones have come further in the past year, but a) I'm in the United States and we lag behind the rest of the world when it comes to phones for whatever reason, and b) I'm limited to using Verizon as my service provider because no one else has decent coverage in my area, and Verizon has the worst phone selection possible, limiting my choices even further.

I can't wait until the day when an all-in-one device exists that does a capable job at all tasks, i.e. the pictures it takes are good for a camera, not good for a phone. However, as it currently stands, camera phones are phones with the novelty of being able to take low quality pictures. I guess there's only so much electronics you can cram in any given space.

Anyway, so far the best option I've found is the Flip Video Ultra: http://www.amazon.com/Video-Ultra-Camcorder-60-Minutes-White/dp/B000V1MLBE
It's bigger than I was looking for at 1.2 x 2.2 x 4.2 inches, but I watched some sample clips on youtube and the quality is good for the price. I'd really prefer something smaller if it exists, but I haven't found anything promising yet.

Edit: Here's an example clip from the Flip Video Ultra: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ruHpwYtk7ss
 
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ben-s said:
I have an O2 XDA orbit, which is also available as the HTC P3000. I absolutely love it!
Click to expand...

Based on your recommendation, I have been looking at this phone. This phone really has my interest piqued. But, I'm not sure I can get it here or with Sprint...

Normally, I'm not into spending a billion dollars for a cell phone but my cell phone is dying, my contract is up so if I can parlay a huge discount for signing a two year deal, why not?
 
rlm7189 said:
Based on your recommendation, I have been looking at this phone. This phone really has my interest piqued. But, I'm not sure I can get it here or with Sprint...

Normally, I'm not into spending a billion dollars for a cell phone but my cell phone is dying, my contract is up so if I can parlay a huge discount for signing a two year deal, why not?
Click to expand...


I don't know how it works in your part of the world, but if you can't get it as a package, you can buy the phone sim free and get a sim and contract seperately.

If you can do an upgrade with your current provider, which is what I did, you may well get the phone cheap or free.
I got mine free, The only thing I paid for was the GPS software - £50.:2vrolijk_08:
BTW, this was on an 18 month contract
 
I use one of these, keep it in my bag and use it instead of the crappy cell phone camera.

TV resolution recorded digitally for $100? Good enough for me. And now they have models with a higher bit rate, you got to check them out.

http://www.theflip.com/
 
JoeFowler said:
I use one of these, keep it in my bag and use it instead of the crappy cell phone camera.

TV resolution recorded digitally for $100? Good enough for me. And now they have models with a higher bit rate, you got to check them out.

http://www.theflip.com/
Click to expand...

That's the model I was looking at, and the best I've found in that price range.

However, someone at DVInfo pointed me toward the Canon TX1. It's $500, well outside my initial price range, but it records HD video and is also a 7 megapixel camera. It's about the size of a deck of cards, though twice as thick. Right now I'm kind of leaning toward that, since it would also be replacing my S2 IS which I could sell to compensate part of the cost. I've seen some video samples, and this is truly an amazing device. HD video from something the size of a pack of cards. Crazy.
 
Those Flip cameras are pretty much the same ones CVS sells (or used to) as "disposable video cameras" for $20 or so. The only diff is that there's no built in USB port on the camera, so you have to do a little hacking. But, for $20, it's not too big of a risk.
 
Duff said:
HD video from something the size of a pack of cards. Crazy.
Click to expand...

Calling this "HD" is pretty indefensible, even considering the fraud that "HD" has become over the last few years. Seriously, take a look at some footage from one of those things.
 
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