If you are looking for an inexpensive device to capture videos for a web site, you might want to consider the Flip Video Mino Series compact camcorder from Pure Digital. This is a pocket-sized camcorder with on-board memory that stored about 1 hour of video.

The Mino Series is a third generation compact camcorder from Pure Digital that improves on some of the electronic features of the second generation Flip Video Ultra series. The Mino and it’s predecessor both have 640×480 VGA resolution at 30 frames per second. Both contain 2 gigabytes of on-board memory that stores about 1 hour of video. With dimensions of 3.94 inches by 1.97 inches by 0.63 inches, this is a very compact camcorder that easily fits in a pocket or purse. Unlike the Ultra Series, which was available in a range of colors, the Mino Series is currently limited to a choice of black or white.

The Mino also features 2x digital zoom and a 1.5 inch color LCD display. One improvement over the Ultra Series is that the Mino now includes an on-board rechargeable lithium ion battery, rather that use AA alkaline batteries like previous models. This effectively doubled the battery life from 2 hours to 4 hours. The lithium ion batteries can be charged either with a charging adapter or with using a USB port on your computer. The one drawback I see with this is that the batteries can only be replaced using Flip Video Support, so it looks like the unit needs to be shipped to them when the batteries eventually fail.

One real nice feature is a suite of embedded video tools that load onto a computer when the Mino is plugged into a USB port. You will always have the tools that you need to edit a video anytime you want to upload it to a web site.

While this is a real slick miniature camcorder, the resolution does not qualify it for use for typical family videos where a much higher resolution is desirable. 640×480 VGA resolution is comparable to the low resolution computer monitors of the 1990s. It’s intended use is for online videos like you may find on You Tube, My Space or personal web sites. In other words, the low resolution quality may look good in a small sized format on your computer, but will not look very good on a large television screen. The Mino does not produce high quality video.

We really like the design and for a VGA camcorder, the video quality is acceptable. But it would be useful to allow users to replace their lithium ion batteries, just like you can with most cell phones. We would also like to see replaceable memory. There are times when it would be nice to not be limited to about 1 hour of recording time. If you could simply exchange a memory card, like you can with almost every digital camera, the Mino would be more versatile. The way the Mino currently works, when you run out of memory you have to connect it to your computer to transfer the video files.

At the time of this writing, several of the major electronics retailers have not yet made this model available in their brick-and-mortar stores. You currently have to order it online from most retailers, but it should start to show up in stores very soon.

The suggested retail price is $179, but the Flip Video Mino can be found online in the $150 to $160 range.