The days of dinosaurs like me carrying around clunky camcorders are officially order.  There’s no reason to anymore, thanks to Flip video.

I had heard about the cool pocket recorders that are practically weightless, take superb videos and are as easy as A, B, C to use.  Laziness and a familiarity with the old camcorders and their mini-DVDs prevented me from exploring the Flip cams earlier, but after receiving a 4GB device smothered in shamrocks from the folks at Flip to promote their St. Patrick’s Day line, I am a total convert.

The hype is true – plug in the camera’s USB port to a computer, charge it up and you’re good to go.  No big cameras to tote around, no added weight to your bag, an ease of functionality that literally anyone can navigate, and crisp HD-like videos that you can plug right into your HDTV.  What’s not to like!

My Flip is 4GB, which allows for one hour of recording time.  The tiny device sure packs a whole bunch of features, including an HDMI mini-port, which allows for the ease of transfer to HDTV, a tripod mount, and a viewing screen that allows for crystal clear playback of your favorite moments.

According to a Flip press release, their new line of UltraHD and MinoHD video cameras “feature the familiar Flip video simplicity, with newly-enhanced HD video quality and image stabilization. The on-board Flipshare software now also features a quick and easy video greeting card option with dozens of all-new designs including shamrocks, so not only can you give a Flip for St. Patrick’s Day, you can also send a Flip video greeting card.”

What a great idea to instantly send greetings anywhere for the Irish national holiday!  “Once a user selects their greeting card design, they can enter their own personal message to go along with the accompanying video.  The video greeting card is then easily sent by email to a single recipient, or small to large groups with the new FlipShare contacts feature,” says Flip.

“Additionally, the FlipShare software lets you save, edit and share videos on your own FlipShare channel, or with easy uploads to Facebook, YouTube, AOL and other video sharing sites.”

Totally sold! The Flip cam will change your video recording life forever, and is especially easy on the wallet.  Flip cameras start at $149.99 for an UltraHD 4GB version, and go to $229.00 for a SlideHD 16GB model which allows for four hours of recording.

Flip has all sorts of cool designs for their cameras – we’ve seen lots of them advertised in billboards and trains throughout New York. Our shamrocks are especially cute, and a perfect touch for your favorite Irish person this St. Patrick’s Day, or any other day for that matter!

For more information on the Flip shamrock line, visit http://store.theflip.com/en-us/designs/results.aspx?keywords=Shamrock&cid=m3160.  Trust us, you’ll flip out when you have your own!