Now that smart phones have become everything to us, including our video cameras, it seems that Cisco is killing the Flip Camera along with their entire consumer division. Interesting considering just this week, there was a scheduled press event around “a new groundbreaking Flip camera” whose launch was then mysteriously put on hold.
Mystery solved.
According to the press release, there will be some sort of transition plan for those of you using FlipShare. But for the rest of you? Grab a Flip now if you’ve been meaning to get one, or if you think the ‘rents will appreciate one for Mother’s or Father’s Day.
We can’t say we’re entirely surprised. Although there are some of us who do still like using real cameras and real video cameras with better quality than we get from our smartphones.
What do you think? Were you a Flip fan or is all about phones for you these days? –Liz
[h/t Business Insider, Culture Kitchen]
Wow, that makes me glad I already have my Flip camera. My phone, and even my still camera, don’t record in great quality and I love being able to bust out the Flip and record my son whenever he starts acting goofy 🙂
Pre-iPhone, we used our Flip ALL OF THE TIME but now that we both have iPhones, we only use the Flip for things we want higher quality video of like school performances.
Wow – that’s all i can say. I completely get that smartphones are amazing – I love my iphone but the quality of video is terrible in comparison. Definitely don’t agree with this move, at least not at this time. Oh well, I’ll just spend my money on a Kodak Playsport instead 🙂
I’m surprised, but then I’m usually caught by surprise by any tech development. I loves my precious Flip – it’s so much more maneuverable than the iPhone video camera. I’m sad to see them phasing this tech out.
I have the flip slide and love it. I do, however, find that I grab for my iPhone more for video because it’s always in my pocket.
Sad to see the Flip Cam go! I have an iPhone but the quality is significantly better on the Flip.
I use my Flip-cam all the time. At home with grandchildren AND at work. We do short video blogs for our web site. It’s perfect for these uses. Glad I got an HD version before they disappeared. Will continue to use it faithfully.
We just looked at purchasing 1 this past week because we have heard some great things about them. After some research we decided to go with the Kodak PlaySport Zx5… mainly because it is rugged and waterproof up to 10ft. Both qualities are important since we have 2 toddlers!
Agree it’s a shame and I agree that there are times when you should be pulling out your regular camera/video-cam rather than your smart phone.
My kids both love to play with their Flips which they received for free by lining up at 4am outside the local Old Navy on Boxing Day (with their Aunts and Uncle – not me – not that crazy!). But not sure how much of their footage they’ve ever actually transferred off their Flips.
For me, whether I use a smart phone or a real camera is kind of like the difference between using twitter and writing a full blown blog post. Or the difference between firing of a quick text message and writing an email or even a “real” letter.
The smart phone is for life’s quick little candid ordinary day moments whereas the camera is for the big occasions or when I really want to capture something extra special. Rarely record video over a minute long on my smart phone.
Anyway, sad to see the Flip go but as Dina says, lots of other options!
This is so frustrating. Here’s the thing: not all of us have, want, or can afford a smartphone and the accompanying smartphone plan. I find it odd that there’s this notion that *everyone* has a smartphone and therefore we don’t need [fill in the blank] anymore.
I’m glad I already have my Flip, and I definitely love it.
We hear you Lisa. And understand completely. But we also understand that as a business, Cisco needs to look at where the market is going and cater to the many and not the few. Hang on to that Flip! We love ours too.
I agree with LIsa, I’ve just got a basic phone. I can’t justify the price of a smart phone just to check my email since I’m not working and home with the kids. As a photographer/ previous photo editor for a magazine, the quality of photos and video on smart phones just doesn’t do it for me, so I always carry a camera and my flip video. The kids love making videos with it too. There seems to be many other small hand held video recorders out there, so perhaps they will up their quality/user friendliness once Flip is out of the picture.
In this economy, businesses need to think fast to stay in business, and you can’t blame Cisco for trying to keep above water…
I have a Flip and am so glad for it – although I can take video with my iPhone, there are definitely times when I want the higher quality of the Flip Mino. Especially since it’s still so portable. Although my Kodak Playtouch is fast becoming my preferred option!
Still love the Flip, but the quality I get from my Kodak zi8 is better (plus you can use an external microphone). There are plenty of other micro camcorders on the market for those occasions when you want better quality than you can get from a smarthone. Flip will be missed, but there are still plenty of other options.