Small wonder

Like most guys I really enjoy a good gadget. Limitations of budget notwithstanding I manage to grab one or two things over the course of a year that I don't really need but must have. Recently I have been pondering a new purchase but have been putting it off until I get a chance to really check it out. Luckily my daughter received a Flip Camera for her birthday and I have been gleefully helping her get familiar with its operation.

This is a really amazing toy....I mean tool. Where else can you get a digital camera a bit larger than a Palm that will give you two hours of recording capability that can be almost instantly downloaded to your PC via a USB connection. A connection might I add that is built right in to the camera.

Now for the video purists among you yes there are some limitations. The zoom will not reveal the latest zit on an unsuspecting subjects face nor will it allow you to read the local paper from across the room. But the ability to have an inexpensive digital video camera in your pocket ready to be deployed on a few seconds notice far outweighs the nightmare of hauling out the "big camera" and doing all kinds of prep work. It is a device designed to capture those fleeting and sometimes hilarious moments in life that might otherwise be lost to posterity.

I think my friend Nescro will still mightily defend the virtues of his iPhone for use in every aspect of digital life but I must respectfully disagree. This is a cool widget and I think I might be due to grab one for myself in the very near future.