The Flip Ultra HD Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

Well, what do you think of the big bloggy birthday bash so far? I hope you have enjoyed it, I have enjoyed bringing it to you, and sharing all of the products that we love!

We do have a big ole grand finale for you! That's right, it's a Flip Ultra HD!! Can you believe it?? How totally awesome am I?? I was SO totally stoked to get the chance to review this baby!

We have never had a video camera, and were just using the recorder on my point & shoot camera. It wasn't the best quality, and then once I purchased my DSLR, the point and shoot has really not gotten ANY love. So, we decided we really should check into a small and simple video camera.

I personally just wanted something easy to use. Kids this age are so quick, that you really need to be able to turn on the camera and start recording, otherwise you miss whatever it was that you were trying to catch. Hubs was more into the specs and what a camera did, I just wanted easy peasy. Guess what? The Flip totally meets BOTH wishes!

There are several versions of The Flip: The Ultra, The Ultra HD, The Mino, The Mino HD (60 min recording) and The Mino HD (120 min recording). Hubs and I spent a lot of time looking them all over, and decided to go with The Ultra HD. At the time when we were deciding, the 120min Mino HD wasn't available. Really, the only difference between The Ultra HD and the 120min Mino HD, is that the Mino can be customized with a design or color. Very cool option, but I just wanted a camera that would shoot well!

Let me just tell you briefly about The Ultra HD. It records 120 minutes of footage (all in HD, of course!) and also has an 8GB memory. It comes in black and white, and this option is not designable. It's got a 2.0" LCD screen with a 960 x 240 resolution. Another feature we LOVE is that the camera comes with 2 rechargeable AA batteries. The camera charges by plugging into your USB port, which is super handy (and you never have to worry about losing the battery charger!) but the best part is that if you don't have a USB port handy, you CAN just toss in 2 regular AA batteries! The camera has a little USB arm that you can pop open, and it's REALLY easy to use.

Usually with anything tech-y, I'm really slow witted, and it takes me a while to figure it out. I can confidently say that even a monkey could figure this out. It is SO easy. You literally turn it on, and push the big red button. Bam! You are recording! You just push the red button again to stop it. You are able to zoom in and out while recording, too. There is a play button to play back what you have recorded, as well. This is not a fancy schmancy, tons of options and tricks kind of camera, but as a Mom, that is NOT what I wanted. I wanted simple, and easy.

This thing is tiny. It's a bit bigger/thicker than a cellphone, for comparison. I can easily toss it in my purse or diaper bag. It's super easy to tote around, and we are REALLY impressed with the picture that it takes. It's really clear, and it picks up even the quietest sounds! We have used it inside, outside, in crowded areas, noisy areas, and we can always hear everything perfectly. I have to say, at $199, it is pretty affordable, too. Sure, it's still a chunk of change, but for what you get, it's totally worth it!

Here's is a video of Carson enjoying a cupcake on his birthday. Enjoy not only the clarity of the picture, but his adorable-ness, as well!

And another clip of Chunky Monkey and Daddy being silly. Notice he's wearing his ChasingZen wool outfit??

The best part? I HAVE ONE TO GIVE AWAY!!! Are you totally stoked? You should be! The very lucky winner will receive a white Flip Ultra HD of their very own! The first MANDATORY entry is to go over to The Flip site, and take a look around. Tell me which is your favorite camera, and why. This must be done first, or all other entries won't count.

Extra Entries:

1. Follow my blog publicly
2. Subscribe by email (subscription must be activated to count, & I WILL check)
3. Grab my rockin' button, and leave me a link as to where you put it!
4. Follow me on Twitter (@mom2chunkymonky)
5. Tweet this giveaway up to 2x daily. Leave a permalink for each
6. Blog about this giveaway, leave a link to the post.
7. Email this giveaway to a friend(s) & copy me on it (MeganMK@cox.net)
8. Become a Facebook Fan of Newly Wed, Newly Bred

Fine Print: This giveaway is open WORLDWIDE! All entries submitted by winner WILL BE VERIFIED. So, if you falsify even ONE of your entries and are picked as the winner, I will pick another person. Contest runs through 11/26/09! Talk about making somebody's Thanksgiving. PLEASE leave me a way to contact you if you win!

**PLEASE NOTE** For those of you reading this post on Facebook, Babycenter or anywhere else, to enter YOU MUST go to my actual blog, and enter that way.