With a new niece, everyone is jockeying for photos at family gatherings. I usually switch between my pocket-size Canon and an old video camera, the kind that uses those miniature tapes. It was time for an upgrade.

The glowing reviews for the Flip seemed too good to be true. It’s tiny alright - nearly the same size as my 7.0 megapixel digital camera. The packaging is slick - a simple white box resembling Apple - and contains no lengthy owner’s manual explaining a laundry list of features. There must be six buttons on the whole camera. Even better, it runs on two AA batteries and two just happen to come in the box. Love it.

How does it work? Like a charm.

Luckily my niece is still stationary, so I don’t have experience chasing after my film subject. That said, I could zoom in easily to capture her every giggle and zoom out quickly to get the silly antics of her admirers. The camera holds 60 minutes of video. Once it’s reached, you flip out the USB plug and download in a matter of moments. No memory card. No cables.

If you know how to use a digital camera, the Flip is a snap. I haven’t tried yet, but I’m pretty sure it’s easy for those family members leary about electronics too. They may need help with the download/upload to a site parts.

The Flip is not meant for Martin Scorsese, but for casual users like me there’s no better choice.

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