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Earlier today I posted my feelings about several pocket cams on the market, so I thought I’d share this really good article Gizmodo just published, putting all of those cams to the test.  I didn’t know the Flip Ultra HD had a removable battery, so Flip definitely has taken the criticism of previous models to heart, which is great to see.  Having held both the Ultra and the Mino, I also agree with the assessment that the Mino feels much better in the hand.  (I’m fine with the touch controls, save for the fact that you can’t zoom in or out before hitting record, which is frustrating and wastes precious memory, as you have to hit the record button early in order to make sure you’re properly zoomed.)  Still, it’s not that much bigger that it’s a deal breaker, unless you only want to carry this thing in your tight jeans.

If you’re a comic looking for an HD pocket cam (a fantastic thing to have in your gig bag - I generally don’t use the footage for professional submissions, but do use the footage for YouTube stuff and for reviewing old sets to learn from them), I think the Flip UltraHD has the edge over the Kodak Zi8.*  The two features that the Zi8 has that the UltraHD doesn’t - image stabilization and swappable memory - is not as important as the Flip UltraHD’s better ability to film in dark indoor places.  As a comic, your camera will generally be stationary (on a table or tripod) and your sets over the course of a night probably won’t exceed two hours (the amount of memory the Flip UltraHD has built in), so the advantage seems to me to be with the UltraHD (which, by the way, is also cheaper - even though the cameras are the same amount of money, you have to buy SD cards to use the Kodak Zi8, so the total cost is less with the UltraHD and its built-in 8 GB of memory).  Furthermore, the UltraHD came out on top in terms of sound quality, which - when it comes to recording stand-up - is probably one of the most important factors.

* I actually have the MinoHD, but I purchased it before either the Zi8 or the UltraHD came out.

I think the Kodak Zi8 is the HD pocket cam to beat, but this could definitely take the top position if it ever comes to fruition.  The addition of WiFi and a larger, sliding screen sound great.  However (as an owner of a Flip MinoHD myself), I would hope they would take Kodak’s lead and switch to using SD cards (a camcorder should have expandable, swappable memory, especially if you plan on going on the road with it and leaving your laptop behind) and replaceable batteries (again, if you’re out on the road and the batteries die, it would be nice to be able to swap in some AA batteries instead of waiting a lengthy time for the internal battery to recharge).

The PrintBrush lets you print anywhere on any surface.*  I can’t believe we haven’t had a device like this yet.  (And can only assume that our grandchildren will look at us real funny when we try to tell them that - back in the day - we generally could only print on single sheets of paper.)

I want one of these so badly.  This had to be the most useful printing device I have ever seen.  Imagine being able to print notes right into your notebook, to print designs right on to your T-shirt, to print decorations right on to your wall - this product really has limitless potential.

Coming out in 2010!!!

Click here for the official website of the PrintBrush.

* Okay, not every surface since it still has to be a flat surface.  But there are a lot of flat surfaces.  (And a lot of italics used in this post for some reason.)

[Source: TechEBlog via OhGizmo via PrintDreams]