Launched late last year, Pure Digital's original Flip Video changed the camcorder game. The inexpensive, pocket-friendly device almost single-handedly pioneered the concept of the YouTube camcorder, capturing an unheard-of 13 percent of the market and inspiring a slew of copycat products seeking to snap up a bit of its glory—and its market share. The Flip's diminutive successor, the fittingly named Mino ($179.99 direct) is better than its predecessor in a number of key ways, but there's still some room for improvement.

At first glance, it's clear that Pure Digital put a lot of thought into the aesthetics of the new Flip. The Mino is shorter, narrower and, at 0.6 inch, about half as thick as the Flip Ultra. The company also managed to shed some extra baggage—the Mino weighs about 3.3 ounces to the Ultra's 5.2. The distinctive retractable USB arm that gave the Flip its name has been moved from the side to the top of the device. It's as spring-loaded as ever, resembling a dulled switchblade when activated. But Creative Technology truly got the arm right with its Flip copycat, the Vado ($99 direct), by giving it a flexible cable. The Mino's stiff arm, on the other hand, makes navigating the device around a crowded PC hub a challenge.

The Mino's thinner form factor means it should slip easily into any pocket, backpack, or purse, but it's harder to hold for those with larger hands. Again Creative did a better job with its slightly wider Vado, which is easier to handle. Increased width also affords the Vado real estate for a bright 2-inch screen. The Mino, meanwhile, has retained the Ultra's cramped 1.5-inch LCD. When it comes to capture and playback, that extra half inch makes a big difference.

Part of the Mino's decreased size can no doubt be chalked up to the addition of a rechargeable battery that charges up while the camcorder is plugged into your PC. Just 3 hours of charge time should give you up to 4 hours of camera use. And of course, the switch from AA batteries (two of which provided about 2 hours of use on the Ultra) should save you some cash, too.

Tactile buttons have largely been replaced by touch controls, save for the Power and USB dongle release buttons on the camera's sides and a big red Record button in the center of the Mino's back. The touch controls go a long way toward giving the camera a slicker appearance than its clunky predecessor, but the lack of tactile feedback can lead to accidental feature triggering, particularly when focusing on the subject you're attempting to capture. The first few times I used the Mino during testing, I wasted a lot of time hitting the wrong keys.

Like the Flip Ultra, the Mino features 2GB of built-in memory, which provides about an hour of recording time. While recording quality has never been the point of the Flip, it seems to have gotten worse with the Mino, despite seeming to have what appear to be identical optical specs, including the same 2X digital zoom. Videos taken under the same conditions with both models demonstrated a motion-capturing issue with the Mino, resulting in choppy and often noisy picture quality. The built-in mic hasn't seen much improvement, either. Its performance still suffers around any form of ambient noise. The Mino's speakers, on the other hand, located on either side of the LCD, are capable of louder playback than the Ultra's.

The Flip Mino is available in either black or white and, at nearly $180, is $30 more than the Ultra and a considerable $80 more than the Creative Vado. The Mino offers its share of improvements over the Ultra, including a smaller footprint, a sleeker design, and better speakers. Ultimately, though, the Mino feels like a mere repackaging of its predecessor in a nicer-looking skin, making so large a price bump hard to justify in a product whose low cost is so central to its appeal.

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