May 13, 2008 12:28 PM PDT

Creative introduces superslim Flip competitor

Posted by David Carnoy

The Vado appears to be slimmer than the Flip Video Ultra.

(Credit: Creative)

With the success of the Flip Video Ultra, a lot more companies are taking a hard look at the budget video camera market, and Tuesday Creative jumped into the fray with its $99 Vado Pocket Video Cam.

From what we can tell from the news release, the Vado offers features very similar to the Flip Video Ultra. However, the Vado comes with 2GB of built-in memory and a removable rechargeable battery for less money. Creative also claims that the sub 3-ounce Vado is "dramatically thinner and lighter than competing video cameras," which we assume means the Flip Video Ultra.

Two colors are available: silver and pink.

(Credit: Creative)

Like the Flip, the Vado has a built-in USB connector so you can plug the video camera into your PC as if it were a thumbdrive. The news release notes that "the Vado has a software program built right into it that will prompt you to copy the video, or you can just drag the videos directly to your PC. With one easy step, the software can take you to YouTube or Photobucket so you can easily post your videos." You can use Box.net to store and distribute your videos to friends and family as well.

The Vado, which offers 640x480-pixel VGA video resolution and an integrated 2-inch LCD, is available now in silver and "hot pink." Optional accessories include a protective storage pouch ($14.99), spare battery ($14.99), charging station ($29.99), and AV cable ($9.99).

On paper, the Vado looks like it should give the Flip a run for its money. Before making any final judgments, we'll naturally have to check out the video quality and the integrated software (hopefully, we'll have a review up by the end of next week).

What do you people think? Is the Vado a Flip killer or just a wannabe?