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| Creative Labs Vado Pocket Video Camcorder (Silver) | 
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| List Price: $99.99
Buy New: $81.62
You Save: $18.37 (18%)
Buy New/Used
Avg. Customer Rating:  (based on 28 reviews)
Category: Photography
Publisher: Creative Labs
Studio: Creative Labs
Brand: Creative Labs
Label: Creative Labs
Color: Silver
Media: Electronics
Autographed: 0
Memorabilia: 0
Batteries Included: 1
Display Size: 2
Warranty: 1 year warranty
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 6.9 x 7.5 x 1.4
MPN: VF0570-S
Model: VF0570-S
UPC: 054651159679
EAN: 0054651159679
ASIN: B0018QIOPI
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Features:
| • | Vado is thinner than a deck of cards and as light as a cell phone | | • | Never miss a moment with two hours of video capacity and one-button recording | | • | Comes with built-in USB cable and on-board software; easily edit and upload videos | | • | Large 2-inch anti-glare screen | | • | Shoot up to two hours continuously with rechargeable battery |
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Product Description
Creative Vado is a slim, lightweight pocket video cam that makes it easy to capture and share everyday life as it happens. Simply connect Vado to your PC with the flexible USB plug and the built-in software lets you save videos to your computer or post them directly to YouTube or Photobucket. Since Vado is thinner than a deck of cards and as light as a cell phone, it fits into your pocket or purse and never weighs you down. Free yourself from the hassle of the bulky camcorder bag. You'll never miss a moment, with two hours of video capacity and one-button recording that makes capturing life on video effortless. With up to two hours of video capacity, you never need tapes, CDs or extra memory cards. With a 2x zoom and excellent low-light performance, you'll get great video quality every time you press Record. Just connect Vado to your computer with the flexible USB plug and the built-in software takes over. You can transfer your videos to your computer or post them directly to YouTube or Photobucket, all at the click of a button. The rechargeable battery is removable so you can change out for a fresh one. Built-in microphone and speaker Built-in flexible USB connector TV-output (Vado Audio/Video cable available separately) Anti-flicker support for adjustment to 50Hz or 60Hz Easy-to-use with great video quality at the touch of a button Slim, lightweight design that fits in your pocket or purse Simple built-in software makes sharing videos on YouTube or Photobucket a snap System Requirements - Intel Pentium 4 2.0 GHZ or faster, Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP SP2, Mac OS X version 10.4.11 or later, QuickTime with Xvid plug-in, 512MB RAM and USB Port
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| Customer Reviews: Read 23 more reviews...
Excellent Pocket Cam! July 21, 2008
This is an excellent pocket camcorder and it does what it was meant to do very well. While I would not play the video's on my television, it is excellent for making small snippets of movies that can be combined and put on the web for relatives to watch. I have but two complaints that kept me from giving it a 5 stars.
1 - When you zoom, it does not focus very well and seems to have a hard time re-focusing when you pull back.
2 - It records audio a little weak and you have to make up for it by using a program that allows you to increase the level.
I use MS Movie Maker that comes free with the XP operating system and allows you to combine clips, make transitions and add other effects very easily. Plus, it allows you to increase the volume of the audio to make up for the shortcoming I spoke about in number 2 above.
Make sure after you buy this that you upgrade the firmware (if it is not upgraded already) to the latest version from Creative's website.
Tony
 Awkward and difficult! July 20, 2008
Awkward to charge and I am still trying to figure out how to use it!
The instructions are not clear and the cord that hooks up to the computer is very short.
 Creative Vado Camcorder July 12, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Great fun product, Friends are amazed at the small size, sharp clear color videos with clear crisp sound.
The Creative Vado Versus the Flip Mino and Ultra - The Good and The Bad July 10, 2008
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1RY93JL20IW5B
I wanted to find out if the new Creative Labs Vado Pocket Video Camcorder (Silver) was better than the Flip Video Mino Series Camcorder (Black) or the Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder (Black). I myself am surprised by the answer I came up with. The real answer may be, "none of the above."
While all three are *good* devices for what they do, I am still searching for my perfect digital camcorder to come out at the right price. The short answer is the quality of video and audio on the Flip Mino is noticeably better than the Creative Vado, even when it's at its highest setting. However, for most users, the Creative Vado will probably meet your expectations at a much better price than the Flip Mino. The Mino's recent price drop makes the decision slightly harder, but there's still enough of a price difference to make the Vado attractive.
Pros
+ Video quality is ok on the Vado (similar to the Ultra) and much better on the Mino - Advantage, Mino
+ While the Ultra worked with removable batteries and the Mino has a built-in rechargeable battery, the Creative Vado has a rechargeable battery that is user changeable and can be easily swapped for extended recording - BIG Advantage, Vado
+ The Vado gives you the option of recording in SP for longer record times, and the quality difference is minimal - Advantage, Vado
+ The microphone sensitivity is below average on the Vado and slightly better on the Mino - Advantage, Mino
+ The low light performance is subpar on all three units but slightly better on the Mino - Advantage, Mino
+ Both the Vado and the Mino are easily recharged by USB connection, but the Vado includes an option for quick-charging - Advantage, Vado
+ Both include ports for AV out connections to TVs, but the Mino comes with the cable and the Vado does not - Advantage, Mino
+ The included software is self-contained on both units and seems to work fine, but the Vado requires much less to be installed - Advantage, Vado
+ Ability to zoom seems weak on both, though the Mino does perform slightly better - Advantage, Mino
+ Both have a screw hole for attaching a tri-pod or similar stand, but the Mino's is centered and the Vado's is off-center (on the lower right) - Advantage, Mino
+ In terms of looks, the Vado's body is thinner and wider, and the Mino is slightly thicker but not as wide; the Mino definitely looks slicker, though the black plastic will attract finger-prints; Also, the Vado comes in different colors - Advantage, Mino
+ Nice indicator shows when either unit is capturing video - Draw
+ The buttons on the Vado are real tactile buttons that have nice feedback; The Flip Mino controls are touch sensitive (except for the record button) - This is a matter of preference, and both are nice, but I prefer the real buttons on the Vado; The Mino seems to have a lag when pressing the controls - Advantage, Vado
+ The Vado's screen is slightly larger and wider than the Mino's - Advantage, Vado
+ The built in speaker on the Vado is not nearly as good as the dual speakers on the Mino - Advantage Mino
+ The Price on the Vado is much better (just under $90, depending on color) while the Mino sells for much more (listed for $180, sells for about $150)
Cons
- The USB dongle on the Vado is flexible but has a tab that sticks out from the body, while the Mino has a slick USB connector that tucks into the body and is released via a tab - Advantage, Mino
- Users who want to use a dedicated microphone are provided no jack on these devices for that purpose - Draw
- Neither unit has a headphone jack for checking audio playback on recorded videos - Draw, but the weaker speaker on the Vado makes this hurt the Vado more
- Still has some software issues that will hopefully be fixed with updates - Advantage, Mino
- The Vado requires you to install the XVid codec to use the built-in software - Not a huge deal, Draw
- Not as much support for Mac users in terms of software
- The Vado comes with no carrying case or dongle included, while the Mino comes with a cheap pouch and a dongle - Advantage, Mino
- Vado packaging definitely seems cheap, while the Mino is presented in a box that is reminiscent of the packaging of Zunes and iPods - Advantage, Mino
- The Vado's on screen menus are definitely not as nice, and the Vado Central software is not nearly as good as the Flip Video Muvee software - Advantage, Mino
- Neither of these has slots for any kind of memory card - Draw
- Neither of these will compete with some of the high-definition flash memory camcorders that are on the market, such as the Sanyo Xacti - Draw
Conclusion
I will post some pictures and video samples shortly.
While both of these units are ok, I am in the higher demanding category of users who is only going to be satisfied with the features offered by HI-Def flash camcorders like the Sanyo Xacti. The high price of those units make them prohibitive for now, though the CG9 models are in the ballpark at around $250. Hopefully the price will come down, or competing units will come out to combine the best of both.
But if I have to draw a conclusion, as of now I would say that the Mino is definitely better in terms of quality. But is it better enough to warrant the much higher price than the Vado? I would personally choose the Mino, but I think most people would choose the Vado in most cases. The fact that they made it easy to buy additional or replacement batteries and swap them out yourself is a HUGE plus. And since this is still a point and click camcorder, saving a nice chunk of change doesn't hurt either.
Enjoy!
*****
Note: The sample video was recorded in my friends living room at point blank range (less than 8 feet away from the TV). As you can see, even after turning up the volume up very high the microphone on the Vado still captures audio very faintly. In addition, the video is set to HQ yet is somewhat grainy compared to the Flip Mino.
For a video sample of the Flip Mino, please visit my review of that product. Even though I filmed that sample on the Mino under much more difficult night-time conditions, the video and audio quality is noticeably better. I will eventually update these with more pictures and improved samples.
 A decent item July 10, 2008
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is a relatively simple to use camcorder. The problems that I have with it are mainly about the operating system.
1) There is no menu to allow you to scan through the videos stored in memory. Instead, you have to press play, and then skip through to the video you want to watch.
2) Accessing the preferences to change the recording quality or to set the date/time is a bit of a pain. It requires simultaneously pressing the play and delete buttons, but only when you are standing by to record rather than watching videos.
3) Transferring files to my computer is quite easy, just like retrieving files from a flash drive, but Quicktime couldn't play the files properly without downloading an additional component. That is a minor issue, and it was handled in a few minutes, but it was a mild nuisance.
4) The microphone is not very good. It doesn't pick up sounds unless they are relatively loud, and the sound quality is relatively poor.
Over-all, though, it is a decent little player that you can learn to use fairly quickly, and the price makes it a good deal, but don't expect anything astounding.
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