Scott Hanselman

I picked up a Flip Ultra in May and we love it. We use it all the time and the wife keeps it in her purse. We've taken three different camcorders to Africa on three different trips and we've enjoyed the Flip Ultra the most. (Flip Ultra Video Review here)

Now, let me preface this review with a statement. I don't like being negative. I don't like blogging negativity, and I'm likely to keep my mouth shut rather than say negative things. I know the Flip marketing folks will eventually find this review and I'm sure they worked hard on this new product. However, it's a step backward in so many ways and that needs to be said.

But, first...

The Good about the Flip MinoHD

• It's really small, about half the volume of the Flip Ultra.
• It's 1280x720p HD H.264 video compression, AAC audio compression, MP4 file format. 9.0 Mbps bitrate.
• You can customize the skin online with your own pics.
• It has decent low-light support.

The Bad about the Flip MinoHD

• Batteries
  • The Flip Ultra uses AA batteries. This is so convenient when away from your laptop. You can get AAs anywhere.
  • The Flip MinoHD is sealed and can only be replaced via Flip Support. They are Internal Lithium-Ion batteries and they last between 3 and 4 hours. There's no included power adapter, so you need either a USB charger or a laptop to charge it. Inconvenient when on safari.
• Resolution
  • There's a lot of artifacting. I'd have preferred a higher bit rate or even uncompressed, but I realize that this is a consumer device made for folks who don't care about that kind of stuff.
  • It's just not 1080p. You may think, "oh, HD!" but 720p vs. 480p is dramatic, but not Dramatic.
• Field of View
  • The MinoHD has a much narrower field of view. It's not just the letter boxing, it's left-to-right also. I'd have to step back at least 2 feet to see the same visual field. Not a huge deal, but immediately noticeable vs. the Flip Ultra
• Ergonomics
  • Here's where the profound disappointment begins. The Ultra isn't a beautiful slim device, but it can be easily used without looking at it; you can use it completely by touch. The MinoHD is pretty, almost iPod pretty, but it's smooth buttons are useless without looking. Two are indented, which is a noble attempt at tactile feedback, but it doesn't work in practice. There's sound as you click, but without an actually "clicky" feeling, you'll find yourself accidentally pressing buttons you don't mean to.
• Video Out Port
• This one is almost unforgiveable. The Flip Ultra uses a standard camcorder RCA video cable with 1/8" 3-ring connector. The Flip site glosses over this. The MinoHD uses a non-standard 1/16" video out cable. This is one more cable that I can't afford to keep (I have enough unmarked, unlabeled random cables, don't you?) but without it, watching videos on your TV isn't possible without first down-rezzing the videos to 480p on a DVD, or burning to Blu-Ray.
• The real tragedy here is that this HD camcorder can't output HD to an HDTV. There's no HDMI, no DVI, not even a Component Video Adapter for sale. It outputs SDTV via Composite (Y/W/R) Cables and letterboxed at that. At this point, it appears the Creative Vado HD would have been a better choice as it includes HDMI out.
• Color Reproduction
• The Ultra and the MinoHD really have different CMOS sensors. The MinoHD has a red tint and a level of color saturation that's really strange. I can't decide which I think looks like real life, but I'm leaning towards the Ultra. It is more muted, but looks like real life.
• To it's created, the low-light pickup on the MinoHD is clearly better than the Ultra, which is unusual in a cheap digital camera, video or otherwise.

Conclusion: It's not a BAD camera, by any means. It's is a step backwards from with the Ultra, save it's improved resolution. It's harder to charge, harder to view, and harder to operate.

To test, I recorded 1 minute of my random crazy family after dinner tonight. I put the two cameras right next to each other and tried bright light, low light, action, slow, far, near, etc. Here's the results, both on You Tube and on Vimeo.

NOTE: You'll need to visit the video pages directly and hit "Watch in HD" or whatever the highest res available is, to be sure you're getting a good comparison. Put them next to either other and hit Play at the same time and mute the sound to get a good comparison. (Yes, I realize the videos have been double compressed, so it's not 100% fair. However, that's why I put them on two different sites as mitigation.)

Sample - Flip Ultra Video on YouTube (Standard Res)

Sample - Flip Ultra Video on YouTube (HD Res)

Sample - Flip Ultra Video on Vimeo (Standard Res)

Family Video Test using Flip Ultra at 640x480 from Scott Hanselman on Vimeo.

Sample - Flip Ultra Video on Vimeo (HD Res)

I'm not able to embed my Vimeo HD version. Click the video below and visit the site for HD.

Family Video Test using Flip Mino HD at 1280x720 from Scott Hanselman on Vimeo.

Related Links

• Flip Video Ultra Review

About Scott

Scott Hanselman is a former professor, former Chief Architect in finance, now speaker, consultant, father, diabetic, and Microsoft employee. He is a failed stand-up comic, a cornrower, and a book author.

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A buddy of mine and I had a nice slap in the face yesterday. I was helping him deploy an ADO.NET Data Service to a large company's staging server  and we were seeing REALLY odd behavior.

We'd request something like /myservice.svc and get a 404. But we could request /myservice.svc/Stuff or /myservice.svc/?metadata.

We settled in to debug this. We thought we were "getting down to basics." You know, you've done this. The conversation goes something like:

"Ok, people, what's the definition of insanity? Trying the same thing and expecting a different result."

"Right...let's challenge all our assumptions. Let's start from scratch. Can get Hello World working?"

"What's the ACLs on that file? Is the .svc extension registered? Are we sure we have the right version of .NET?"

We were both tired and we wasted a couple of hours basically dicking around, hitting Refresh and hoping for another solution. I wanted to plugin procexp and filemon and get down to some serious CSI: IIS-type debugging, but here's the rub: We didn't have access to the machine. Only "large company's" guys were allow to touch anything. We could make suggestions, watch a SharedView session, but the human latency of the whole process was slowing us by a factor of at least five.

But I can't blame it all on the process. In retrospect, it was my fault. I'm a good debugger. I know this and I'm happy to say it. However, I can recognize a ninja when I see one. Well, if you can see the ninja, maybe they aren't a ninja, but still. I reached out to a real debugging ninja. What did he do that I was missing?

I ignored a basic tenet of debugging. It wasn't that I didn't RTFM. I didn't RTFLF.

My debugger-ninja-friend started out by simply asking us to Start|Run and type "LogFiles."

At this point I realized that this process was going to make me look and feel like an idiot. My internal lights went on and I realized my buddy and I hadn't bothered to check any log files. We'd been treating IIS like it was a black box. It's not. It logs the hell out of everything that goes in and out if you want it to.

We were trying to debug a 404 on this .svc. We opened the log in Notepad, went to the bottom, searched up for ".svc" and there it was:

This Page was blocked by Microsofts URL Scan 3.0 Reason=Dot-in-path-detected

You could have knocked me over with a feather. I've said myself, UrlScan is step 0. If you're debugging a weird 404, UrlScan is the first and most obvious place to look and it was all there, in the log files. You remember, the log files I never looked at. ;)

Did my ninja friend know or care? No, because he RTFLF. A painful reminder to me as I wasted a bit of a ninja's time. Everyone knows, don't piss off a ninja. He was cool about it though.

Today's Lesson: Whatever it was, it was probably logged. Try there first.

* Pic from Dr. McNinja.

About Scott

Scott Hanselman is a former professor, former Chief Architect in finance, now speaker, consultant, father, diabetic, and Microsoft employee. He is a failed stand-up comic, a cornrower, and a book author.

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Last November, Microsoft started a new program called BizSpark for startups that's pretty sweet. It's pretty not-too-evil also.

If you are a small business and you sell a product or service to your customers, you might want to check it out. Here's the criteria:

• Actively engaged in development of a software-based product or service that will form a core piece of its current or intended business.
• Privately held, and in business for less than 3 years.
• Less than US $1 million in annual revenue.

What do you get?

Here's what you get from the program:

Development Tools, Platform Technologies and Production Licenses

• All the software included in the Microsoft® Visual Studio® Team System Team Suite (VSTS) with MSDN Premium subscription
• Expression Studio Version 2
• VSTS Team Foundation Server (standard edition)
• Production use rights to host a “software as a service” solution (developed during participation in the BizSpark Program, on any platform) over the Internet, with regard to the latest versions of Microsoft products including:
  • Microsoft Windows Server® (all editions up to and including Enterprise)
  • Microsoft SQL Server (all editions)
  • Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server
  • Microsoft System Center
  • Microsoft BizTalk Server
  • Microsoft Dynamics CRM (coming soon)
• In addition to the core program offering, BizSpark startups will be eligible for other Microsoft offerings, such as:
  • Microsoft Azure Services Platform - The Azure Services Platform is the collection of Foundational, Developer and Live Platform Service such as Windows Azure, Live Mesh, Compute Services, Storage Services, Workflow Services, Identity Services, Connectivity Services, SQL Data Services. All developers will have access to the Azure Services Platform developer tools which includes the local development fabric.

After three years, they assume you've either succeeded and are making money, or you're gone. If you're around and you want to continue, you pay for your MSDN subscriptions the regular way, and if you want to keep using your production licenses, you pay for those using the Service Provider Licensing program.

If you want in, you need to find a sponsor, and there's a list on the site. If you can't find one, though, Bill Staples (a General Manager at MSFT) can sponsor you (details on his site, click "Contact Me" under his picture) which is nice of Bill.

BizSpark is for companies that SELL something (product or service), not for pure consulting companies, but if your consulting company has at least one product or service, that appears to meet the criteria.

I asked folks on Twitter to see if they were using it and if it was a good thing, and everyone said it was a good program. It's a messed up economic time, and I think BizSpark would be an easy way to get a small business or startup idea of the ground without thinking about software licensing for 3 years. If you've got an idea for a business, or you already have a business, this could be the program for you. Tell Bill I sent you (he's one of my many bosses, so be nice and don't get me sacked) and he'll help you get setup.

Are you in this program? Is it a good thing? Leave a comment.

Update: The guy at MSFT who runs the program is Julien Codorniou and feel free to email him at julienco at microsoft.com with questions. Mention my name for free candy (not really).

About Scott

Scott Hanselman is a former professor, former Chief Architect in finance, now speaker, consultant, father, diabetic, and Microsoft employee. He is a failed stand-up comic, a cornrower, and a book author.

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Two interesting and unrelated things happened this weekend in my circle of influence.

Lesson: Back Up Your Stuff or Die.

First, an errant unsigned driver install caused my beloved Lenovo T60p to start Blue Screening on Boot Up. My subconscious knew what was doing on, but I got nailed anyway.

However, my tuckus was saved by Windows Home Server (again). Yeah, yeah, blah blah, Microsoft Shill, blah, blah, Time Machine, whatever. The WHS is rocking awesome. I don't even think about it until I totally need it. I booted off the recovery CD and I was given the choice of 4 different backups in the last week. I was up and running within an hour, everything working perfectly. It's like Norton Ghost and Acronis without the hassle.

Do you back up? How often? What happens if your house burns down tomorrow and your business is run out of your house? Where are your digital photos? Videos? Memories? Tax forms and insurance details? What is your family backup strategy?

Backup your computers - that means a full system image. There's lots of ways to do this and one of them is built into Vista. You likely have this on your computer (and your parent's computer) and didn't know it. Hit the start menu, type "Backup" and go to the Backup and Restore Center. Take an external drive over to your relative's house, make them feed you dinner, and backup up an image of their entire machine.

Better yet, get Mom and Dad some kind of automatic server like WHS or some online backup like Mozy. Again, I point to having a family backup strategy. I'm using Mozy now, but I'm looking for a good system that also supports Windows Home Server and won't break the bank.

Lesson: Do what you're good at and let other folks do what they are good at. Netsource!

The second thing was that I got a call from my cousin who works for a small (maybe 20-30 people) real estate management company. At some point in the past, someone setup an Exchange Server or some kind of Mail system for them. The truth and identity of the man is shrouded in mystery and the mists of time. (Stop me if this sounds familiar to you.) The machine runs great and the little company forgets about it. They forget about the mail server that has become as important to their little company as air and power.

Fast forward to last week and lightning strikes. Literally. Power was cut and the machines are all fried. Now the mail server reboots and reboots and they haven't gotten email in days. Who set it up? What was his name? Where are the backups? Where is this week's mail? What can we do? What was wrong with this tragic situation? Well, lots of things, but ultimately this:

They were running something in house that wasn't their core competency. They are a property management shop. What are they running their own mail server for? Historically, it was the only option and I'm sure it seemed like a good idea at the time.

I recommended they look at a hosted mail solution. The couple of hundred (thousand?) dollars it's going to cost them to fix this debacle, they could pay for a hosted solution for a year.

Outsource your freaking mail. It's 2009. I use GAFYD. I've tried Live Custom Domains. Both are great and are a complete no-brainer for any business under 100 people. Some folks say these works for as many as 500 users and some Universities have happily outsourced all their mail. I use UserVoice for a Customer Feedback Forum on BabySmash. I use ORCSWeb to host my websites. My advertising is now outsourced to The Lounge Advertising Network. You can use .netInvoice to handle all your invoicing if you like. I manage phone calls with GrandCentral. I could do ALL of these things myself, but I'm not good at them.

There are so many great services that you can "netsource" for a fraction of what it would cost for you to do yourself.

I'm convinced these two basic tips/lessons/nuggets/whatever can save you piles of money when applied intelligently.  Do you agree, Dear Reader?

Related Posts:

• Video Tour of my House on "Geek Developer Cribs"
• Review - HP MediaSmart Windows Home Server
• The Case of the Failing Disk Drive or Windows Home Server Saved My Marriage
• On Losing Data and a Family Backup Strategy
• Podcast: Moving your Email into the Cloud - Google for Apps and Live Custom Domains

About Scott

Scott Hanselman is a former professor, former Chief Architect in finance, now speaker, consultant, father, diabetic, and Microsoft employee. He is a failed stand-up comic, a cornrower, and a book author.

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It's been almost a year (well, 11 months) with my Amazon Kindle. I still use it every day, so that's a pretty good litmus test. I'm also looking for a good Kindle replacement case, so that's also good.

I use the Kindle to read the NYTimes, and a few blogs. I've read about two dozen books on it this last year, about 15 purchased from Amazon and the rest were free e-Books. I take it on every business trip, I read books while brushing my teeth, it goes everywhere with me. It's light, convenient and wonderful.

The Good:

• Coverage. Anyway I've gone in the states, I've had good coverage and no trouble getting new books. There isn't complete coverage, but if you make sure to download whatever books you want for your trip before you head into the boonies, you'll cool. I loaded up before a trip to South Africa, turned off the radio, and used it happily disconnected for weeks.
• Battery Life. The battery really lasts for thousands of page-turns. Remember that it doesn't use really any power at all if the pages aren't turning. It'll stay on standby (with the radio switch off) for days and days.
• Flexibility. I read lots of books, some purchased from Amazon (the rule of thumb is that they are 25%-50% less because there's no molecules) and some free books formatted for the Kindle. It also like that your kindle gets an email address so you can email @kindle.com and whatever you send it (PDF, DOC, etc) will just show up on your Kindle.
• The Screen: It's been said before, but truly, eInk is awesome. It's nearly as clear as paper, but more importantly, it's just easy to read. No more eye strain than a regular newspaper.
• Convenience: The best example of the Kindle being awesome is being at an airport bookstore, browsing the books, reading the backs, then buying the book for 50% off and having it appear on the Kindle in literally seconds, then walking on a plane. It's positively evil.

The Bad:

• Build Quality. It's still ugly and feels just a smidge cheap. It's no iPhone or Blackjack 2 or Dell Mini 9. It kind of flexes like a plastic ice tray from the freezer. It doesn't feel solid. I wish it was aluminum or something. They REALLY need to pull it together and get some Apple-level hardware build quality for the Kindle 2.
• Screen Margins: There's a little wasted space (maybe 1/4") on the screen, acting as a margin for the text. I think the small size of the screen wouldn't bother me as much if they let me control that margin. There's probably 15-20% more screen I could get if I ran the text up closer.
• Programming Books: The screen and reformatting doesn't serve itself well for technical books and there's no monospaced font, so just don't plan on reading coding books on this device.
• Jeff Bezos and my Wallet: In case you haven't realized, the Kindle is THE ultimate One-Click Purchasing Device. It is literally a dotted line directly from Jeff Bezo's bank account to mine. Don't forget that. To be clear, I'm cool with it, but it's important to be aware.
• Case. The standard Kindle case really sucks. There's an indentation in the back of the Kindle and a small plastic tab on the Kindle case and they are supposed to work together to hold the Kindle in the case, apparently by will power. It's mediocre at best and I immediately looked to replace it...which leads me to...

Replacement Kindle Cases

I've looked all over at replacement Kindle cases. I've tested some, tried out all the ones at Borders and other specialty bookstores, read all the reviews on Amazon, and based on a recommendation from Steven "Doc" List, decided to try three cases from WaterField. They are a little boutique in San Francisco and I've heard good things. I also like small companies that make one thing.

They've got three Kindle cases (as well as laptop bags, etc, etc). They've got a SlipCase in a number of colors, which is just that - a slip-in case. The sleeve is nice and includes screen protection via a sheet of plastic sewn in on one side, so I wouldn't feel bad about throwing it in my backpack at all. It's also a nice textured nylon and has a place for a pen. None of their cases are the kind that attach directly to the Kindle, so you won't be reading AND holding the case at the same time.

I went back and forth on this issue in my mind. I thought I wanted a book-style case that would somehow attach itself to the Kindle. However, since there isn't really a good secure way to attach something to the Kindle and I wasn't interested in the whole "sticky velcro" way of thinking, I decided WaterField had done the right thing. Anything that attached directly to the Kindle would have been cheesy. The Kindle is easier to read when its weight hasn't doubled by the weight of an attached case.

There's a "SleeveCase" (the names are a little confusing) that is a little bigger, but provides more protection. It's pictured above. This is interesting because it's actually big enough to hold the Kindle AND the original Kindle book-style Case. I wouldn't feel comfortable throwing my Kindle and it's regular case in a bag - it'd be destroyed. However, this larger replacement case could hold it as well as my headphones and maybe a small Moleskine notebook.

Then there's the full-on Travel Case. This thing is European. It's a man-bag. A murse. It's too big for the Kindle (although their website says it's big so it'll hold all the accessories) but it's the perfect dimensions for my Dell Mini 9. Well, near perfect. Like 99% the right size. The zippers graze the plastic as you put the Mini 9 in and out, but what's nice is that the Mini 9 can go on the inside, and the Kindle fits nicely on the outside pocket. Perfect for one day business trips with no baggage. Just make sure you wear nice shoes or folks will talk! ;)

I've been using the SleeveCase and the TravelCase (the SlipCase got returned) for the last week and I'm digging it. I'll be taking these on all my one day trips as well as using them for those days when I work from Starbucks. Way smaller than a backpack and I'm thrilled at the extra bonus that the Mini 9 and Kindle fit in the same bag.

Thanks to Doc List (on twitter) for his suggested to look hard at WaterField Bags. He likes his.

Related Posts

• Amazon Kindle (and 2 months later)
• Hands On - Sony e-ink Reader PRS-500 Reviewed
• Sony Reader and Amazon Kindle - Will eBooks happen this time?
• My Kindle-tagged Flickr Photos
• March 2007 My Reading List - Home
• October 2006 - My Reading List - Home
• October 2005 - My Reading List - Home
• Six Essential Language Agnostic Programming Books

About Scott

Scott Hanselman is a former professor, former Chief Architect in finance, now speaker, consultant, father, diabetic, and Microsoft employee. He is a failed stand-up comic, a cornrower, and a book author.

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