The first miniature HD camcorder to hit our shores, the Vado HD hides a lot in its slim frame. At first glance, it might not even strike you as a camcorder, but rather a small phone (given the 2-inch LCD on one side and a chrome-ringed camera lens on the other). Operation is dead simple; press the power button to start it up, and press the record button to start or stop recording. Once you're done recording, you can play back the clips on the device itself or on a flat panel1V using the supplied mini HDMI to HDMI cable. And when you need to transfer the videos to a PC, simply swivel out the attached full size USB connector and drag-and-drop the videos. Since the videos are recorded in AVI format, they can be played back in most media players too.

If your main purpose is to record and upload content online, you're in luck. The supplied Vado Central software for Windows PCs can upload the content to YouTube, Photobucket and Box.net directly. The software helps you stitch together or edit clips and can also automate the tasks of copying content from the device. The Vado HD will work with Macs, but you will have to manually copy the videos and manually upload them too.

It's great that Creative has included a user-replaceable battery in the Vado HD; you can carry along a spare and don't need to worry about replacements when the time comes. Underneath, you'll find a standard tripod mount. The built in 8GB flash memory is good enough for about 2 hours of video in the top quality HD+ setting or about 4 hours in the standard HD setting. Coming to the performance; the device starts up in about a second and can start recording instantly.You'li be surprised at the high quality videos that this little device can shoot (no stills though, only video). Even in dim lighting, the video quality is admirable, with little noise or discoloration.



I did have a few complaints. At this price, a remote control would have been nice - to enable recording if the Vado is mounted on a tripod at a distance, or to control playback on a 1V. You don't get an optical zoom either, which means that you have to move closer to your subject to fill the frame. The device is strictly point and shoot, so you don't get too many settings to play around with, if that's your thing. The lens sticks out of the body by about 5mm; it should have been flush with the device. Finally, there is no standard composite video cable supplied - so if your 1V does not have HDMI input, you'll have to buy this cable separately. Overall, I'd still recommend the Vado HD for its many pros. It's great if you want a hassle-free and extremely portable HD video solution.