Here comes the Flip, Canada. Just in time for summer vacations, when you’re wanting to get video of your kids with ice cream dripping down their arms, or you’ve got a chance to grab bribery-quality footage of your best friend trying to water ski for the first time, the entire range of Flips, the simple to use camcorders that have revolutionized the camcorder market, are finally available north of the 49th.

Pure Digital, the company that designed the Flip, first entered the Canadian market last summer with only one unit, the Flip Ultra, and it was available exclusively at Wal-Mart.

In reviewing the gadget for the Straight, I wrote that the Flip “will change how the average person shoots video.” But despite how much I enjoyed the Flip Ultra, I also complained that it could not shoot high-definition video.

That’s all changing now, as Pure Digital is making its four models of Flip – two of which capture high definition video – available in Canada at the major electronics retailers, as well as online at ca.TheFlip.com.

A couple of weeks ago I met with Scott Kabat, director of marketing for Pure Digital. He was in Vancouver talking to media about his company’s launch plans. Pure Digital is being acquired by Cisco Systems.

“The genesis of the idea [for Flip] was around addressing the big obstacles that currently exist in the traditional camcorder category,” he explained.

The average person with a camcorder rarely uses it because until recently, they were bulky, heavy, required cumbersome battery packs, and are slow to start up.

Flip cameras, on the other hand, start up instantly, record with the push of one button, and are small enough to fit in a shirt pocket. Easy to carry around, easy to access, easy to use.

Plus, Flips solve the problem of having a shoebox of tapes in your closet that you never get around to loading onto your computer because they plug directly into your computer’s USB port. Kabat says that Pure Digital is as much a software company as a hardware manufacturer. “We’ve got as many software engineers as hardware engineers,” he said. “We believe that’s part of the way we can differentiate ourselves from other guys who are going to shout, ‘Hey, we have a cheap, small device too.’ The experience of sharing is the payoff.”

It’s true that Pure Digital has benefited from the growing YouTube phenomenon. Kabat agreed that the trend to capturing shorter videos for sharing online has helped the Flip become as successful as it has, with two million units sold in two years.

You’ve always been able to directly upload your Flip videos to YouTube and other video sharing sites. Now available to Flip users is the ability to easily e-mail video to friends and family. But rather than embed video in an e-mail message, Flip provides a service that places the video online at a privately hosted Web page, and sends a link to that page to your recipients.

Using the on-board editing software, you can create highlight reels, add credits, set your video to your own personal soundtrack. Anything you want to do with your video, the Flip makes it easy to do. And you can order DVDs of your videos directly from the Flipshare interface.

Kabat explained the limited launch of Flip in Canada last summer was a result of the time it took to meet the regulatory requirements of bringing products into Canada. “We really wanted to come full-bore. So we got our feet wet with the English only product and now we’ve got everything. It’s a big commitment on our part.”

The four Flips take care of pretty much any camcorder need: standard or high definition, battery power or rechargeable, capacity or slimline design.

There are two models of Ultra, both of which support AA batteries or can be used with a rechargeable battery pack and both of which can store up to 120 minutes of video. Suggested prices are $179.99 for the standard model and $249.99 for the UltraHD.

The three-ounce Mino and MinoHD are designed for the more fashion conscious. Slimmer and sleeker, the Mino units use a sealed-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery and can hold up to 60 minutes of video. Suggested pricing is $219.99 for the standard, $279.99 for the MinoHD.

So you can outfit yourself with a high definition camcorder for under $300.

“We’ve never gone out there and shouted, ‘Hey, this is the cheapest camcorder around,’ because our objective has never been to beat everyone on price. But our philosophy has been, ‘Give people what they ask for.’ Strip out the extra things that confuse you and keep you from using it. Simplicity, coupled with quality and affordability.”

In fact, the cheap unit cost means that I am more likely to use the Flip when I’m at the beach, or boating on the lake. I’ve spoken with teachers who are excited to get Flips for their schools, because it means students can get more involved in creating and editing video without breaking budgets.

Kabat quoted an e-mail he recently received from a customer: “The best camcorder is the one you have with you.”

The Ultra HD is my model of choice. It can be recharged from my computer’s USB port using the rechargeable battery pack, the buttons provide a bit of sensory feedback so it’s easier to use, and it comes with an HDMI jack so I can stream the crisp video directly to the nearest flat panel television with an available HDMI cable.

Coming later this summer is the ability to personalize the design of your Flip Mino for free. You’ll be able to upload your own image or graphic, or use a pattern generator, and your design gets painted onto the camera itself. You’ll be able to make your design available to others, too, and you’ll earn a commission when it gets used.

Whichever model you decide best suits your needs, everyone should have a Flip in their repertoire of electronic gadgets. Welcome to Canada, Flip. We’re glad to have you here.

Cross posted at the Georgia Straight.