What the Flip!? The rise and abrupt fall of the pioneering digital video camera

Remember the Flip Video camera? You'd be forgiven if not, but in the mid-noughties this pocket-sized video recorder had taken the world by storm. Created by startup Pure Digital Technologies, it was a truly innovative bit of tech for its time.

Slimline, simple to use and powered by a couple of AA batteries, the handheld device soon outsold the best camcorders , which still used old-fashioned magnetic videotape to record footage; the Flip Video instead recorded directly to its built-in flash memory, which could be easily shared by plugging it into a computer's USB port.

In fact, in 2008, the Flip Video was the best-selling camcorder in the USA. But this was to be a short-lived reign, for the reasons that YouTube channel Krazy Ken's Tech Talk reveals in this entertaining and educational video. And no, this time around it wasn't killed by the iPhone…

Krazy Ken specializes in bringing the backstory behind now-defunct tech, and, as he posits, if the company behind Flip Video continued to innovate, it could have well evolved into something like the GoPro :

"Part of me thinks Flip would not have lasted more than a few years anyway mainly due to smartphones. But the other part of me thinks it could have succeeded. Compact non-smartphone cameras still exist today, like GoPro. So perhaps it could have prospered…"

Some people have described the Canon PowerShot V10 as a modern day equivalent of the Flip. Certainly in terms of its simplicity and ease of use, it feels like a spiritual successor.

For anyone who owned a Flip Video camera, this is a welcome trip down memory lane. And for anyone who missed the hype, it's a fascinating look at a fascinating time in the camera business.

Read more: See our guides to the best camcorders , best cameras for video and best budget video cameras