RED-i Micro Camcorder Review

If your kids are anything like mine, they will constantly be borrowing your gadgets.  Kizzy in particular is very keen on borrowing my Flip to make little films to upload to YouTube.  This is all well and good until these videos involve her doing something overtly physical like riding a bike or playing in a playground with a camcorder in her hand.  So when I was sent a RED-i Micro Camcorder to review, I breathed a sigh of relief at the fact that my camcorder would no longer have to suffer the demands of a highly active 11 year old video maker!

The RED-i is a small camcorder that can be attached to clothing with a rear clip or to a bike, helmet or scooter using the protective rubberised case. It has two handy hooks so you can hang it or secure it onto most things and have it with you at all times.  It has a 120 minute recording time and is compatible with micro SD cards (not included).  The charging time is just 30 minutes.  It comes with a USB cable for charging and downloading footage and has an internal microphone. It is both Windows and Mac compatible.  Video resolution is 730 x 480 HP.

With the RED-i kids can capture and download video footage in a compact, go-anywhere format.  The small device is robust and can be attached to almost anything to record live action.  It's perfect for adventurous kids who want to make videos of being out and about.  Attach it to a helmet and film your antics on a scooter, skateboard or bike from your own viewpoint.  Put it on your clothing and go on a walk through the woods.  Or use it to make your own vlogs on the go.

The RED-i is light, versatile and a fully functional gadget for kids aged 8 and over to use whenever and wherever they are.  It's a great way to encourage kids to become budding film makers, recording snippets of their activities in a fun way.  Kizzy is really interested in film making and I know this gadget will be of great use. She can pop it in her pocket and literally be able to film whatever she wants during her day.

It's small and light and the clip and case give it a versatility to deal with filming in most terrains. Priced at £29.99 from Argos this is a great gift Christmas idea for a gadget mad kid or a sporty kid who enjoys scooters, skateboards and bikes and wants to become a YouTube sensation with their extreme action films! Also great for budding vloggers who want to capture video footage wherever they are.  It saves kids having to borrow our smartphones or camcorders to video their latest stunts, which to me is a big plus factor!

The Power of Vlogging

My soon to be 15 year old daughter Ella has been teaching me about the joys of vlogging.  She follows a number of Vloggers in the USA.  Her favourite is a tubby, bearded, 30 year old guy called "Wheezy Waiter".  A few years ago, this man was just an asthmatic waiting tables in Wisconsin...now he is an internet phenomenon.  He has over 300,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel and no longer needs to work, living off the proceeds of advertising and merchandising.

How does somebody launch themselves into Cyber Fame?  The opportunities for worldwide exposure have never been greater.  It still astounds me that words I tap out on my keyboard can almost instantly be viewed by readers on the other side of the world.  The world has never been so accessible, the barriers so thin.  So anyone with a unique talent can now potentially reach millions of worldwide fans in a heartbeat.

Celebrities are being launched from the internet platform on an almost daily basis.  The enigma who is Rebecca Black has scored over 95,000,000 hits for Ark Music Factory's annoyingly catchy "Friday".  When you get the formula right, the rewards are unfathomably huge.  If you could bottle whatever it is that causes the phenomena of massive internet success, you would be an overnight billionaire!

So with the Internet as our oyster we never know what opportunities may come our way.  It is an intriguing, miraculous place where dreams can be made or broken.  I feel so fortunate for living in an age where we can ponder the wonders of the World Wide Web....even if it means we are subjected to Rebecca Black's awful song that would never have seen the light of day if it hadn't been for the magic of Cyberspace!

So, for those of you who have not had the pleasure of  seeing Wheezy Waiter, this is how it is done!

Why I Blog...my latest Vlog x

Reasons to be Cheerful Vlog

Inspired by the BMB Vlogging group and my my brave sister's vlogging this week, I've decided to enter Michelle's Blog Hop warts 'n' all with a vlog!!  It's so easy to hide behind the written word, and photos capture just one split second in time and you can choose the image you want to show the world.  Vlogging is so exposed, so naked...but really exciting.  I give you...ME!