When your hairdresser tells you to get something, do you listen? Yes, of course! After all, following his or her advice is sure as heck easier than finding a different hairdresser. That’s why The Flip has got my attention, because Deborah is buying them for all the people in her life (no doubt, using the tips I’m feeding her), and I always listen to Deb.

The Flip, in case you weren’t one of the million customers the company recently claimed, is a video camera that’s four inches by two inches — the size of an old fashioned box of Good ‘n Plenty. And it’s just about as simple to operate.

The Mino, a new release that sells for $145 to $180, gives you 60 minutes of video capture time. The video format is AVI and MPEG 4 and the zoom is 2x. There are no manual settings; you just point and video. The weight is just about three ounces and the body comes in black or white.

When you’re done “filming” and you want to upload the video, you pop out the USB arm to plug it into your computer for uploading to your favorite site. Built-in software lets you send it directly to YouTube, MySpace and AOL Video. Or you can view it directly on the device with its 1.5-inch LCD display or on a TV.

Reviewer Tin53 doesn’t love that you can’t add additional memory (it comes with two gigabytes of on-board flash memory), but does appreciate how easy it is to use, recharge the battery (when the USB arm is plugged in, the recharging takes place), and upload videos. Plus, it has a “compact size that fits easily into a purse or pocket.”

Toastie71 finds sensitive touch button controls a weakness but otherwise considers the “simplicity of this gadget…amazing. Now I can capture all of those Kodak moments in action with the touch of a button.”

The Mino is small, tasteful, easy to use, functional, and relatively affordable. Plus, Deb’s never wrong, is she?