You can now pre-order the second generation Vado HD pocket camcorder from Creative. It comes with new Vado Central for Mac OS X that offers video transferring and direct to iMovie importing of your Vado videos. The new Vado Central will be available for download in early September and yes, it is compatible with previous Vado and Vado HD models.

The new Vado HDs come in 4GB and 8GB models. You’ll get up to 60 minutes of video for the 4GB and up to 120 minutes of video on the 8 GB model. It’s available in two color combinations, a 4GB glossy white with green and an 8GB glossy black with red. The 4GB model is $179.99, while the 8GB model retails for $199.99.

Buy a Creative Labs Rechargeable Lithium Ion Battery for Vado HD Camcorder

Via SlipperyBrick

Switched picks Best HD Camcorder Under $250

Hey Reader: We live in wonderful times. There are many styles of camcorders to choose from these days, and most companies have HD models for under $500. (Video sites such as YouTube and Vimeo make it easy to post HD clips right from a camera. But if you want to edit HD creations first, know that you'll need a pretty powerful PC.) For your price range, nothing beats the convenience of a pocket-sized camera like the Pure Digital Flip MinoHD, which delivers the goods while still being light on your wallet and incredibly easy to use.

Gone are the days of lugging around an unwieldy camcorder and box of tapes -- today's pocket camcorders record to solid-state hard drives and have hardly any moving parts. Not only does this eliminate tape jams, it also enables nearly instantaneous shooting, so you don't miss the moment when inspiration strikes.

Buy a Flip MinoHD Camcorder, 60 Minutes (Black)

Check out the full entry at Switched.

Six HD Pocket Camcorders Side-by-Side

Senior Editor Tim Moynihan takes a look at six HD, YouTube-friendly pocket camcorders from Creative, Kodak, Sony, and Pure Digital, including the brand new Flip UltraHD. With features ranging from a wide-angle lens to variable frame rates, one of these devices in the $150- to $230-range is bound to be a great fit for your needs.

Read the full review or watch the video at PCWorld

Six HD camcorder reviewed and compared

PCWorld Senior Editor Tim Moynihan takes a look at six HD, YouTube-friendly pocket camcorders from Creative, Kodak, Sony, and Pure Digital, including the brand new Flip UltraHD. With features ranging from a wide-angle lens to variable frame rates, one of these devices in the $150- to $230-range is bound to be a great fit for your needs.

All camcorders lack an optical zoom and any sort of image stabilization, they also don't have any WiFi or GPS capabilities. But for about $200, there's not much to complain about.

Check out the video review at PCWorld

MacWorld reviews Creative Vado HD

"Like other pocket camcorders, the Vado HD lacks image stabilization and an optical zoom (it has a 2x digital zoom) and offers no control over white- or color balance. It has 8GB of flash memory and a proprietary removable battery. Like other pocket camcorders it features a single record button and a four-position switch for zooming, adjusting volume, and navigating from one saved clip to another. It also has Play/Pause and Delete buttons on the back of the camera. The 2-inch (measured diagonally) LCD serves as both the viewfinder and the playback screen. The Vado bears a USB connector at the bottom of the camera, a microphone in the front, and a speaker in the back. It includes not only the expected composite video port for connecting the camera to a TV, but also an HDMI port—a feature unique to the Vado. (The HDMI cable is included, but a composite cable isn't.) "

Buy a Creative Labs Vado HD 720p Pocket Video Camcorder with 8 GB Video Storage and 2x Digital Zoom (Black)

Read the full article at MacWorld.

Stuff.tv posts top HD camcorders list

UK-based Stuff.tv says:

New sensor technology, touchscreen LCDs and Full HD recording: hi-def moviemaking is at your fingertips. Here's our pick of camcorders to get you started.

The list includes these models:

• Toshiba Camileo H20
• Creative Vado HD
• Sanyo VPC-HD2000
• Samsung HMX20
• Panasonic HDC-TM300
• Canon Legria HF S10

Check out the full details here.

Creative Vado HD reviewed

ComputerActive has a short review of the Creative Vado HD here.

They say:

A decent camcorder but it's more expensive than as-good-or-better rivals

Good points Small and easy to use; bright and colourful recordings; software and cables included

Bad points Some video quality problems; more expensive than most

Creative Vado HD camcorder review roundup

Just another review roundup for you guys, this time it's the Creative Labs Vado HD in focus. The pocket video camcorder market is growing exponentially, expect more similar products to launch in the close future. I will be compiling review roundups on the most popular models (Kodak Zi6, Flip Mino HD, DXG-581V HD and some more) and post them here for your reading pleasure. See below for the list of reviews around the net.

Official description:

See it, shoot it, share it... in HD!
Capture and share life's unforgettable moments in high definition with the Creative Vado HD Pocket Video Cam. Thin and lightweight, the Vado HD is so small it fits in a pocket, purse or the palm of your hand. You can capture up to two hours of video in 720p High Definition quality with just the touch of a button, storing it in its 8GB memory. The Creative Vado HD is the pocket video camera with HDMI connectivity, designed for use with high definition TVs. The built-in software lets you grab still photos, edit your videos, and easily upload your movies to YouTube™ so you can share your life with your friends.

• Slim lightweight design fits in pocket, purse or the palm of your hand.
• Captures up to two hours of stunning HD video at 720p in its 8GB memory. Simple one-touch recording is so easy you'll never miss any of those magic moments!
• High definition output to your HDTV via supplied HDMI cable.
• Wide-angle glass lens and HD sensor for fantastic image quality.
• Built-in software helps you make short movies, edit video clips and capture stills from your videos using any PC.
• One-touch upload to YouTube™ and Box.net™ to share your life with your friends.

Specifications:

• High-definition 720p video (1280x720)
• Wide-angle glass lens
• 2x digital zoom
• 8GB* of video storage capacity
• Up to 2 hrs of recording and playback per charge**
• Up to 8 hrs extended recording capacity (640x480 @ 30fps)
• HDMI and RCA connections for TV (HDMI cable included, A/V cable available separately)
• Removable, rechargeable Li-ion battery
• Vado Central software for simple video editing and sharing * 1GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes. Available capacity will be less. Reported capacity will vary. You can record a single video file up to 4GB. ** Actual battery life will vary with use. Battery has limited recharge cycles and may eventually need to be replaced.

In the box:

• Creative Vado™ HD Pocket Video Cam
• HDMI cable
• USB extension cable
• Silicone skin
• Rechargeable battery
• QuickStart leaflet

Review listing:

• cnet reviews
• Yahoo Tech Blogs
  
• PCWorld
• PCMag.com
• Engadget (contains sample videos)
  
• cnet UK
  
• ZDNet
  
• TrustedReviews
  
• TechRadar
  
• CamcorderHQ
  
• GamePro
• Chris Pirillo (comparison with Kodak Zi6, Flip Mino HD)
  
• NYTimes
  
• Digital Trends
  
• Gaming Shogun
  
• Dallas News
  
• GearLog
  
• Facebook (wtf?)
  
• iTechNews
  
• ITReviewed
  
• yakamundo
  
• epinions
  
• PCMag 2
  
• Engadget HD
  

Buy a Creative Labs Vado HD.

That's it, I will add some more when I find them.

Creative Vado HD camcorder reviewed by iGizmo

iGizmo has a fresh review of the Creative Vado HD camcorder.

Creative follows the YouTube crowd and turns up the resolution on its portable camcorder

Pros: Portable / Ease of use / Good in low light / Image quality

Cons: No optical zoom / Price

The pocket YouTube device was big news in 2008. Epitomised by the Flip Video, its point-and-shoot simplicity was much beloved of footballers, their wives, and anybody else not wishing to tax any brain cells when capturing video.

Now that YouTube has gone HD, however, web-oriented camcorders have to follow suit, and latest to turn up the resolution is Creative.

The Vado HD offers 720p shooting, yet still packs it into a similar form factor to a mobile phone.

Subtle upgrade

The only signs that the Vado HD is different to its predecessor are the rubberised black exterior and protruding lens.

The device works in exactly the same way, with very few controls. In fact, during normal usage there are simply the Record and + or – digital zoom buttons to worry about. There are no manual settings to configure at all.

You can choose between three different shooting modes. There are two HD options, offering 8Mbps and 4Mbps data rates. The original VGA mode is still available, operating at 2Mbps.

Buy Creative Labs Vado HD 720p Pocket Video Camcorder with 8 GB Video Storage and 2x Digital Zoom (Black)

Creative Vado HD camcorder reviewed

UK-based PocketLint has a new review of the Creative Vado HD camcorder, a competitor to the highly successful Flip and Webbie pocket-sized HD camcorders.

From the review:

The Vado HD follows the same design lines as the standard Vado that we looked at last year, but now looks slightly less plasticy and a little more meaty, with the gun metal grey body looking a little more serious than the lighter grey of the standard version. The lens now protrudes from the body, but apart from that that, is pretty much the same.

A welcome addition, however, is the mini HDMI connection on the side concealed under a rubber flap. Enclosed in the box you’ll find the cable so you can hook the Vado HD straight up to your HDTV or other HDMI equipped device. We like this move because in terms of practical usage you know you can just plug into your TV and get watching, taking advantage of the high-definition output.

The inclusion of the cable too is perhaps worth a mention, firstly because if you don’t already have a camcorder, you probably won’t have a mini HDMI cable, and secondly because many devices neglect to supply one. Strangely the standard AV cable is not supplied, although they are cheap and widely available, but if you’ve not yet joined the HD revolution, then you’ll need one to hook-up to your TV.

...
The on-board software is simple to use giving you playback options and letting you do some basic editing after the installation of an additional plugin. You don't have to use the software, you can just open up the folder and extract the AVI files that you want for playback or editing in a separate package if you wish.

You also get options to upload directly into YouTube, Photobucket and Box.net from within the software. The YouTube option is likely to be the most popular here, and with YouTube HD picking up popularity, the Vado HD will put up your video for people to view in HD online.

Buy a Creative Labs Vado HD 720p Pocket Video Camcorder with 8 GB Video Storage and 2x Digital Zoom (Black)

Read the full review here.

Creative Vado HD camcorder hands-on review at DVICE

Dvice has a hands-on review of the Creative Vado HD camcorder, stating that it's "one sweet and cheap shooter".

The Vado website at Creative says:

Capture your life and share it with your friends online with Creative Vado. Slim and light, this pocket video cam records in VGA quality at the touch of a button. Take videos of all your fun-filled activities on the move and share with your family and friends in an instant. The built-in USB connector lets you plug the Vado into any PC, so you can easily upload your videos straight to YouTube. Available in silver or pink, the new Vado is the ultimate way to share your life!

Creative Labs Vado HD 720p Pocket Video Camcorder with 8 GB Video Storage and 2x Digital Zoom (Black)

Technical Specifications

• Up to 2 hours of recording (2GB)
• Up to 2 hours of use per charge VGA quality (640 x 480)
• Ultra lightweight (84g including battery)
• Built-in microphone and speaker
• Built-in USB connector
• TV-Output via AV cable (available separately)

Warranty

• 1 year limited hardware warranty

Minimum System Requirements

• PC:
  • Intel® Pentium® 4 2.0 GHZ or faster
  • Microsoft® Windows Vista®, Windows® XP SP2
  • 512MB RAM
  • USB Port
• Mac®:
  • Mac OS® X version 10.4.11 or later
  • VadoTM software is not available for Mac systems
  • To view videos on your Mac, copy the video files to your computer and use QuickTime® for viewing (Xvid plugin required)