Get a Flip MinoHD pocket camcorder for $39.99

This is kind of hard to believe, but three years ago, when the Flip Video MinoHD pocket camcorder made its debut, it had a price tag of $229.99.

Flip is gone, of course, having been acquired by Cisco and then shuttered earlier this year. But the products live on, at least for a while, and there are deals to be had. Oh, yes.

TigerDirect, for example, has the Flip MinoHD pocket digital camcorder (silver) for $39.99, plus a very reasonable $2.29 for shipping. That's after redeeming a $20 mail-in rebate (PDF), which comes in the form of a prepaid debit card (same as cash, basically).

The Mino should have been called the "minnow" for how tiny it is. The camera weighs all of 4 ounces and measures a hair more than half an inch thick. Translation: you can slip it into any pocket and barely know it's there.

It records up to an hour's worth of 720p (HD) video--not a ton, but enough for most of the events you'd want to record anyway (a birthday party, a day at the beach, etc.). Alas, there's no option to expand the storage.

When you're done shooting, just pop open the built-in USB connector, plug the MinoHD into your PC, and run the preloaded FlipShare software--which you can use to upload vids straight to Facebook and YouTube, perform basic editing, and so on.

I have one of these little guys, and although the 2-inch LCD is a bit small, it's a breeze to use and very convenient to keep on hand. Plus, the video quality is excellent.

You'd be crazy to pay $230 for a MinoHD, but $40? Not a thing wrong with that price.

Bonus deal: Gotta give a shout out to hometown legend Bob Seger, who's making his iTunes debut today. And what better way to celebrate than with a free six-track Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band EP? These aren't a bunch of throwaway B-sides, either; the tracks include "Mainstreet," "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man," and "Hollywood Nights."