Sony Bloggie MHS-TS55 Pro Reviews

If you're looking specifically for a pocket camcorder, the Bloggie Live is a solid option, with wireless sharing features that you won't find in any other model. If you're seeking a handheld device to replace or augment the 1080p video or image-capture quality of your phone, the Bloggie Live largely matches the output of today's top phone cameras. And if you're shopping for a dedicated video-streaming device that won't eat into your phone's data plan or battery life, the Bloggie Live may be worth the price.

There’s an easy way to decide whether or not you should buy the Sony Bloggie Live: do you want the livestreaming and wireless uploads? If not, save your money and buy the Bloggie Touch or the Bloggie Duo, which you can get for as little as $169.99 (and probably less, now that the Live is on the market). Video quality is roughly equivalent between the three, as are most of the key features and limitations. And frankly, if you own a high-end smartphone you really don’t need a Bloggie camera at all — it’s video is better, especially at full size, but not enough to be meaningful. It’s much easier to use, though, and it’s one less drain on your phone’s battery. But if the ease of use and wireless features appeal, what Sony has done with the Bloggie Live is impressive: the company added a ton of features without taking much away from the dead-simple operation. The Bloggie Live does a lot of things well, and as long as you don’t expect video recording magic, this is a solid camera that should make you miss the Flip a lot less.

Considering the way the minicamcorder market is going, this quite possibly could be the first and last Bloggie Live. It's not a bad product; it does what it's designed to do and does it pretty well, especially for $250. Then again, for that price you have to really want to be able to record HD video while simultaneously live streaming a low-res version. Everything else that it does can be done with a pocket camera for the same or less money, and you can get better features like a zoom lens, optical image stabilization, and faster performance.

We’re excited to finally see an ultracompact camcorder that comes equipped with WiFi capability, and the fact that the Bloggie Live MHS-TS55 did a relatively good job in our video tests is further proof that this is a solid camcorder from Sony. The camcorder is not the best ultracompact model we’ve reviewed overall, but its sleek design and intuitive touchscreen interface make it a top choice for novice videographers who don’t want a camcorder that looks and feels like a toy. While the Bloggie Live’s WiFi features are exciting, we must admit that Sony (and all camcorder manufacturers, really) are a bit late to the party when it comes to wireless features. For a couple of years now, the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch have been able to do some of the exact things the Bloggie Live is capable of—specifically uploading video content to the web without ever connecting to a computer (via WiFi). Not to mention the iPhone has a better interface for uploading and sharing video wirelessly, and it has the capability of sending video over 3G rather than requiring a WiFi connection. All of these things make the Apple products (and numerous other cell phones) better “camcorders” than the Bloggie Live in terms of wireless capabilities. The Bloggie Live’s benefits include a lower price tag and a simpler feature set. It’s a dedicated camcorder, so you don’t have to worry about all the other features, apps, and costs associated with owning a smartphone. Then again, if you already have a smartphone that can record and transfer video wirelessly, then there’s really no good reason to buy a Bloggie Live. So, the market for the MHS-TS55 is limited to people who want a pocket camcorder with WiFi who don’t already own an iPhone, iPod Touch, or any other smartphone that comes with a decent video function.