Camera/video recorder advice needed

[And That]

My mom is interested in getting a device that does a decent job of both taking videos and taking photos. She's not looking for ultra-high resolution on the photos and doesn't need ultra-high resolution on the video. She's most interested in the video feature so that she can document "in motion" the property she just purchased with her new house, as well as occasional videos to share with her mom, us kids, etc. She's most interested in the photo feature so that she can have a camera when she needs one.

 

She is also big on simplicity. Sound is ok, but not necessary, on the videos and there doesn't have to be fancy zoom/lighting functionality on the camera. Basically, anything that she can point and tape/shoot with as few buttons as possible. She also doesn't want to spend a ton of money on said device.

 

I have a few ideas, but I was wondering if all you tech savvy people have suggestions. Especially if you've had experience buying tech gadgets for non-tech savvy baby boomers. Thanks!

[jschris]

For our trip to Hawaii in August, we are considering one of those Flip cameras (theflip.com) that have been getting pretty decent reviews. Extremely easy to use, cheap, small, and you are able to capture still images from the video. Of course, you lose some of the simplicity when you have to do the image capture from a computer (no big deal for you and I, maybe an issue for your mom?). A friend of mine bought one and uploaded a short video to youtube in minutes. He said the zoom is practically non-existent and the recording time is only an hour before you need to upload it (and no expandable memory), but overall he really enjoys it.