Cisco has officially announced the launch a new Flip camcorder the Flip Slide HD in the US.

The new camera, as we first broke in November last year, will sport a slider design to reveal a touch sensitive panel that lets you swipe through recordings. A bigger 3-inch touchscreen will feature an on-screen d-pad and record buttons meaning that when you don't need them its free for watching and recording video.

Promising up to 4 hours of HD video recording, and the ability to store up to 12 hours of video and photos it's clear the Slide HD is being pitched as a portable media player (PMP) as well as a standard camcorder.

Like other Flip camcorder models, the device will feature a built-in USB cable for connecting to a PC or Mac and it will come with pre-loaded software so there's nothing extra to have to carry. 

With a HDMI socket on the side, users will be able to connect it to their HD-Ready televisions.

For those interested, the Slide HD records H.264 HD 16:9 widescreen, HD 720p (1280 x 720) at 30 frames per seconds progressive scan recorded as MPEG4 files which means the videos are compatible with most video-playing applications, including Windows Media Player, QuickTime and iTunes.

Unfortunately rumours that it might feature a wireless connection to allow you to upload videos without a PC are unfounded. 

The new camcorder will cost $279 in the US. The UK office has no information at the moment as to whether it will cross the pond and be available in the UK, however judging by past announcements we would expect it to make it here in a couple of months, most likely in time for Christmas.