Spring's nearly here, and with it the promise of outdoors--biking, skateboarding, motorcycling, rollerdisco, or whatever your sport of choice. Consumers have turned in droves to portable, easy-to-use video cameras like the Flip, and they'll no doubt like the forthcoming Kodak ZX1 and the Cobra DVC950. But if you like sports, you're gonna love the VholdR.

Designed to by Twenty20 for hands-free recording of your favorite activity, the VholdR ($280 street) is a tiny black camcorder that mounts to your helmet, recording whatever you point your eyeballs at. A pair of laser beams help you target the camera correctly (they're ideal for Predator impersonations, too), and one-button operation makes it easy to use with gloves on. Plus Twenty20 hosts a web community where you can post the day's best clips and share tips with other users, all linked through Google Earth.

To test the VHoldR's quality and ease of use, I set my friend Jesse up with the VHoldR for a week of intense motorcycling. After the jump, a full review, including a side-by-side comparison of video from the Pure Digital Flip.

Slide open the back of the camera and insert the included 1GB MicroSD to begin. Then plug in the USB cable to charge the VHoldR, and leave it there for at least a day. Charging this thing is a problem: A light on the back of the camera indicates when it's charging (a second light on the front indicates recording), and in our experience, the light never turned green to indicate a full charge. That might leave you worried, and it should: To maximize your recording time, don't turn the camera on until you're ready to shoot.

To get started with the VholdR, mount it to a helmet, shoulderpad, the back of your knee, or whatever by means of a sticky, swiveling mount. Take the time to figure out precisely where you want it to go, however: That glue won't be coming off anytime soon. Slotted grooves in the camera attach it to the mount; you use the lasers to aim the lens precisely.

To use the camera, press the power button on the back and slide the record button on top forward to the record position. Twenty20 designed this thing to be easy to use, but perhaps the company made it TOO easy: The on button doesn't seem to turn it off, no matter how long you hold it down for. Perhaps that's one reason for the somewhat challenging battery life.

The VHoldR's main competition is other portable camcorders, notably the super popular Flip. So to compare output, Jesse mounted a Flip on his motorcycle's handlebars and recorded simultaneously from the two cameras, as he drove over the scenic Bear Mountain Bridge in New York.

Audio quality: Audio from the VHoldR is sadly terrible. The wind noise becomes obvious as soon as the bike starts moving, and is more or less unusable. Several posts on the VHoldR blogs suggest placing a piece of scotch tape over the mic to lessen wind noise. This does nothing. Shame, since the rev of the engine (or the anguish of a snowboarding wipeout) is fun to hear. Winner: Flip.

Video quality: You be the judge. To my eyes, the Flip's color is much more vibrant, but the VHoldR looks a touch crisper. The VHoldR also handles transitions from dark to light incredibly smoothly--something other cameras have noticeable trouble with. Sorry about the dirty camera lens. Winner: VHoldR.

Fun factor: A static handlebar mount records a great video of what's in front of you. But oftentimes, that's not the most interesting stuff to look at. The fun of a helmet mount is a clear win in this case. And for anyone snowboarding, skateboarding, or pursuing another activity where there are no handlebars, you've got no other option. Winner: VHoldR.

The VHoldR is darn close to being a great camera, but for now, it's merely a really nice, really fun one. If Twenty20 can fix the issues with audio and battery life--which posts on the company's website indicate are underway--and if the company can improve the image quality a bit, it will have a killer on its hands.