"In 2009, Cisco agreed to acquire Flip maker Pure Digital Technology in a stock deal valued at around $590 million at the time. The deal was one of Cisco’s biggest forays into the fickle, low margin world of consumer electronics. At the time (and since), analysts questioned whether Cisco was making a mistake by getting into the fiercely competitive business with established giants such as Sony. The Flip flap also is a useful reminder of how quickly trends come and go in technology. The Flip was released just in 2007, but already seems a vestige of an earlier tech era. Who needs to shell out for a pocket-sized video camera when smart phones have an HD video camera built in, with email and Angry Birds to boot?" - × × ×