Technology | Cisco Cisco Shuttering Flip Cameras Video gizmos were all the rage only two years ago By John Johnson Posted Apr 12, 2011 7:29 PM CDT Copied The Flip SlideHD pocket video camera. Cisco won't be making any more new ones. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg) Flip video cameras were so hot two years ago that Cisco Systems shelled out $590 million to buy the startup that built them. So much for that. Cisco announced today it was shutting down its Flip business, reports the Huffington Post. The easy-to-use gadget had its moment—the Wall Street Journal uses the word "iconic" in its product obituary—but it was done in by ever-advancing smartphones. "The writing was on the wall for the Flip video business," writes Leena Rao at TechCrunch. "In a world where consumers can now record and stream video directly from their iPhone, Android or BlackBerry phone, Flip’s video camera business is no longer novel or useful." As part of its restructuring, Cisco also plans to lay off 550 employees. Click through here to read the company explanation. Read These Next White House isn't happy about the pick for the Nobel Peace Prize. Multiple people are dead or missing after an explosion in Tennessee. It started with failure to say 'thank you,' ended with murder. Trump administration begins federal layoffs amid shutdown. Report an error