Hover Camera app: One of my favorite parts

Taking exceptional photos and videos is extremely easy with your flying camera, Hover Camera Passport.

The Hover Camera Passport has an accompanying app that gives you a fair number of controller layout options. You can fly with two virtual joysticks if you’re familiar with traditional controls; use the simplified layout if you just need to get the camera in position; or even turn on tilt mode and steer the drone around by tilting your phone in any direction. As with most smartphone-based controls, the Passport’s manual modes do feel a bit loose and imprecise — but we still appreciate the ability to switch up the control scheme.

It was simple and easy to understand even without the instructional screens. As someone who rarely reads instructions, that’s a huge plus from me. Plus, the Hover Camera Passport doesn’t require any bulky remote controls. That’s one less thing to charge, one less thing to keep track of, and one less thing to pack.

You can just look down at the app and fly, since the controls sit on top of a real-time video feed coming from the Passport. Whether the camera is recording or not, you can see what your Hover Camera sees at all times. It’s a little disorienting at first, but once you get used to it you can fly without ever having to look up.

The app itself performed admirably; it never once lagged on my Nexus 5x running Android Nougat, and I had the same results with a friend’s iPhone 5s running iOS 10.

The Hover Camera is now available at $599 with 8mins flight time.

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Xiaomi Mi Drone 4K: the drone at $460

The Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi, known for its smartphones and cheap accessories, has announced that it will be launching a version of its Xiaomi Mi Drone 4K on March 3rd.

With this drone will unveil this week in China, Xiaomi becomes a serious competitor of Parrot and DJI, whose drones are sold much more expensive with equal skills. The Xiaomi Mi Drone looks like a brother to the model of DJI.

According to reports, Xiaomi Mi Drone 4K has so far received more than 400 software optimization along with five major hardware upgrades to turn it into a worthy competitor to the more established brands (in the drone market) such as GoPro.

From a remote control that can be attached to a smartphone ( for example a Xiaomi model ), the drone can be controlled up to a maximum distance of 4 kilometers according to the company.

The forthcoming drone will have a built-in multi-security feature, real-time location tracking, seamless remote control using PCB array antenna, real-time calculation of the power required to return, and more. Also, there is a built-in mechanism for preventing the drone from accidentally flying into a no-fly zone.

The Xiaomi Mi Drone 4K is a quadcopter with a 5,100mAh battery that allows for just under half an hour of flight, so bringing an extra battery pack may be a good idea. Users can connect to the drone via an app or a controller, allowing them to follow what the drone is seeing in real time. In both versions of the Mi Drone, the camera has a 360-degree viewing angle thanks to a special base that can tilt and pan with ease.

Unlike the 1080p variant of the product, the Xiaomi Mi Drone 4K is based on the new-generation TDMA technology that not only boasts anti-jamming but also can transmit from a distance of up to 4km.

What makes the Mi Drone pretty cool is the automatic pathfinding that has been built in, allowing the little device to travel along a set trajectory, or pick a certain spot and hover there as long as the battery can handle it. It also boasts a single-button control for telling it to hover, land, take off, etc. So far most customers seem fairly pleased with it thanks to its ease of use and pilot-friendly controls.

Whether the 4K camera is enough of a draw to entice enthusiasts to buy the upgraded Mi Drone or the DJI killer remains to be seen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Yuneec Typhoon H let my girlfriend and me down!

OMG! What a nightmare. My Yuneec Typhoon H remote controller is dead on arrival. It ruined my mood for the flight of Yuneec Typhoon H.

I called Yuneec support and was requested to return it back for repair after spending $1300.

Repair, well, I don’t think anyone agrees to have a repaired unit after spending so much dollars. I learned from the forum that the repaired unit doesn’t work as well as the brand new one.

With my tons of phone calls to push for an exchange, they agreed to send me new one considering I’m the valued customer.

A week later, I received my new controller. I have to say that I’m a beginner. I had to call the support again and again to get it work. It took around 2 hours and many tries to bind the hex.

The support told that if it still didn’t work, I might need to have the remote controller sent back to them again. Again? I did want to kick the Typhoon H off at that time. I told the support, I needed a full refund if it didn’t work this time and I would tell my friends not to purchase anything from Yuneec.

The support seemed to sense something and became very patient after that. With his help, I get the remote controller bind to the hex. I thought the nightmare ended up there. I started to try my first flight after everything was set up. I took off the Typhoon H. It ascended to 10 meters high. I noticed the landing gear was in the live video. Shouldn’t the landing gear retract itself at this height? I tried with my remote controller but still failed to have the landing gear retract. I ascended the Typhoon H and thought the landing gear might retract. But nothing changed when it was 20 meters high.

I landed the Typhoon H and call the tech support. I operated with their instructions but it would start and one leg would get stuck. My patience worn thinner and thinner. I didn’t even want to fly it anymore.

Three days later, my girlfriend told me she would like to watch me flying the typhoon H. I thought it could still fly at least. So we took the drone to an open area. When I tried to fly the typhoon H, the new controller had lost the binding to the aircraft body again. I started to try to bind them again and it took us 30 minutes with trials. It worked finally. But what most ridiculous thing was it lost signal from the aircraft again when my girlfriend was ready to what me flying.

I started the procedure again and again but my trials went in vain. I called tech support and they were even not able to help. I was recommended to send my Typhoon H for test. Seriously?!!!

The Typhoon H just ruined my day! I could see how frustrated my girlfriend was.

Should I send it back to repair or full refund? It is like an endless nightmare and I’m tired of everything about Typhoon H.

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Indoor flights with Typhoon Q500 4K gps off

Some experienced pilot that’s able to properly control the Typhoon Q500 4K in Angle (Pilot) Mode, and they do not exceed any altitude/distance limits or fly in any ‘no fly zones’ in your area, they are willing to disable/turn off Typhoon Q500 GPS. So how?

WARNING: Smart Mode and Home Mode, along with their corresponding features, only work when GPS is active and the Q500 has a suitable GPS signal/lock. If you disable/turn off Typhoon Q500 GPS the drone can only be flown in Angle (Pilot) Mode. And if you cannot properly control the Q500 in Angle (Pilot) Mode the aircraft may crash or even ‘fly away’.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Yuneec drone Crash damage and ‘fly aways’ are NOT covered under warranty.We do not typically recommend disabling Typhoon Q500 4K GPS for any reason, especially if you’re a first-time or low-time pilot. However, if you’re an experienced, you could try.

And do NOT disable/turn off Typhoon Q500 4K GPS unless you accept ALL responsibility and liability for crashes or ‘fly aways’.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Every time you turn the Q500 on it will default to having Typhoon Q500 4K GPS active/on (even if you disabled GPS the last time is was powered on).

Step 1) While the ST10 and Q500 are powered on and linked (and the motors are NOT running), move the Proportional Control Rate Slider on the right side of the ST10 to the uppermost (rabbit) position.

Step 2) Move the right-hand stick all the way to the right and hold it there until step 3 is completed.

Step 3) Move the Flight Mode Selection Switch from Smart to Home and Home to Smart mode 4 times in 3 seconds.When GPS has been disabled successfully the Q500 will emit an audible indication and the Typhoon Q500 4K GPS status on the ST10 screen will show ‘Disabled’.

Also, the Main LED Status Indicator will flash purple and the Below Motor LED Status Indicators will flash three times per second then will stay off for one second.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Xiaomi Mi drone 4K: DJI killer?

The Chinese electronics brands Xiaomi unveiled its first drone last year in May. The Mi drone 1080p is available with a price tag of below $400. However, ever since, there has been no substantial update on the status of the 4K variant of the drone.

The company recently announced that the Xiaomi Mi Drone 4K will be listed on March 3 with a price of 2,999 yuan (~$436), whereas the battery for the same will be priced at 499 yuan (~$72), with the ambition to invite itself on a segment dominated by another Chinese company: DJI and its Phantom drone.

The Xiaomi Mi drone will be produced by FIMI Technology. To ensure its differentiation, it will bet on a price that should not exceed 4000 yuan, or about $436, where DJI proposes its drone equivalent Phantom 3 Standard from $499.

Xiaomi should therefore re-exploit its strategy already used for smartphones, offering mid / high-end products at very competitive rates by limiting its marketing expenses and playing viral marketing.

However, the product is located high enough to ensure a certain profitability despite the low margins generated, Xiaomi leaving the segment of drones entry-level that sees many new players is likely to saturate quickly.

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Any changes to the new GoPro Karma drone?

GoPro was forced to recall the unfortunately-named Karma in November 2016 after several reported cases of its battery disconnecting mid-flight. But now a modified version has arisen Phoenix-like from its ashes with a redesigned latch mechanism, which GoPro is confident will keep the battery firmly in place.

The GoPro Karma doesn’t exactly come with a particular camera. The various camera options are the Hero5, the Hero Session, or attach your own, and that’s what determines where you land on the $799-$1,099 scale. Each option will give you a different quality of video.

	Recording Resolution	Photography	Battery
Hero 5 Black	4k @ 30FPS 1440P @ 80 FPS 1080P @ 120 FPS	12MP	1220mAH
Hero 5 Session	4k @ 30 FPS 1440p @ 60 FPS 1080p @ 90 FPS	10MP	1000mAH

 

Not only do you get a drone, you get the Karma grip for ultra smooth video. This acts as a camera stabilizer so that when you’re on the move, you can grab smooth high quality footage instead of rough hand-held. The stabilizer fits inside the drone. The camera is connected to the stabilizer which is in turn connected to the drone.

Karma Grip Specs

Length	8″ (20.5cm)
Battery Life	105 Minutes
Weight	0.52lbs (0.24kg)

 

The GoPro Karma Drone comes with an easy flight system including a controller with a 5 inch screen that runs at 720p and lasts up to 4 hours. The simple controller with its few buttons allows new drone users the confidence to get great shots from the air.

Bring some passengers along with GoPro passenger app which allows you to fly your friends around! As you drive the Karma with the controller, your bros and gals with the app can tie in to the view and watch while you drive. In other words – show off your flight skills to your friends as they watch.

LCD Screen Size	5 inches
Resolution	1280×720 (720p)
Brightness	900 nits
Battery Life	240 Minutes
Radio Frequency	2.4Ghz
Weight	1.38lbs (0.625kg)

 

The drone has pretty good acceleration—which is kind of to say you should be careful.  I’ve never flown a drone of any kind that I wanted to blast off faster than it did, which would make controlling harder.  Anyway, it’s a speedster, clocking in at a max of 35 mph.  This is facilitated, up to a point, by its compact, elongated design and its petite build.

It would be nice if it had obstacle avoidance built in, a pretty standard feature that it’s mysteriously missing. I think the idea is that such a high-end video-creating drone will attract experienced pilots who won’t need it.

The review is based on the old GoPro Karma. Are there any changes to the Karma drone to improve it? I was really excited for the Karma drone during its first announcement, but things have changed drastically since then and I’m not sure if there is enough fight for this dog to stay in. Only time will tell.

 

 

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What it looks like when tigers are chasing a drone?

A recent video from CCTV+ shows an example of wild animals versus a drone. In this video, a pack of Siberian tigers chases the drone around while it’s recording them. Eventually, it takes just one swing of a paw to take it down, after quite an unusual game of cat and mouse. It proved that technology is no match for fierce mother nature.

As you can see in the video, these Siberian tigers are not only intimidating and huge, but they are also chubby. They live in captivity and they are well fed, so it’s no wonder they’re not in their best shape. The habitat staff uses the drone to make the big cats run around and chase it to get the necessary exercise.

As the drone flies above them, the tigers get alert and try to catch it. I suppose it wasn’t a part of the plan, but at one point they actually succeed in catching it. One of the tigers swipes at the drone with a paw, and it crushes down onto the ground.

After the drone was taken down, the exercise session broke down faster than the drone, which didn’t stay in one piece for very long anyhow. Small pieces and big chunks were torn off with brutal efficiency right up until the drone started smoking and startled the ambush.

What was left of the drone was later recovered using “a well-protected vehicle.”

Unfortunately, that’s not where this story ends. A little bit of digging reveals that this encounter between tiger and drone isn’t all playful. The “park” the footage comes from allegedly keeps their cats in “deplorable conditions” and sells tiger bone wine, even though the horrific practice was banned in 1993.

The video is undeniably captivating—and fortunately the tigers seem well-fed—but if you enjoy the chase, consider donating to a reputable big cat sanctuary.

( Source )

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