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Parrot AR.Drone now available for pre-order, shipping September 3rd
Been itching to get your hands on the Parrot AR.Drone ever since it first took flight at CES way back in January? Well, you can now finally get your $299 pre-order in to ensure it ships to you on the September 3rd launch date. What's more, Parrot has also announced that the Drone will be exclusively available at Brookstone stores in the U.S., where you'll be able to try it out first-hand through October 31st. Head on past the break for the complete press release, and be sure to check out our recent hands-on if you need a reminder of the iPhone-controlled shenanigans possible with the device.
Parrot AR.Drone hits the US this September for $299, we go hands-on with video!
Parrot promised to reveal the launch details for its AR.Drone at E3 this week, and it's now delivered -- the remote-controlled quadricopter will be available in the U.S. this September for $299. Of course, this is hardly your ordinary remote-controlled quadricopter, as it's not only controlled via WiFi, but via an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch -- something we got well acquainted with both at CES and on the Engadget Show back in January. Incidentally, an Android app for the device was also recently demoed by the company, but it's apparently still not quite official. Head on past the break for the complete press release, and hit up the gallery below for a closer look at the Drone itself in some of its various configurations. Update: We swung by the company's demo station outside the show floors here at E3, spoke with the company CEO, got a little more information about the post-release plans for this thing, and dive-bombed a few PR reps before running for the hills. All those details and a funky fresh new video are waiting for you after the break. %Gallery-95346%
Parrot AR.Drone to get official launch, price, street date at E3 2010 (update: Android client video!)
If you've been chomping at the bit to get your hands on the AR.Drone iPhone controlled, augmented reality-sporting, WiFi quadricopter (and you know we have been) we've good news for you. According to a brief blip on Parrot's Facebook page, the thing will get its official US launch, complete with pricing and street date, at E3 come June 15. Sort of makes WowWee's Tinkerbell look silly in comparison, don't it? Update: As our main man Kefs has pointed out, the gang at Parrot demoed the AR.Drone Android client at Google I/O last month week. Now we're waiting on news of a BlackBerry client -- which we sure hope makes the scene at E3! See it in action after the break.
iPhly app lets you control an RC airplane with your iPhone
Ari Krupnik is developing an iPhone app called iPhly that interfaces with any standard DSM2 radio control module, allowing you to control an RC airplane or helicopter with your iPhone. As you can see in the video above, you hard-wire your iPhone to the DSM2 module and then launch the iPhly app. The app allows your iPhone and module to talk to each other, thus controlling your RC plane. The iPhone's accelerometers control the pitch and roll, while the touch screen controls the throttle and rudder. While iPhly isn't in the App Store yet, Ari hopes to see it there soon and is currently looking for beta testers. This isn't the first time we've seen the iPhone used as a remote control. As we showed you earlier this year, a company called Parrot unveiled the AR.Drone at CES. The AR.Drone is a sexier version of iPhly because there's no module you need to strap on to your iPhone to use it with. You simply use the iPhone's built-in WiFi to control the AR.Drone's quadricopter -- and try not to decapitate TUAW bloggers in the process. Yeah, those kites I used to get when I was a child seem pretty lame now.
The Engadget Show - 005: Google's Erick Tseng, CES wrap-up, WiDi, AR.Drone, and more!
Well it's been a wild couple of weeks here at Engadget. Between CES 2010 (our biggest show ever), the Nexus One launch, forthcoming Apple announcements (and loads of Apple rumors), it's unlikely we'll forget the start of our new decade anytime soon. Still, amidst all the craziness we had time to sit down for another Engadget Show -- and what a show it was. Grab a loved one and a tasty beverage of your choosing and settle in to watch our in-depth interview with Erick Tseng, a wrap-up of all things CES, plus fascinating demos of Intel's new Wireless Display, Parrot's crazy AR.Drone, the Plastic Logic QUE, Alienware's M11X, and so much more. Tune in now -- you'll kick yourself if you miss this. Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Paul Miller, Nilay Patel Special guest: Erick Tseng Produced and Directed by: Chad Mumm Executive Producer: Joshua Fruhlinger Edited by: Michael Slavens Music by: Glomag Visuals by: Dan Winckler Opening titles by: Julien Nantiec Download the Show: The Engadget Show - 005 (HD) / The Engadget Show - 005 (iPod / iPhone / Zune formatted) Subscribe to the Show: [iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V). [Zune] Subscribe to the Show directly in the Zune Marketplace (M4V). [RSS M4V] Add the Engadget Show feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically.
Parrot AR.Drone hands-on: a quadricopter for the rest of us
The Parrot AR.Drone was definitely one of the highlights of our day; how can you top a quadricopter that can fight with another using augmented reality, is easy to fly, and only needs an iPhone to control it? You simply can't -- this is just pure joy and is exactly what a gadget should be: it's an electronic aircraft, has multiple cameras (two to be exact), uses WiFi for control (via an ad-hoc connection), and likely has more intelligence on board than a lunar lander. This early version can only be controlled via iPhone, or iPod touch, but Parrot's Henri Seydoux mentioned that it could be (and we're really hoping will be) controllable by BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, and so on. The AR.Drone uses a pile of pretty sophisticated magic to enable it to fly -- those aforementioned cameras are just the start (one forward facing, one facing down running at 60 fps that allows stability in light wind) because you've also got two ultrasonic transmitters for vertical stability, a three-axis accelerometer, and a two-axis gyroscope paired with a single-axis yaw precision gyroscope for good measure. Needless to say, casual gamers and folks looking for a nice $30 gift need not apply. Read on for more impressions and video! %Gallery-81915%
