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DJI's first store is a drone paradise
To mark its status as an $8 billion company, drone-maker DJI has just opened its first flagship store in China. The dramatic 8,600 square foot glass-and-metal building is located on the harbor in DJI's home town of Shenzhen, and features a theater, lounge and high-ceiling test area. Naturally, the company has display area for its various drones, including the Phantom 3, Inspire 1 and Matrice 100, and will also demo its Ronin handheld gimbal and 4K Osmo camera. If you're hoping to fly one yourself, however, DJI's own pilots -- not the public -- will take the controls.
DJI has a thermal imaging camera for drones
DJI has announced that it's partnering with FLIR to create a thermal imaging camera for its Inspire 1 and Matrice 100 drones. The Zenmuse XT camera should be a boon for tasks like spotting fires, search and rescue and measuring the thermal efficiency of homes. The drone company is already by far the most popular for cinematographers and hobbyists, but DJI has lately been targeting industrial operations, having recently launched a pesticide-spraying model. The infrared camera could also help farmers monitor crop growth, and would be useful for folks like police, firefighters and building inspectors.
DJI's MG-1 drone is water-resistant, dustproof.. and made for farming
DJI's newest drone isn't its sexiest: it's a specialized, toughened agricultural drone. Yep, hard to get excited about unless you're a farmer perhaps, but the Agras MG-1 is dust-proof, water resistant and constructed from anti-corrosive materials. Smart decisions for an agriculture drone, but also ones we wouldn't mind some extra peace of mind in the consumer drones we pilot in the suburbs and cities. (Rain is a real danger, okay?) The MG-1 can even be rinsed clean after a day on ranch. When it comes to crop-spraying, the drone can carry over 10kgs of product -- and DJI pegs it at over 40 times more efficient than manual spraying -- although it uses a watering can to illustrate the comparison...
DJI's drone safety system has you signing up to fly in some areas
DJI is understandably nervous about where you fly its drones given that one owner trespassed on White House grounds, and it's rolling out a new geofencing system to make sure that these kinds of incidents don't happen again -- just hours after rivals 3DR did the same. Its Geospatial Environment Online service gives you updated info on where you're allowed to fly drones, including time-sensitive restrictions. You can't fly over prisons, for instance, and you may face a ban when there's a raging forest fire. However, it also has a unique way of handling exceptions: as long as you're willing to register with a payment card or phone number, you can fly in some restricted areas. In theory, this lets you enjoy your drone in more places while holding you accountable if you screw up.
DJI buys stake in high-end camera firm Hasselblad
Drone maker DJI has purchased a stake in Hasselblad, the company best known for medium-format still cameras and pimped out, overpriced Sony rebadges. The move is a bit of a head-scratcher, because we don't see a lot of synergy there -- Hasselblad's H-series cameras are far too heavy for drones and most models don't even shoot video. Furthermore, DJI recently unveiled its own drone-ready Micro-Four-Thirds camera. Nevertheless, DJI can certainly afford the minority share it purchased in Hasselblad, and now sits on the company's board of directors.
DJI wants you to build sentient drones with its tiny computer
DJI has created a computer called Manifold that extends the capabilities of its Matrice test drone. It's a platform for developers to build on, which DJI says can turn drones into "truly intelligent flying robots that can perform complex computing tasks and advanced image processing." Think of it as something like an overpowered Arduino built specifically for drones. As well as customized ports for interfacing with the Matrice, the Manifold has USB, Ethernet, Mini-PCIe, HDMI, UART, SPI and I2C ports, which allow for all manner of sensors and add-ons to be connected. It's powered by an Nvidia K1 processor with Kepler graphics, runs Ubuntu 14.04 LTS (a version of Linux with "long-term support"), and weighs less than 200g.
DJI Osmo review: A hand-held stabilized camera worthy of its price
Thanks to the rise of small action cameras, camera stabilizers (aka gimbals) are becoming more portable than ever. Amazon has plenty of these coming from random Chinese brands, but most are either poorly designed, or only a partial solution to your problem. For instance, they often lack a handset mount for those who need a live screen. There are also gimbals that use smartphones as the camera, but I've yet to come across one with raving reviews; the current options appear to be more of a nuisance due to their awkward calibration and erratic stabilization. So unless you've tried one and are certain that it works well with your phone, your best bet is to go with a dedicated camera gimbal. In terms of full-featured gimbals, we have only two compelling options so far. The first one is the Aetho's Aeon, which takes a GoPro and has its own display, but it won't arrive until early next year. This leaves us with DJI's latest creation, the Osmo, which we first saw back in January. This device features a 4K camera module similar to the one on the company's flagship drone, the Inspire 1, and it can house your smartphone as a viewfinder on the side. But it isn't just about the hardware, because like the company's drones, the Osmo also has a full-featured companion app for greater versatility. Let's see if this fancy package is worthy of its $649 price.
DJI's slick 4K hand-held gimbal is ready for action
The day has finally come. After our sneak peek at a prototype back in January, DJI's first hand-held gimbal is finally arriving in its slick true form along with a new name: Osmo. This $649 device is designed to house the Zenmuse 4K range of detachable three-axis stabilized cameras, with the default one being the Zenmuse X3 which packs a 1/2.3-inch Sony Exmor R CMOS with an effective resolution of 12.4 megapixels. Together with the single-hand grip and the metallic phone clamp, the whole package is essentially a wingless Inspire 1 and its controller combined as one. Should you decide to jump on the Micro Four Thirds bandwagon, you can also pop on a Zenmuse X5 at an extra cost.
DJI unveils custom aerial Micro Four Thirds camera
Drone manufacturer DJI has announced its response to news that GoPro is working on a UAV. DJI announced two new cameras for its own flagship drone, the Inspire 1. Dubbed the Zenmuse X5 and X5R, respectively, these cameras are the first aerial cameras to hit the market featuring Micro Four Thirds sensors. Each camera captures 16MP stills and up to 4K/30fps video. Additionally, the X5R is capable of capturing images and video (including lossless 4K CinemaDNG) on either an onboard microSD card or a 512GB SSD mounted just above the gimbal. What's more, each 0.75-pound camera body accommodates four interchangeable lenses (ranging from 12mm to 17mm). The pilot can even adjust the aperture and focus of the lenses from the ground while the Inspire 1 is in flight.
DJI's adding autopilot features to Phantom 3 drones next week
DJI pleased Phantom owners recently when it announced that much-needed autopilot features would be coming to its most popular series of quadcopters, and the Inspire 1. Today, we learn when (September 7th) and how (via a good ole' firmware update). The new flight features include Waypoints (map out a path in advance, and the quad will follow it), Point of Interest (the quad flies around a set object with the camera remaining fixed on it) and Follow Me (you can guess what that does -- only coming to Phantom 3, not Inspire 1). There are also two features specific for the Phantom 3 Standard which make it easier to fly the quadcopter back to you should you lose your orientation -- these are already available on DJI's other craft. Finally, Phantom 3 Advance owners get a nice bonus, with the addition of a 2.7K (2704x1520) camera recording option -- a solid bump up from 1080p.
DJI's Phantom 3 has its biggest rival in Yuneec's 4K Typhoon drone
We'd understand if you're not familiar with Yuneec; we've only written about its products twice. However, it's fairly well-known in the quadcopter world, and best described as a direct rival to DJI. When I reviewed DJI's 4K Phantom 3 Professional drone ($1,259), a reader asked if we could compare it to Yuneec's rival Typhoon Q500 model (around $1,100, but with a lower-res 1080p camera). Days later, Yuneec announced an updated Typhoon with 4K shooting for $1,299, making the comparison much easier. It only seemed fair to grant our reader's wish, and check out what the new Typhoon had to offer.
DJI's sub-$800 drone packs smart features for first-timers
After the Phantom 3 Professional and the Phantom 3 Advanced, DJI's back with an even cheaper drone dubbed Phantom 3 Standard to tempt beginners. It costs just $799, which is $200 less than the Advanced and $460 less than the Professional, but you still get all the essentials: a built-in 3-axis stabilization gimbal, 12-megapixel still image capture (supports RAW shooting), up to 2.7K of video capture at 30 fps and 40 Mbps, video downlink at up to 720p and a slightly longer flight time of up to 25 minutes. The only real downside here is that the Standard can only transmit video back to your phone at up to 1km or 0.62 miles, which is half as much as the other two models.
DJI Phantom 3 review: an aerial photography drone for the masses
Almost a year ago to the day, I wrote about the impact DJI's Phantom 2 Vision+ might have on our skies. Up to that point, drones (or quadcoptors/multirotors, for the purists) had been slowly edging their way into mainstream consciousness. DJI's ready-to-fly Vision series, with their built-in cameras and easy operation turbocharged that creep into a march. The Phantom 3 Professional is what would have been the new Vision (it's dropped that branding), and is the first in this consumer lineage to shoot 4K video. What's changed in the last 12 months? In some regards, not much. Governments are still figuring out how to legislate quadcopters, while people keep buying them. As for DJI, it's got a lot more competition, and higher expectations for what a drone should do. I was eager to spend time with the Phantom 3, and get a feel for how the company has evolved, and more importantly, where it's going — and it looks like taking over our skies is only one part of its plan.
DJI's experimental drone will help prevent collisions
DJI has just made its UAV platform a lot more developer-friendly with a new test drone and collision avoidance system, along with an SDK for its current DJI Inspire 1 and Phantom 3 models. The Matrice 100 (M100) is a new quadcopter made specifically for developers to help them test new sensors, processors and other tech. The bare-bones looking craft will fly for 20 minutes with a 2.2 pound payload or longer using an extra battery. The company said it "includes everything needed to fly with minimal assembly and no need for tuning or programming."
Graffiti artist sloppily vandalizes massive billboard via drone
Drones, yeah, are now like, so cheap, you know, that you can just, like, use them to do vandalism that's also an artistic statement, right? That's what graffiti artist, hacker and, er, vandal Katsu does with a modified drone that's capable of carrying and using a can of spray paint. The anonymous figure's latest stunt was to attack the new Calvin Klein billboard in New York City, a six-story installation featuring Kendall Jenner. Unfortunately, Katsu's control of the drone wasn't strong enough to do any actual drawing, so the artist had to settle for haphazardly spraying some red lines. But, guys, you have to understand, okay, that it's a statement, right? A statement.
DJI's Phantom 3 brings 4K recording to its most popular drone
DJI's Phantom series of read-to-fly quadcopters have been instrumental in bringing drones into mainstream consciousness. Particularly the Phantom 2 Vision+, which made silky-smooth aerial video possible for have-a-go pilots right out of the box (most other methods involve a fair amount of assembly). Today, the Phantom family grows again with two new members: the Phantom 3 Professional and the Phantom 3 Advanced. So what's new? And, more importantly, which one do you want?
Drone smuggling prison contraband gets stymied by stupidity
Smuggling contraband into prison via drone is a bad idea, even if you toss morals out the window: the aircraft are noisy, flashy, and require a good amount of skill to fly in undetected. However, some British crooks didn't get the memo. Police report that unidentified suspects tried using a drone (a DJI Phantom 2 Vision, to be exact) to sneak drugs, phones and weapons into Bedford Prison, only to be foiled when the machine got caught in barbed wire. Prisoners supposedly paid an inmate to accept a delivery from friends on the outside -- if so, there are quite a few people in hot water right now.
DJI's drone safety upgrade rolled back after 'flight behavior' issues
DJI was the unfortunate drone brand of choice to pay an unplanned visit to the White House. The company responded days later with an update that added some new safety features, including GPS geofencing that stops the drone flying about near sensitive places: like the White House. However, it has paused the roll-out of the update after a few reports that "unanticipated flight behavior after updating" to Phantom firmware v3.10. For now, the company advises that Phantom pilots stick to older versions for now until those safety upgrades are completely, well, safe. As Wired recently reported, it's in the best interests of DJI to ensure its drones aren't flying where they shouldn't be...
DJI no longer lets you fly its drones in Washington, DC
' DJI really, really doesn't want to see its drones in the news for the wrong reasons. Just a day after the world learned that one of its robotic vehicles crash-landed at the White House, the company is pushing out a "mandatory" firmware update for its Phantom 2 drones that prevents you from flying anywhere within a 15.5-mile radius of downtown Washington, DC. The move is practically necessary given FAA guidelines barring unmanned vehicles from flying in the area. However, it also means that there's no longer much point to owning a DJI drone in the US capital -- unless you refuse to install any upgrades or regularly head out of the city, you now own a very expensive paperweight. [Image credit: US Secret Service]
A drunk intelligence worker crashed that drone near the White House
When you heard that someone crash-landed a drone on the White House's grounds at 3AM on a Monday morning, did you suspect that the pilot was hammered? Well, you're right. Officials have revealed that the operator was a drunk National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency worker who decided that the middle of a cold night was a great time to fly his friend's drone (a DJI Phantom, shown above) near the President's home turf. He didn't realize what he'd done until his pals told him that his escapades were all over the news. Give credit to this unnamed man for doing the right thing afterwards, though -- he notified both his employer and the Secret Service to set their minds at ease.
