dji
Latest
Parrot lays off 290 drone division employees
It was a disappointing holiday season for French drone maker Parrot. The company announced Monday that it will lay off about 290 employees -- or more than a third of the employees currently working on drone-related projects -- after it missed fourth quarter sales targets by about 15 percent.
In 2017, drones are getting faster, more fun and easier to fix
Drones aren't new to CES, but it's only in the last year or two that they got their own dedicated area in the convention hall. But, drones are meant to fly free, not behind netting, so some bright spark invented the Drone Rodeo: an annual off-site event where the latest and greatest in UAVs could do their thing as nature intended. The event is back this year, and once again it provided a pretty good snapshot of what's going to be hot in the drone world in 2017.
DJI may have quietly bought (most of) Hasselblad
Okay, here's a weird one: Chinese drone manufacturer DJI has reportedly bought a majority stake in famed camera brand Hasselblad. The news comes from TechCrunch and photography website Luminous Landscape, both of which claim that inside sources have confirmed the as-yet-unannounced deal.
DJI gives its Osmo Mobile stabilizer a fresh silver look
DJI's Osmo Mobile is still a relatively new product, considering it was only announced toward the end of last year. Even so, everyone (or everything, in this case) deserves a fresh look, and that's exactly what DJI is doing with its smartphone stabilizer. Here at CES the company is showing off a silver model (with white accents), which will be available later this month. Other than the different color, though, nothing else has changed compared to the original -- and that includes the $299 price.
DJI's newest drones are built for filmmakers
Turns out that DJI's Mavic Pro wasn't the company's only new airframe for the year. On Tuesday, a pair of updated drone models joined the family: the Phantom 4 Pro and the Inspire 2.
DJI's Goggles put you in the cockpit of a drone
No, this isn't another VR headset. These are video goggles from DJI. Why would you want a headset from DJI? Because it connects wirelessly to the company's new foldable Mavic Pro drone, giving you a live, bird's eye view from the camera (in 1080p no less). The idea isn't new, in drone circles it's pretty common to see bespectacled pilots, especially in racing, where "FPV" (as it's called -- first person view), is the only way to fly the drones at such breakneck speed. DJI announced the goggles (actually called "DJI Goggles") at its big Mavic launch event last week, but they weren't giving demos. We managed to get a rare ride inside them, and it's a whole bunch of fun.
DJI's Mavic Pro takes on GoPro's Karma with smart features
Between Oakland and San Francisco in the center of the Bay Bridge lies the 400-acre man-made Treasure Island. It's here that DJI let Engadget fly its compact Mavic Pro drone. It's DJI's first fold-up flying machine -- arriving barely a week after GoPro announced the Karma -- and it continues the company's commitment to keeping cameras in the sky.
Epson and DJI team up for POV drone goggles
Phantom owners will soon be able to pilot their drones with a fresh perspective -- that of the UAV itself. DJI and Epson announced on Thursday that they are teaming up. Together, they'll expand DJI's SDK to allow Epson's Moverio BT-300 AR glasses to integrate with DJI's Phantom, Matrice and Inspire lines of remote-controlled flyers.
DJI's folding 'Mavic' drone images leak out
DJI's Adam Najberg recently told Engadget that if the average consumer is going to buy a drone, "size is going to be an issue. Also ease of use." Judging by a recent leak, the company may not be just musing about such a product. Drone site Heliguy leaked an image of a small camera drone that collapses down for easy transport. If accurate, it could be called the "Mavic," a name DJI recently trademarked.
The best of the rest at IFA 2016
Now that we've said goodbye to IFA 2016, it's time to bring you highlights of the most interesting devices at the event. In this particular edition, you'll find some that aren't smartphones or wearables. We're talking virtual reality massage chairs, fridges with built-in tablets, as well as adorable robots and drones. Acer's ridiculous 21-inch gaming laptop is there too, along with its new convertible Chromebook. But that's just part of it, so check out the slideshow and think about which items you want the most. We're live all week from Berlin, Germany, for IFA 2016. Click here to catch up on all the news from the show.
DJI exec hints at future pocket-sized camera drones
It's a simple question: How would you sell my Dad a drone? Right now, most drone buyers are professionals, hobbyists or video enthusiasts. That leaves a pretty big number of people not currently browsing for a quadcopter. At least, not yet. My Dad is one of those people, so if you can sell him one, you're onto something. When I asked that question to Adam Najberg, DJI's Global Director of Communications, his answer was simple: "Size is going to be an issue. Also ease of use." So something smaller and simpler. No surprises there. But Najberg represents one of the biggest names in drones, so when he tells me what such a drone might look like, I listen.
DJI's new OSMO Mobile captures pro-level selfies
Shaky cam shots are great for indie horror films and Jason Bourne-esque action sequences, but less than ideal for filming your family's holiday. With DJI's latest addition to its popular line of handheld gimbals, you'll be able to perform pans and tilts like a pro.
DJI's new Osmo+ camera adds a zoom lens
DJI's Osmo is already one of the better action camera / stabilizer (or gimbal) combos out there, but a new model is already on its way. Less than a year after the Osmo was released, DJI is introducing the Osmo+, a $649 camera and gimbal combo that improves on the original in one obvious but significant way: zoom.
Boat thieves thwarted by teens with a Phantom drone
A group of teenagers vacationing on Camano Island in Washington State became technology-assisted crimestoppers this week, ABC News reports. 14-year-old Chris Harris and his friend were visiting the island from San Francisco when they spotted thieves in a speedboat untying their own boat they had docked at a buoy the night before. When the thieves took off with their Zodiac in tow, Harris sprung into action and followed them from the air with his DJI Phantom drone, filming them in 4K video the whole time.
DJI drones will now get real-time wildfire alerts
DJI has added real-time wildfire alerts to its geofencing system to prevent drones from wandering into affected areas and hampering firefighting efforts. The company already upgraded its Geospatial Environment Online software earlier this month with the ability to auto-download temporary restrictions. This particular update, however, grabs wildfire info from AirMap, which gets its data straight from the Department of the Interior's incident command system
DJI's Zenmuse Z3 is its first drone camera with optical zoom
It might be best known for its drones, but the launch of DJI's first camera optimized for aerial stills shows the company has ambitions beyond super-slick video footage. To achieve its ends, the Zenmuse Z3 offers up a 7x zoom by pairing a 3.5x optical zoom with a 2x digital zoom.
DJI and Hasselblad team up for a souped up photography drone
Back in 2015, DJI invested in a minority stake in the Swedish firm Hasselblad, which has resulted in the companies teaming up for a powerful new photography drone. The partnership has spawned the A5D-M600 bundle, featuring the best of what both companies have to offer.
DJI makes it easier to keep your drone out of no-fly zones
DJI's Geospatial Environment Online (GEO) software already kept pilots from flying its drones in "sensitive areas" and now the setup is getting a lot more useful. The UAV maker is making improvements to the system inside of its Go app that's used to control Phantom and Inspire drones. By doing so, DJI gives pilots easy access to its geofencing system that keeps airports, prisons and power plants permanently locked down in addition to temporary restrictions around special events like stadiums and "national security events."
Flyability's Elios UAV is now even safer thanks to DJI
DJI has partnered with Swiss aerial tech company Flyability to make the Elios UAV aircraft even safer using a special image transmission system known as the Lightbridge 2. The result is a rescue drone that's able to navigate tight spaces and smaller enclosures more efficiently so humans don't have to.
Xiaomi's Mi Drone is pretty affordable for what it does
We knew it was coming, so it's not a total surprise. But, the very fact that Xiaomi -- best known for its phones -- is getting into the drone business is a bit of an eyebrow raiser. Today, the company revealed the Mi Drone, a 4K camera-wielding quadcopter that looks more than a little like DJI's Phantom series. The two Chinese firms are now technically rivals, of course, as more and more companies decide they want a slice of the (apparently booming) quadcopter business. No one was expecting Xiaomi to reinvent the wheel, but there was a good chance it'd be competitive on price: 2,999 yuan (about $460), which is considerably cheaper than even DJI's $799 Phantom 3 4K. "We want everyone to be able to afford good products. That was why I set up Xiaomi in the first place," CEO Lei Jun added.
