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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 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]
DJI's Phantom 2 Vision takes a stabilized camera to the sky, we go hands-on (video)
You may not have come across DJI before, but this brand is no stranger in the world of hobbyist drones. Even production studios use the company's gear for aerial videography, but that involves a lot more money than the average consumer can stomach -- DJI's three-axis camera gimbal alone can cost up to $3,500, on top of about $3,000 for its latest six-rotor aircraft. And this is before you include a camera plus a remote control. Fortunately, we now have a more affordable option that still comes with camera stabilization: the Phantom 2 Vision. With a $1,199 price tag, this all-in-one package is aimed at prosumers who are looking for something more serious than, say, Parrot's AR.Drone series. While the latter's designed for entertainment, the Phantom 2 Vision gives you a taste of the advanced maneuverability and camera features from DJI's pro-level products. The relatively light 1.16kg drone features a built-in 14-megapixel camera (with a 1/2.3-inch sensor), which is mounted on a tilt-axis gimbal under the belly. The only bits that need to be installed are the four self-tightening propellers, along with a swappable 57.72Wh battery that lasts up to 25 minutes (but takes from one to two hours to fully charge when depleted).
