Drones
DJI finally made a compact and affordable drone, the Spark
DJI’s Mavic Pro drone got a lot of attention for being so compact and well priced for the sweet 4K resolution videos it could shoot from the sky. But at $1,000, it still wasn’t the go-to affordable choice. The Spark changes that.
This new product is the company’s smallest and cheapest drone to date. It’s about the size of a smartphone without its propellers, and with a starting price of only $500, casual users won’t have to rob a bank to purchase one.
The compromise compared to the Mavic Pro is that the Spark can only shoot 1080p video at 30 frames per second. That’s great for quick uploads to YouTube and social media, but it doesn’t really future-proof yourself for when 4K becomes mainstream. It still outputs the same 12-megapixel snaps as its larger sibling, though.
The rest of the specifications are comparable to popular selfie drones: 2-axis mechanical gimbal stabilization, 16 minutes of continuous flight at a time, maximum speed of 50km/h, and transmission distance of 2km.
But beyond the specs and features, what DJI promotes the most is the Spark’s ability to read gestures. You can frame your fingers to make the drone take a photo of you, and waving your hands in certain ways maneuvers it.
DJI uploaded a few videos to showcase the Spark’s abilities, but I like this one the most:
Adding $200 to the basic bundle nets you a remote controller, extra propellers, propeller guards, another battery, charging hub, and shoulder bag. Shipment begins on June 15 and colors include the following: alpine white, sky blue, meadow green, lava red, and sunrise yellow.
SEE ALSO: Drone assists in 2017 NBA All-Star Dunk Contest
[irp posts=”10750″ name=”Drone assists in 2017 NBA All-Star Dunk Contest”]
The ever-competitive drone market will soon have another brand to welcome. Sony just announced its entry into the consumer drone market with the Airpeak brand, which will likely go toe-to-toe (propeller to propeller?) with established brands like DJI.
Specific details about the brand, however, remain scarce at the moment. Sony’s official website only teases a short cryptic video.
The website also mentions that Airpeak will be the culmination of “imaging and sensing technological expertise and AI Robotics” — something which Sony has with its consumer camera and robotic products.
A separate press release also confirms Sony’s plan to target video creators with the Airpeak brand. Further, the brand will bring 3R technology (Reality, Real-time and Remote) to the drone market.
The first wave of products under the Airpeak is slated to launch in the spring of 2021. In the meantime, Sony will continue to obtain feedback from users who participated in co-creating drones under the brand.
It is worth noting that this isn’t Sony’s first foray into the drone market. Last year, the company entered a partnership with ZMP to form the Aerosense company. However, that company caters specifically to the business sector. So, the Airpeak brand will actually be the company’s first for the consumer drone sector.
Drones
How the tech world helped in the Notre Dame fire incident
Modern technology isn’t our foe at all
In light of the recent news about the fire incident that happened in the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, several companies, including those from the tech sector, have shown how much they care for the ruined 856-year-old historic landmark.
DJI
When the flames broke out, firefighters used Mavic Pro and Matrice M210 drones. The cathedral was severely damaged but thankfully, the drones helped in distinguishing where the fire had spread out. Several tweets show how helpful drones are, even during unexpected disasters like this one.
— Alexandre Fremont (@alex_fremont) April 15, 2019
People from DJI talked about how their drones helped Paris’ Emergency Response Team in determining the fire inside the cathedral.
Learning that Emergency Response for Notre Dame also included the use of drones, made me feel good. Then seeing a female operator made me proud. Both individually are not common, both together even less. Such a difficult incident to deal with, done with exemplary. pic.twitter.com/Qdh3UIwmer
— Romeo Durscher (@romeoch) April 16, 2019
Craftsmen built Notre Dame eight centuries ago. Now it may be up to robots to save it.https://t.co/zyfMU1lEuI
— Brendan Schulman (@dronelaws) April 17, 2019
Apple
After the incident, many people, including popular icons all around the globe, have shown their distress about the destruction of the cathedral. Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, is one among those people. He even promised Apple would help in the progress of rebuilding Notre Dame’s ruined architectural landscape.
We are heartbroken for the French people and those around the world for whom Notre Dame is a symbol of hope. Relieved that everyone is safe. Apple will be donating to the rebuilding efforts to help restore Notre Dame’s precious heritage for future generations.🇫🇷
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) April 16, 2019
Ubisoft
Most gamers can tell that the Notre Dame Cathedral is found in the gameplay of Assassin’s Creed: Unity. Ubisoft, which is also a French company, said that the infrastructure was scanned using their state-of-the-art 3D mapping technology. Using data preserved for the game may help architects and builders in restoring the cathedral. As an addition, the game is for free at the Ubisoft store to honor the fallen landmark.
It may be insignificant for most people but these all prove that companies and their existing technologies can still help in times of global incidents like this.
We won’t bore you with a rundown of its specs, but instead, we’ll give you the lowdown on DJI’s new drone — what works, what doesn’t, and what’s there to love. This is our DJI Mavic 2 Pro review.
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