That’s what you can get with the Vantop Snaptain SP680. The Snaptain 680 is a 4-axis drone with an Ultra-HD camera for recording video at 25fps.

It’s relatively easy to learn to fly with several buttons and controls to give you extra support.

And you won’t have to sell off your property to get your hands on the Snaptain 680. It’s available from Best Buy for the retail price of $159.99. And if you act quickly, it’s currently on sale for just $129.99. So let’s see what it’s all about. 

Verified

Sponsored Pick

Vantop Snaptain SP680 2.7k Drone

For a limited time, the Vantop Snaptain SP680 drone is down to $129.99. It usually sells for $160.

Rating

$130 at Best Buy

On-Going Offer

Easy to learn

For some people, flying a drone can be pretty daunting. Many have complex controls and rules that you have to follow. But the Snaptain SP680 simplifies the formula quite a bit. 

The drone has several features that you can use to simplify flying with the included controller. For example, it can take off and land automatically with a simple button. 

There are three flying speeds, so you can progress as you get the hang of flying. And you can easily control the trimming to level out the flight using a directional pad on the bottom right of the controller. 

Beyond that, the Snaptain SP680 has a few different flight modes and tricks for your different flying needs.

You can have the drone automatically fly in a circle, do a 360-degree flip, and rotate in circles at quick speeds. All of those features add up to a relatively easy drone to learn how to use.

And after you’re done with your flight, you can press the return button on the controller, and the Snaptain SP680 will return to you, retracing its original flight course. 

Features and specifications

As we noted earlier, the Vantop Snaptain SP680 comes with a 2.7K Ultra-HD camera that shoots photos and videos in 2976 x 1680 resolution. And all of that is handled through the Snaptain Nova app on your iOS or Android device. 

With Snaptain Nova, you can record your flight on your phone. Moreover, the recording is displayed on the app in real time, so you can choose to fly the Snaptain SP680 from a first-person perspective. 

You can even fly the drone using the Snaptain Nova app. You can fly the Snaptain Snaptain SP680 with your phone just like you do with the controller.

Or you can choose to use the controller for flying and your phone to see the camera’s POV and take pictures and videos. The Snaptain SP680 is a pretty versatile drone for such a modest price.

Here’s a list of some of the features and capabilities:

• 2976 x 1680 video
• Smart voice and video control
• One-button takeoff and landing
• Multiple flying modes for easy flying
• Three batteries included, 15-minute flying time each
• Fly with your phone or a controller
• MicroSD card memory slot

In addition to those features, the Snaptain SP680 is equipped with landing gear and extra protection for the rotor blades.

So even when you learn to fly, you don’t have to worry about breaking the drone when you inevitably crash land.

Check out the Snaptain SP680 drone for yourself

For anyone looking to get into drone flying, either just for fun or to take some cool pictures and videos, it can be daunting to figure out what to buy. The Snaptain SP680 is a great place to start. 

It offers many flight assistance and several modes that will help you feel more comfortable on the controller.

And it won’t break the bank, so you don’t have to worry about crashing and burning something you spent a fortune on. 

The Vantop Snaptain SP680 is available to order from Best Buy for $159.99. And if you act quickly, you can save an extra $30 and get the sale price of just $129.99. 

Sponsored Pick

Snaptain SP680 2.7k Drone

The Snaptain SP680 has a 2.7K Ultra-HD camera that takes clear aerial photos and videos at 25 frames per second. It features gestures and multiple flight modes. Not to mention, it’s insanely easy to fly. Click below for more info.

Buy Now

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Snapchat unveils a $230 self-flying drone called Pixy
• Autel’s new range of Evo drones is going to give DJI some stiff competition
• Review: TRNDlabs FADER drone – a terrific little drone that has one glaring weakness
• A beginners guide to buying and fly your first drone

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. KnowTechie’s opinions, reviews, and other editorial content remain objective and are not influenced by the sponsorship.

The post The Vantop Snaptain SP680 drone is a great entry to drone flying appeared first on KnowTechie.

Announced during the Snap Partner Summit keynote, Pixy looks like it was created for ease of use. There’s no controller, no SD card for additional storage – just a dial to choose between the four preconfigured flight paths.

Different flight paths include float, orbit around you, follow you as you walk or run, and Pixy zooms into the air and starts recording. The resulting video is at a 2.7k resolution, or you can get 12-megapixel photos. To stop recording, you put your hand under Pixy and it will land.

READ MORE: Snapchat Plus adds BFFs and Story stats for $3.99 a month

READ MORE: Snapchat is reportedly adding a paid tier for early-access features

Snap says Pixy can capture five to eight flights on each charge from the 3.3Wh, 860mAh removable battery. In terms of flight time, that equals out to about three minutes. The whole drone, including the battery, only weighs 101g.

Pixy transfers its footage wirelessly to the Snapchat app via Snapchat Memories. You can then view, edit, and share the videos, using the same editing tools for Snapchat.

READ MORE: Snap launched a desktop version of its mobile app

Pixy is available for sale now, starting from $229.99 for the drone, a carrying case, one rechargeable battery, and a USB-C charging cable. Snap expects orders to ship within 11-12 weeks from the day you order.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

READ MORE: A new Snapchat update lets other users see your precise location

Editors’ Recommendations:

• How to send YouTube links as stickers in Snapchat
• Think someone is blocking you on Snapchat? Here’s how to check
• Snap’s new Story Studio is a vertical video editing app for iOS
• Snapchat is cracking down on drug dealers with its latest update

The post Snapchat unveils a $230 self-flying drone called Pixy appeared first on KnowTechie.

Aww yeah, I finally got another drone in to play with – which is always a good time because I’m an absolutely terrible pilot. Typically when I fly, I wind up running the thing way too far up in the sky and praying it won’t fall to its immediate demise, or I’m too nervous to make it move and accidentally run it into things.

While TRNDlabs FADER drone isn’t the cheapest of the small plastic drones, it’s considerably easier to fly than the others I’ve tested in this price range. To say that I’ve not enjoyed abusing this thing would be a lie, the FADER is an absolute blast to play with.

The TRNDlabs FADER is yet another small, lightweight, plastic drone that’s meant to be a more economically affordable drone while still giving you a lot of performance for the money.

Equipped with a 720P camera and its own smartphone app (iOS – Android), the FADER allows you to take photos and record video in real-time. I liked being able to watch the camera in real-time, but I found recording to be a little bit more challenging than it should have been.

The right bumper on the controller takes photos (and videos too, I think) but the app has icons on the touch screen which seem to be a much faster way to choose between whether or not you want to simply snap a photo or record video.

I crashed the drone quite a few times trying to get my iPhone X’s touch screen to activate the options, and I’m not sure if it was an operator error or if the app wasn’t as responsive as it could have been.

Perhaps it was the way the phone holder mounts your phone on the controller that was acting as a dummy touch, or maybe it was just me hectically trying to push buttons while keeping the drone in the air, but I sucked at capturing media.

I decided to take FADER’s learning approach seriously by following the instructional videos and materials in the manual. Unfortunately, the videos basically just read the manual, so they’re mostly irrelevant – but I did pick up the auto-calibration setting which I missed when reading the manual.

This made drone stability much more comfortable to balance for the initial flight, and I like the flight safeguard by not only having to rotate the stick up then down to prepare for flight but then having to press the auto land button to engage the rotors which would then allow the drone to take off.

It took me a few flights to fully understand how the auto-takeoff function worked, but once I realized that slightly pressing up on the throttle would jump the drone about three feet into the air before gliding back down to a much lower altitude, I had a considerably easier time learning the basics of flight.

Rather quickly, I was able to turn FADER’s sensitivity up to the highest setting, and for the first time in reviewing a drone, I was able to perform the automated flip functions reliably. FADER allows you to press down on the right stick, and then the drone will barrel roll to the left or right, or front/backflip with the flick of the direction.

This is a ton of fun and made for some impressive flying considering my skill level to anyone who happened to walk by while I was derping around outside with it.

While I did learn how to be a much better drone pilot due to FADER’s instructional materials and overall ease of use, I think some of my earlier struggles in capturing media had to do with being conscientiously aware of the FADER’s incredibly short battery life. 

Clocking in around seven minutes of flight time, FADER’s fun is unfortunately over by the time it gets started. I’m sure this is because the drone is continually streaming a WiFi signal and video, even if you aren’t connected or actively using the companion app.

Seven minutes of flight isn’t terrible, but it takes around 45 minutes to charge the battery. Quite honestly, seven minutes is barely worth walking outside for.

You can purchase additional batteries for the FADER directly from TRNDlabs, but even with their three-pack of additional FADER batteries being on sale for $29, you’re immediately up to $129 for the cost of this drone which starts to bring it out of the impulse purchase zone and more into “do I wanna pay $100+ for a toy I might fuck up in 10 minutes”.

Even if you buy three more batteries, you’ll be getting around 28 minutes of flight time while looking at 180 minutes of charge time. I wouldn’t exactly call that the best time investment trade, but the drone is really fun to fly in spite of being crippled by the battery.

Perhaps in the future models, the capture button on the controller could be used to enable/disable the streaming video/WiFi feed which could extend the battery life – likely doubling it for people who just wanna have fun flying their drone and don’t wanna invoke their inner Casey Neistat.

That being said, remember a few sentences ago when I said people might be afraid they’ll tear this little thing up? I have to admit: The FADER is remarkably durable considering its lightweight plastic.

While I learned that because there’s not much weight to the drone and it struggles to maintain any sort of control in a decent strength breeze, it can also withstand smashing into a tree and being submerged in a creek for over 10 minutes while we looked for it.

I figured for sure that I’d murdered it, and it acted a little odd when I tried restarting it after being submerged, but letting it sit overnight, it worked flawlessly without any electronic drying gimmicks.

There’s a slight film on the inside of the plastic where the camera is, but that’s a small price to pay (and I could probably disassemble and clean it if I wanted to) if it still works after something that would have killed drones that cost twice as much.

Final Verdict

Overall, TRNDlabs’ FADER drone is a terrific little drone that has one glaring weakness. It’s a ton of fun to play with, and it’s got a lot of options that make it an attractive drone for beginner and intermediate pilots.

Durability and control are the strong points, but the battery is the Achilles heel. It likely should have come with an extra battery or two (or three) due to the short flight time.

If it had come with a battery charging station that could accommodate four batteries (I use that because they sell the three-pack of batteries) so that it would take 45 minutes to recharge for 28 minutes of flight time at around $150, the weak-ass battery would have been much easier to forgive but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

The TRNDlabs FADER drone is available for an MSRP of $49 and can be purchased on the company’s website or StackSocial.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Review: UGREEN HiTune X6 Noise Cancelling Earbuds – almost everything you want under $50
• Review: EPOS H3Pro Hybrid – a solid, yet pricey headset with ANC
• Review: TempSpace standing desk – a solid value at $300
• Review: Anker’s SoundCore Frames – look good, sound okay, and cost a small fortune

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. A review unit was provided to KnowTechie for review by TRNDlabs. Click here for more.

The post Review: TRNDlabs FADER drone – a terrific little drone that has one glaring weakness appeared first on KnowTechie.

In a blog post on the company’s website, Wing celebrated its success ahead of the company’s two-year anniversary in September. The company, a subsidiary of Google’s parent company Alphabet, is quickly approaching 100,000 deliveries overall. Of those near 100,000 deliveries, more than 50,000 have come in one city in the last eight months alone.

The place where Wing has seen the most success is Logan, Australia. Logan is a city just outside of Brisbane, with a population of around 300,000 people. It is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, and the place where Wing has focused most of its expansion. The company serves a total of 19 surrounding suburbs in the city with a population of around 110,000 people.

READ MORE: Snapchat unveils a $230 self flying drone called Pixy

Despite the increased success in Logan, Wing hasn’t limited its efforts to Australian cities. The company has partnerships with businesses and companies around the world.

The company began expanding in the US after becoming the first delivery drone company to win approval from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in 2019.

READ MORE: Amazon delivery drones keep crashing

And it looks like it’s just the beginning for Wing. The company has its eyes on cities all over the world as potential places for high-volume drone deliveries. The company says it’s gearing up for several exciting announcements, including new partnerships, new technologies, and new cities.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• This egg-looking thing is a drone, webcam, and handheld camera all in one
• This drone is being trained to follow human screams
• If you want pizza delivered by drone, you might have to change your house
• Watch this drone go down in an epic blaze of glory as it flies into an active volcano

The post Alphabet’s Wing drone has now delivered over 10,000 cups of coffee appeared first on KnowTechie.

Whichever side of the fence you lie on, there’s no denying that drones haven’t really found widespread practical use yet. Some companies are looking to change that. A future where pizzas are delivered by flying tech could be on the horizon.

The fight for flight

Image: Amazon

Amazon, Google, and United Parcel Service Inc. have all been looking into the possibility of drone delivery for the last few years, and all three have received approval from the Federal Aviation Authority for limited deliveries. We’re not looking at the possibility of having a hot tub air-lifted into your back yard just yet, but you’ll be able to get the swimming shorts and bikini for it, at least.

At the moment, the biggest issue is that there’s no streamlined way to complete these deliveries. With no specific spots to drop packages, there have been issues with where parcels actually land. Nobody wants to be dodging a package falling through the skies either, so architects and builders may need to rethink the way homes are designed in the future. Imagine having a specific landing pad where you can receive deliveries.

The winds of change

One startup company facing these difficulties is Valqari. The Chicago-based company has been operating since 2017 and is working on a drone-delivery mailbox that can accept most shipments. That Pop Vinyl you’ve had on backorder for months? You can rest easy knowing it’ll be delivered by air. Can’t be bothered cooking? Defy the laws of nature and watch as chicken wings fly to your drone box.

Their fantastic concept sees a drone loaded with a payload before landing on a chimney stack-style destination tower. The recipient is then informed of their delivery and they can pick it up. If the idea takes off, it’s easy to imagine every home with a drone-delivery box. It wouldn’t need to be outside the home like a traditional mailbox either. There’s no reason this unique solution can’t be mounted on a rooftop or the side of your home. For smaller homes or apartment buildings, it’s easy to picture an Amazon Locker-style central hub where everyone has their own unique access.

Designing for drones

Valqari’s solution isn’t the only one being considered. The Paramount Miami Worldcenter has a Skyport on the roof for Jetsons-style sky taxis, and while these might be a world away at this point, there’s no reason they can’t be used for drone delivery in the short term. Developer Dan Kodsi, the chief executive of Royal Palm Cos. sees no reason this can’t be done, as there are already elevators running all the way up to the roof. According to The Wall Street Journal, he even admits that the Skyport has been a selling point for some buyers, so it seems that consumers are also aware of future possibilities.

Everybody’s favorite gun, gummi bear, and Greek salad-selling conglomerate Walmart is also thinking about a drone-filled future. It recently filed a patent application for chute-delivery systems mounted on to apartment buildings. You can take a look at that here, but all I really want to know is whether it can be used as a slide.

All of these ideas are unique approaches to the difficulties currently faced when delivering via drone, so it’s great to see so many different approaches to the problem. As soon as I can fly a pizza to my front door, I’ll be more than happy, but until then, I’m content just watching all the different ideas being thrown about.

What do you think? How do you feel about a future filled with drones? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Police in California are using autonomous drones to track suspects
• The new DJI Mini 2 is the pocketable 4K drone you want to buy
• Drug cartels in Mexico are now using drones to assassinate people
• Amazon gets the official green light from the FAA to begin its Prime Air drone delivery trials

The post If you want pizza delivered by drone, you might have to change your house appeared first on KnowTechie.

According to the report, police in Chula Vista, California used a drone to track a suspect that they were unable to keep up with through traditional means. Using a drone, the department tracked a man with a gun and bag of heroin through traffic, around obstacles, and even through a shopping mall that the man fled to. The suspect dumped the gun and heroin, with the drone capturing all of it. Then, when fleeing, he ducked in a shopping mall and emerged on the other side. The drone captured it all.

This isn’t a single occurrence either. The report notes that this police department uses drones about 15 times per day on average. It’s part of the department’s Drone as First Responder program. It received approval for this project back in July.

Drones have been used in policing for years, but it was all very manual. Drive to where you need to be. Launch the drone and pilot it. But new updates to drone technology, have automated much of the process.

There are some positives to using drones. For one, during the current pandemic, it can help limit exposure. There could also be benefits for drone use, as it can be a cheaper alternative. With many people calling for budget cuts to police departments across the country, drone monitoring could help.

While this condensed example is a promising use of the technology, civil liberty groups are concerned about what it could mean for the future.

Jay Stanley, a senior policy analyst with the American Civil Liberties Union’s Project on Speech, Privacy and Technology, tells The Times, “Communities should ask hard questions about these programs. As the power and scope of this technology expands, so does the need for privacy protection. Drones can be used to investigate known crimes. But they are also sensors that can generate offenses.”

What do you think? How do you feel about police using drones? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• The new DJI Mini 2 is the pocketable 4K drone you want to buy
• Apple’s head of security allegedly bribed police with iPads for gun permits
• Drug cartels in Mexico are now using drones to assassinate people
• Police in one city are using Ring Doorbells to monitor video livestreams

The post Police in California are using autonomous drones to track suspects appeared first on KnowTechie.

Most of the criticism leveled at the prior Mini has been addressed, with the camera being upgraded to 4K at 30fps, with a bitrate of 100Mbps, and you can grab RAW images instead of being limited to JPG. The Mini 2 also gets DJI’s OcuSync 2 wireless, extending the controllable range to 10km (that’s 6.21 in freedom miles). Yes, no more flaky WiFi connection, which is exactly what you don’t want if you’re controlling something with spinning blades above your head.

The best thing about the Mini 2 however is that it’s still only 249 grams, so it comes under the weight limit for registering your drone with the FAA. With the regulations around flight getting ever tighter, that might be the main thing that drives your buying decision.

You get the same controller used for the larger Mavic Air 2, which is again a huge improvement over the older DJI controllers. The Mini 2 is also faster, with a new 35.8 mph top speed (from 29 mph), faster acceleration, and an extra minute of battery life, now at 31 minutes of air time. It’s even more stable, with the ability to shrug off 24 mph gusts of wind, up from the previous 18 mph.

Yes, you have to pay another $50 over the original Mini’s price tag. The better wireless connection is worth that cost just on its own though, to say nothing about the rest of the improvements.

What do you think? Are you interested in this new drone from DJI? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Review: Potensic D58 drone with 1080p camera
• Walmart is testing a drone delivery service for groceries and household goods
• Drug cartels in Mexico are now using drones to assassinate people
• The person flying a jet pack near LAX might have finally been caught on video

The post The new DJI Mini 2 is the pocketable 4K drone you want to buy appeared first on KnowTechie.

The Mavic Mini is just under the weight limit for registering with the FAA, so you don’t need to register your drone before you fly. It takes 12 MP photos and 2.7K video, from DJI’s smooth and stable 3-axis gimbal and flight package. A huge battery provides up to 30 minutes of flight time with one charge, but you don’t just get one with this kit, you get three for up to 90 minutes of flight with the quick-swappable battery.

The kit also comes with three pairs of spare propellers for those inevitable crashes, propeller guards, a two-way charging hub for all those batteries, an 18W charger, a controller, and a whole slew of cables and screws to keep everything in working order.

The obvious kicker here is that you have to be an Amazon Prime member to score this deal. If you’re not a member, sign up for their free 30-day trial here and take advantage of this deal.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• This stone wireless charger from Eggtronic is currently 30% off, coming in at only $42
• Prime Day brings the price of these Sony noise-canceling headphones down to just $123 (usually $248)
• This Prime Day deal gets you a Ring Video Doorbell and Echo Dot for just $70
• Snag the 1More triple-driver over-ear headphones on Prime Day for only $139

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

The post The DJI Mavic Mini Combo is $100 off for Prime Day 2020 (usually $499) appeared first on KnowTechie.

So, how will it work? Much like your robovacs that map rooms and can either clean autonomously or on set paths, you’ll be able to do similar things with the Always Home Cam. At first, you’ll need to build a map of your home and do some things to make sure the drone looks in the appropriate places, but after that, it will be able to monitor your home on its own.

Also like some robovacs, when the drone has finished monitoring your home, it will automatically return to the charging dock. It should be noted that while the drone is charging that the camera is obscured and it only records while in flight. It would have been nice to see this work as both a stationary camera and a flying camera, but sadly, that isn’t the case.

Overall, it’s an interesting piece of tech, but one that will have to prove itself when it releases in 2021.

What do you think? How do you feel about a drone that flys around and monitors your home? Are you interested in this product from Ring? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• A Tesla driver has been charged with dangerous driving for sleeping during autopilot session
• Review: Anker Eufy Robovac G10 – a mop/vacuum hybrid
• The FBI is worried people are using video doorbells as early warning systems for police raids
• Review: Soliom Wireless Solar-Powered Outdoor Camera – harness the power of the sun

The post Ring has a new security camera that flies around your home and monitors things appeared first on KnowTechie.

While DJI might have the top end of the consumer drone market sewn up, not everyone is willing (or able) to pay their premium prices. That leaves a huge space in the market for other drone manufacturers to swoop in and carve out their own market share, and one of the better-known names in that space is Potensic.

They’ve made a name for themselves with low-cost, beginner-friendly drones that provide all the flying fun you crave, but at a significantly lower price point than the giants of the industry.

Today we’re going to be looking at one of their latest drones, the $180 D58, which comes in a kit with an aluminum carry case and two batteries, along with some spare parts in case you break something.

So, what’s it all about?

Image: Joe Rice-Jones / KnowTechie

The Potensic D58 is a fixed-wing quadcopter, in the style popularized by the DJI Phantom range. Normally, you’d have to find a suitable packing case and get foam cut for carrying such a drone, but Potensic has done the hard work for you and included a foam-filled aluminum box, that also protects the drone on the way from wherever you bought it. It’s a nice touch, adding carrying capacity in a stylish case, and one I wouldn’t expect to see at this price point.

It’s not a big drone by any means, weighing in at 230g. That’s important, as it means it’s lighter than the weight you will have to register your drone with the authorities if you live in the USA, Canada, or the UK. Please do check the rules for your country before flying your new drone, as any responsible drone owner should.

The motors powering it aren’t brushless, unfortunately, which would have been nice to see as they’re more efficient and powerful. Still, that helps Potensic keep the price of the D58 down so it’s a decent trade-off. The brushed motors are still powerful, so you’ll be fine until you decide to upgrade down the line. The LiPo batteries are 7.4V, 1000 mAh, which are rated to 18 minutes of flight time each. Expect a few minutes less than that, as batteries never live up to their full rating. Recharge time is slow, taking several hours, and the included charging cable only charges one battery at a time.

Each motor has a huge colored LED light underneath, which helps with orientation if flying during twilight hours, and shows when the drone compass has completed calibration before flying.

Now, after flying ability, the most important part of any drone nowadays is the camera. The 1080p camera on the Potensic D58 is dampened slightly with rubber, which will help stabilize images from it, but if you expect DJI gimbal levels you’ll be disappointed. You can put a micro SDcard into the camera to record onto that if you don’t want to fill up your smartphone, otherwise, the Potensic app will use your smartphone’s internal memory.

Unlike more expensive drones, you get a controller in the box, which takes 4 AA batteries (not included). If you’ve used any controller from any other drone maker, you’ll be right at home here, with two joysticks, buttons for video and photo capture, and a button to switch the camera from forward and looking down orientations.

So, is it any good?

Drones in this price bracket don’t get nice things like ground sensors that keep them more stable in hover. That means the D58 needs a manual compass calibration before every flight. If you’ve ever been asked by Google Maps to do swooping motions with your phone, you know what I’m talking about here. The thing is, the calibration is only as good as you make it. I’ve been flying for weeks now and the drone still tends to drift when hovering, to the point that I won’t hover it near me as it can be quite nippy when it does drift.

That said, every drone I’ve flown with the exception of DJI models has some level of drift, and it’s easily remedied by moving the stick in the opposite direction slightly. With practice, this becomes second nature and will make you a better pilot for when you decide to upgrade.

Okay, before I talk about the quality of the camera and its images, just remember the price of this drone. You’re not going to get gimbal-stabilized images with optical image stabilization, as mentioned above. That’s fine since you’d be paying at least $200 more for that. The rubber dampener system is functional enough and fits the overall level this drone is for. It’s good enough for FPS flight, and you can get some okay images but don’t expect to get the quality of a photo-focused drone.

So, should I buy one?

At $180, the Potensic D58 is a decent entry into the world of drone ownership. It gives you enough functionality and ease-of-flight to help you figure out if flight is for you, without having to deal with things like registering it with the FAA before starting. The camera won’t win any awards, but it’s decent enough for the price and is clear enough to fly by. Other drone makers could learn something from the number of accessories that Potensic includes here, with a controller, spare parts, and that great carrying case.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Review: DJI Ryze Tello drone
• Review: TRNDlabs FADER drone
• Review: Parrot Mambo – A mini drone full of sweet tricks
• Walmart is testing a drone delivery service for groceries and household goods

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more. A sample unit was provided for the purpose of this review.

The post Review: Potensic D58 drone with 1080p camera appeared first on KnowTechie.

Walmart is partnering up Flytrex, an end-to-end drone-delivery company, to get the ball rolling. And folks living in Fayetteville, North Carolina, will get first dibs on testing the service out.

“We know that it will be some time before we see millions of packages delivered via drone. That still feels like a bit of science fiction, but we’re at a point where we’re learning more and more about the technology that is available, and how we can use it to make our customers’ lives easier,” wrote Tom Ward, senior vice president of customer product at Walmart, in the announcement. 

Here’s a quick video of what these drone deliveries look like

As for the drones delivering Walmart’s goods, they’re capable of flying at 32 mph at 230 feet and can carry up to 6.6 pounds. And Flytrex drones are part of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Integration Pilot Program. This is the program that allows drones to fly outside of line-of-sight, obviously an important factor in drone delivery services.

Walmart isn’t the only player in the drone delivery business game. Amazon recently got FAA approval to begin its Prime Air delivery trials, as well as Wing, a subsidiary of Google. I wouldn’t be surprised to see more pop up in the next couple of years.

All in all, this is a step in the right direction for Walmart. With the company competing with Amazon every step of the way, this move was inevitable.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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But now, it seems like drug cartels in Mexico are starting to use small drones to “deliver” C4 loads to opposing cartel members. First reported by Mexico News Daily, a militia group in Tepalcatepec, Michoacán found two drones in an abandoned cartel vehicle. Attached to these drones were Tupperware-like containers with C4 and ball bearings inside.

These citizen militia members note that they have heard various explosions around the city, but so far, no one has been injured or killed in the attacks. These militia members chalk that up to the cartels not being able to pilot the drones and detonate the C4 with precision yet.

According to the report, the cartel, Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was previously using small planes to drop explosives over the city, but due to increased air surveillance, CJNG switched to drones, which cannot currently be detected by authorities.

What do you think? Surprised that drones are being used for something like this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• New drone service will deliver library books to VA students
• Skydio is donating drones and personal protective equipment to first responders
• A startup in San Francisco is repurposing Skydio 2 drones for warehouse stock control
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The post Drug cartels in Mexico are now using drones to assassinate people appeared first on KnowTechie.

Now, this doesn’t mean Amazon will start making drone deliveries right away, but getting the thumbs up from the FAA is a crucial part of the equation. The approval allows Amazon to “safely and efficiently deliver packages to customers,” the FAA said. They’re even giving the company the ability to deliver goods on small drones “beyond the visual line of sight” of the operator. Being able to fly a drone beyond a visual line of sight is a huge no-no for most consumer drones.

READ MORE: Amazon’s Prime Air drone delivery service is taking flight in California

“This certification is an important step forward for Prime Air and indicates the FAA’s confidence in Amazon’s operating and safety procedures for an autonomous drone delivery service that will one day deliver packages to our customers around the world,” David Carbon, vice president of Prime Air, says in a statement. “We will continue to develop and refine our technology to fully integrate delivery drones into the airspace, and work closely with the FAA and other regulators around the world to realize our vision of 30 minute delivery.”

This has been a long time coming. Amazon has been actively testing these drones for a while now. The company isn’t saying where they plan to test its commercial delivery trials, but we do know they have test sites in Virginia and somewhere outside of the Vancouver area. We can probably expect to see more of these testing sites pop up elsewhere later this year.

Getting the FAA’s approval to do this was no easy feat. According to CNBC, “Amazon went through rigorous training and submitted detailed evidence that its drone delivery operations are safe, including demonstrating the technology for FAA inspectors.”

Amazon isn’t the first company to get FAA approval for drone deliveries. Wing and UPS are already conducting FAA-approved trials. Wing is delivering over-the-counter medicine for FedEx in Virginia while UPS is delivering prescriptions in North Carolina.

So as you can see, drone deliveries are coming to a doorstep near you very soon and the wheels are already in motion. Let’s just hope they iron out all the kinks during these trial phases.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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The post Amazon gets the official green light from the FAA to begin its Prime Air drone delivery trials appeared first on KnowTechie.

Some students live in rural areas, far from their local libraries. Others don’t have internet access, keeping them from accessing digital books. For these students, it seems like there may be no safe way to access those books.

One Virginia librarian is pioneering a new approach to book loans — autonomous drone delivery.

School district partners with drone company to deliver books

During the school year, the schools in Montgomery County, Virginia, used buses to deliver daily meals and reading materials to students’ homes. Now that the school year is over, district librarians are adopting a new approach.

Kelly Passek, the Blacksburg Middle School librarian, is behind a drone delivery service bringing books directly to students in the county school district. Passek was inspired by Wing, the Alphabet-owned technology company that uses drones to deliver food and other essentials to customers in the Virginia area. The service has been around since 2014, but its popularity has exploded in recent months.

While it’s less safe to eat out or make a trip to the grocery store, drones can safely deliver food or medications. They also don’t risk the spread of COVID-19 between delivery person and recipient. When Passek reached out to Wing to start a drone-powered book delivery service, the company’s local leaders enthusiastically agreed.

The district’s book delivery service started in a limited capacity in early June. Now, students in the county have access to the library’s full range of books — more than 150,000 titles in total.

It will likely go a long way in ensuring that students can continue to read during the pandemic. 25 percent of students report that homework is the biggest source of stress in their life. Continued access to reading and study materials may take some of the pressure off students.

The service is also likely to be a big boon for students and parents without internet access. Many school libraries can provide ebooks to quarantined students. But the county, which is in the western part of the state, is mostly rural. As a result, internet access is “nonexistent” in some area communities.

How the district delivers books directly to students

Passek coordinates the deliveries with Wing. Students request books using an online form. Passek pulls the books and packs them in drone-ready delivery boxes. She then drops them off with Wing, which handles the rest of the delivery.

The drones use specialized software that plans an air traffic-free route that will get them to their destination. Once there, the drones hover above a clear space — like a driveway or empty yard — and use a rope to lower the delivery to the ground. So long as a student’s home has a suitable “runway,” they can opt-in to the program.

Wing’s drones are mostly autonomous, though professional pilots oversee them while they’re in the air.

Drones will likely be essential to life during COVID-19

The service is part of a new trend towards autonomous drone delivery that is being seen around the world. Delivery companies have used experimental drones in the past, but the tech hadn’t caught on until now. The pressure of COVID-19 seems to be changing the use of drones across the economy.

Many existing, limited drone programs have expanded their services over the past few months. The tech is being used to reduce contact between delivery people. In some areas, drones are also delivering to underserved communities, like rural First Nation communities in Canada.

Non-drone based delivery services cut down on interpersonal contact. However, they may not be enough for those with health conditions that make them more vulnerable to COVID. Some delivery services also struggle to serve rural areas.

Drone-based delivery can solve both of these problems — and is sometimes even faster than delivery by car. Once the crisis is over, it may remain a fixture of normal life.

What do you think? Would you like to see more drone delivery options? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Skydio is donating drones and personal protective equipment to first responders
• A startup in San Francisco is repurposing Skydio 2 drones for warehouse stock control
• A UPS drone has successfully delivered prescription meds to homes in North Carolina
• The FAA just approved Wing as the first US-based drone delivery service

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DJI didn’t stop with a redesign for the Mavic Air 2 though, as the pocketable photo drone also has a newly designed controller with no visible antennas. That was one of the things that annoyed us about the prior controller so it’s good to see this change.

It’s also DJI’s safest and smartest drone to date. The camera has preprogrammed scene detection for snow, trees, grass, blue skies, sunsets, sunrises, and all of the nifty DJI autonomous flying modes get a boost.

The camera sports a half-inch “Quad Bayer” sensor, which is pretty similar to the 48-megapixel sensor that has been in smartphones for the last year or so. Video-wise, it can shoot 4K at 60 fps, and HDR at 4K 30 fps. It can also do 8K time-lapses, with all modes allowing this around the end of June.

This is also the first drone on the market with AirSense, a specialized tech that detects and warns the drone operator about nearby aircraft. North America gets the new Mavic Air 2 first, with other regions slated to begin sales in the summer. Yes, that delay is due to the pandemic.

It’ll be $799 on its own, or $988 for the Fly More bundle, which adds a carrying bag, prop guards, three batteries, a charging hub – and some ND filters.

What do you think? Interested in the Mavic Air 2? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Skydio is donating drones and personal protective equipment to first responders
• A startup in San Francisco is repurposing Skydio 2 drones for warehouse stock control
• DJI’s Mavic Mini drone flies high with its capable features and affordable price
• Flocks of drones keep popping up in rural Colorado and Nebraska for no rhyme or reason

The post DJI’s $799 Mavic Air 2 features longer flight times and better obstacle avoidance appeared first on KnowTechie.

Whether it’s grocery store workers helping make sure we have food on our tables or healthcare workers helping to keep us safe, many people are still required to be in the public, risking potential health issues. Now, drone company Skydio is looking to help some of those on the front lines by providing both drones and personal protective equipment.

Announced this week, Skydio is partnering with Frontline Support to provide over one million articles of personal protective equipment (PPE) to first responders around the country. According to the press release, the equipment has been “delivered to the University of Washington Hospital System, and consists of medical-grade masks, gloves, gowns, and face shields, sourced from all over the world.”

In addition to the PPE, Skydio will also move forward on providing dozens of Skydio 2 drones to various public safety agencies across the US, as well as accompanying equipment and even free training and support at no cost. Skydio notes that this plan was already starting to be implemented, but due to the coronavirus, they decided to push up the timeline.

“This is an ‘all hands on deck’ moment for companies in the US and all over the world to contribute whatever we can to help our healthcare workers and first responders,” said Adam Bry, Co-Founder and CEO of Skydio.

What do you think? Do you want to see more companies make these kinds of efforts? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

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See, having to take stock of inventory is a necessary evil for all companies that hold product. It’s supposed to happen two (or even four) times a year, but with the rise in ecommerce and labor issues, this doesn’t always happen. Ware’s solution is elegant – use the world’s smartest drone to take pictures of every bin location in the racks, and have machine learning process those images into the inventory database.

That means warehouse managers can get full-counts monthly, an unheard frequency, typically. It also has a full visual audit trail, as the system stores each image for posterity. The best part for me is that it’s using Skydio’s best drone as an off-the-shelf solution. That reduces downtime and means Ware can get on with making sure their software system is accurate.

It’s insane to think how far automatically flying drones have come in such a short time. The Skydio 2 is perfect for the enclosed spaces of warehouse stacks, with excellent spacial awareness and the capability to navigate all the static and moving obstacles found in a typical warehousing situation.

I used to work in warehouse and logistics management, and I can’t tell you how much time and stress this system would have saved me monthly. Super impressive stuff from the Ware team.

What do you think? What other industries could benefit from drones? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Flocks of drones keep popping up in rural Colorado and Nebraska for no rhyme or reason
• A UPS drone has successfully delivered prescription meds to homes in North Carolina
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The post A startup in San Francisco is repurposing Skydio 2 drones for warehouse stock control appeared first on KnowTechie.

He envisions hundreds of drones working together to track environmental data that scientists can then use to predict bushfire outbreaks — not unlike monitoring air pressure, humidity, and wind speed as a way to predict tomorrow’s weather.

An early bushfire detection system

Professor Joe Dong believes that “ground resolution and level of details captured by drone would be much better than satellite.” Professor Dong is currently raising funding to build a system similar to the Autel Evo 2 that captures true HD footage on cameras.

He envisages the system will be ready for next year’s bushfire season in Australia. If it tests well, similar systems are likely to be adopted in other wildfire-prone countries. However, Professor Dong notes that” Saving lives will depend on uptake and response by government or other authorities who are at risk and can use this as a proactive option in their overall suite of preventative measures.”

Bushfires ravaging Australia

The ongoing bushfires in Australia have killed at least 34 people and have been responsible for emitting 306 million tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere. The economic cost of these fires is expected to exceed $4.4 billion as it has damaged homes, infrastructure, and animal habitats.

These fires put intense political pressure on Prime Minister Scott Morrison who was during the crisis, vacationing in Hawaii, which The Guardian slammed him by saying, “Where the bloody hell was he?” As a result, protestors camped outside of his place waiting for him to return from his holiday.

Around the world

Climate change has been largely accepted as the cause of the increased number of wildfires around the world. It’s not just Australia experiencing unprecedented wildfires.

Europe saw a record number of fires in 2019, including Spain’s biggest wildfires in twenty years, whilst 2018 saw one of the most destructive wildfire seasons ever recorded in California’s history, which saw 14,000 firefighters deployed to help take control of the blaze.

Search and rescue

With climate change-related disasters anticipated to increase year-on-year, drones have proven to be playing a key role in search and rescue efforts. So far, there have been 279 lives saved through drones.

Weather prediction plays a large role in the prediction and tracking of fires. For example, prolonged heat and humidity can contribute to wildfires combusting — while wind speed and direction, along with satellite imagery, can tell scientists the likely direction the fires will spread.

Problems with satellite imagery

Satellite images provide scientists with topographic maps and show the potential fuel sources for fires. Often these will be things like bushes, trees, and shrubs. With that being said, there are some problems with using satellite imagery for prediction, such as:

• Cost: The cost to acquire the rights from the satellite imagery is expensive.

• Satellite ownership: If a foreign government owns a satellite, then this can limit the ability for scientists to do their job. 
• Unreliable imagery: Satellites are prone to smoke and clouds, meaning that often the images can be low-detailed and unclear.

Other developments in the drone space

Nokia is currently testing a similar drone disaster detection system in Sendai City, Japan — the coastal area that was devastated by a tsunami in 2011. Nokia’s system relies on using sensors to detect high-risk events.

Nokia automatically sends outs a series of broadcast messages when a potential upcoming disaster is detected:

• Cellphones: People receive a broadcast alert message to their cellphones. 
• Flying drones: In public areas, drones fly over and announce the warning via speakers.

Drones promise a future where technology and innovation can work together to overcome issues that would have devastated us in the past. Drone technology may be relatively young and it is rapidly outpacing the old ways of doing things. By paying attention to the promise of progress, scientists are now able to equip firefighters and other crisis response teams to not only prepare for the worst — but to defeat it.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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The post This university professor is creating a bushfire detection system appeared first on KnowTechie.

It sounds kind of creepy like an episode of The Twilight Zone, huh?

Except, this isn’t some kind of TV show; instead, it’s an ongoing situation in Colorado and Nebraska. Since late-December, drones have been hovering over suburban and countryside towns at night and citizens scratching their heads as to where these flying objects came from.

Wyatt Harman of Colorado spoke with The Today Show about his and his girlfriend’s encounter with these mysterious aircraft. The couple found one of them hanging over Harman’s property and chased it down for a little over 15 miles before it vanished. “It’s more unnerving than anything,” he says.

Folks in Colorado and Nebraska have no idea where these swarms of drones are coming from

Naturally, with no defining answer for the drones’ origins, there are theories. Some are saying it could be a series of pranks going too far, others are saying that its part of a government surveillance program and a few are saying it, of course, aliens.

While any of those could be a reasonable answer (maybe the aliens one is a bit far-fetched) there are still, as of this writing, no “why” behind the drones’ appearances.

Sheriff James Brueggeman of Perkins County, Nebraska shares his own views on the drones after receiving requests from citizens to shoot down the aircraft.

In terms of aircraft flying at night and not being identified, this is a first for me personally. I think it’s kind of a joke, but you have to remember the part of the country we live in. People here don’t like their privacy to be invaded.

Authorities on both the federal and local level are aware of this situation as well. The Federal Aviation Administration is advocating that drones should be identifiable not from the human eye, but should be trackable. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) has also said that the state will “closely monitor” the situation.

Regardless of who or what is controlling the drones, let’s hope its not some kind of alien invasion.

What do you think? Simple prank or government monitoring (or aliens???)? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

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The post Flocks of drones keep popping up in rural Colorado and Nebraska for no rhyme or reason appeared first on KnowTechie.

OneZero has the details on Esper’s declaration. The release of the announcement is also the first time a US official has spoken out against China’s sale of drones.

As we speak, the Chinese government is already exporting some of its most advanced military aerial drones to the Middle East, as it prepares to export its next generation stealth UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles] when those come on line. In addition, Chinese weapons manufacturers are selling drones advertised as capable of full autonomy, including the ability to conduct lethal targeted strikes.

The United States reaffirms China’s sale of militarized drones

In September, the country started to advertise drones from the company Ziyan. Drones, mind you, that are capable of swarm attacks.

This doesn’t mean Chinese citizens aren’t against unmanned aerial vehicles. In the city of Bejing, people have started a movement, the accurately named Stop Killer Robots Campaign, in order to stop the sales of militarized drones. Stop Killer Robots published a list of 28 other countries that are joining in their campaign. However, the movement is not against the production of drones.

READ MORE: A UPS drone has successfully delivered prescription meds to homes in North Carolina

Over the past year, China and the US have been at odds with one another over the use of AI in overseas combat. The Department of Defense is concerned about China pushing AI-oriented technology in order to create a highly-monitored country. “All signs point to the construction of a 21st-century surveillance state designed to censor speech and deny basic human rights on an unprecedented scale,” Esper says.

Regardless of how anyone feels about drones used by either the US or China, it’s getting scary out there.

What do you think? Worried about drones being militarized? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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The post The U.S. military says China is selling lethal autonomous drones appeared first on KnowTechie.