Parrot’s AR.Drone 2.0 quadricopter touts much improved 720p HD video-recording capability, a revamped app with updated flight controls and features, along with revised hardware and reinforced hulls.
The A.R. Drone 2.0 is a definite improvement over the original A.R. Drone which was introduced at last years Consumer Electronics Show.
Engadget reports:
Off the bat, it’s clear that the AR.Drone 2.0 is more aggressively styled, with sharper edges and streamlined curves. The new indoor hull has also be re-enforced, for even more protection against any accidental floor-dives. Parrot’s also aimed to streamline the user experience, starting with its Freeflight 2.0 app for Android and iOS, which acts as a portal to all of the AR’s various flight modes and related games and software. Notably, unlike it’s predecessor, you can now capture videos and photos straight from your device and then share them to sites like YouTube. Better yet, it also features a new “traveling” mode, which allows for autonomous video recording along a pre-determined flight path — perfect for budding filmmakers who’d like some aerial pizzaz. The Drone’s HD camera is notably smoother looking during flight, with much less video-stutter than what could be achieved with the original. While we weren’t able to take out our own clip, we were shown some previously recorded videos loaded on the iPad being used to control it, and they certainly looked very good.
If you’re got a urge to fly, you’ll be happy to hear that the AR.Drone 2.0 is set for shipping in “Q2 of this year,” at the same $300 price point of the previous model.