Mobile By Russell Holly Jan. 8, 2014 4:01 pm
The world of toys you can control with your phone is about to get smaller, faster, and in some cases downright insect-like.
Few things that you can drive with your phone are as iconic as the Parrot AR.Drone. The lightweight quadcopter has been a huge hit for years, despite being a little pricey and not always the best bang for your buck. What made it so exciting was the ability to use your phone or tablet to pilot the monster, especially when you can use your display to see through the camera mounted on the drone. Parrot has spent the last couple of years refining the AR Drone, but is now adding some smaller companions to its collection of connected toys.
Both the MiniDrone and the Jumping Sumo follow in the footsteps of the AR.Drone. They are smartphone controlled gadgets where the mounted camera can be your eyes. What they offer the user individually is a wildly different driving experience. The MiniDrone behaves more like its older brother, although the protective shell has been replaced with some detachable wheels for indoor play. The Jumping Sumo, on the other hand, is not a quadcopter at all, relying exclusively on wheels and a flicking mechanism that sends it flying several feet in the air.
Parrot has not announced pricing for either of these toys, but it seems likely they will be less expensive than their larger AR.Drone. You can find a sign-up form on their website for more information when it becomes available, but for now you can just sit back and imagine what kind of trouble you can get into with these little remote-controlled mess-makers.
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Few things that you can drive with your phone are as iconic as the Parrot AR.Drone. The lightweight quadcopter has been a huge hit for years, despite being a little pricey and not always the best bang for your buck. What made it so exciting was the ability to use your phone or tablet to pilot the monster, especially when you can use your display to see through the camera mounted on the drone. Parrot has spent the last couple of years refining the AR Drone, but is now adding some smaller companions to its collection of connected toys.
Both the MiniDrone and the Jumping Sumo follow in the footsteps of the AR.Drone. They are smartphone controlled gadgets where the mounted camera can be your eyes. What they offer the user individually is a wildly different driving experience. The MiniDrone behaves more like its older brother, although the protective shell has been replaced with some detachable wheels for indoor play. The Jumping Sumo, on the other hand, is not a quadcopter at all, relying exclusively on wheels and a flicking mechanism that sends it flying several feet in the air.
Parrot has not announced pricing for either of these toys, but it seems likely they will be less expensive than their larger AR.Drone. You can find a sign-up form on their website for more information when it becomes available, but for now you can just sit back and imagine what kind of trouble you can get into with these little remote-controlled mess-makers.
More...
