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Parrot Swing drone review


Remote controlled planes, helicopters, and drones can be a lot of fun if they are easy to fly and don’t shatter into a million pieces when you crash them, which you know will happen. The newest drone to fly the skies near my house is the Parrot Swing minidrone. Let’s see how fun it is to fly and if it can survive a crash.

What is it?

The Parrot Swing minidrone is a remote-controlled flying toy with a built in camera.

What’s in the box?

Parrot Swing drone
2 Batteries
Flypad remote control
4 replacement propellers
micro USB charging cable
Manuals for the Swing and Flypad

Design and features

The Parrot Swing drone is an X-shaped drone with lightweight foam wings.

The front of the Swing has 2 LEDs that give it a bug-eyed appearance, but they are really only there to provide status on the drone as far as battery life, connection to the Flypad, etc.

The rear of the Swing has a battery slot, micro USB charging port and a tiny camera which is located to the left of the micro USB connector. Before you get too excited, the camera will NOT capture video. It can only capture snapshots.

The Parrot Swing comes with 2 batteries. In the image above, one battery is installed in the drone. Charging is done with the included micro USB cable which can be connected to an existing USB power adapter or a port on your computer.

The power switch is located on the bottom/belly of the drone.

Also included with the drone is a very nice handheld controller called the Flypad. This controller pairs with an Android or iOS smartphone which attaches to the Flypad using the spring loaded holder.

The Flypad has joystick controls and shoulder buttons. It feels like a premium gaming controller.

In the image above, I have an LG G6 connected to the Flypad. The Flypad has built in rechargeable batteries which charge through a micro USB port in the center bottom edge of the controllers.

Let’s fly the Parrot Swing drone!

Before you can take the Parrot Swing on its first flight, you will need to charge it using the included micro USB cable. It takes about 30 minutes to charge the battery. My suggestion is to charge one battery, remove it, insert the second battery and charge it too. This way you can swap batteries for double the flight time. It’s too bad that Parrot doesn’t include an external charger that will charge both batteries at the same time.

The next step is to install the free FreeFlight Mini app on your iOS or Android device. You can use your phone as the controller, but it’s a lot more fun and easy to fly if you charge up the Flypad.

When the Swing’s battery is fully charged, the app is installed on your mobile device and the Flypad is charged, it’s time to head outdoors.

You press the power button on the Swing power it up and then place it on the ground with the propellers facing upwards.

When the 2 “eyes” on the drone are solid green, you can launch the FreeFlight mini app on your mobile device and make sure Bluetooth is enabled. The app will see the drone and connect to it. You can then turn on the Flypad controller and the app will detect and connect to it.

Pressing the dedicated take off and landing button on the Flypad will cause the Swing’s propellers to start rotating and will raise the drone a few feet in the air. Moving the left joystick on the Flypad up and down will raise and lower the drone, and using the right joystick will make the drone fly side to side.

When you first start flying the Swing, it’s in quad mode (image above) which means it can fly up, down, left, and right like a typical drone. But if you press the right shoulder button on the Flypad controller, it will switch to plane mode which flips the Swing over so it looks like a flying dragonfly (other images in this review) instead of a flying X if that makes sense. The joysticks and buttons on the Flypad react differently depending on the mode you’re in.

There are also dedicated buttons that will do a U-turn and a loop in the air. The U-turn is very useful if you happen to be flying straight towards a building or tree!






If you don’t want to use the Flypad, you can fly the Swing just using the onscreen buttons in the FlightTime Mini app. But I think the Flypad provides a much better experience.

The app does give you details about each flight and allows you to see and share the images that you took with the Swing’s built-in camera to Facebook or download them. But trust me when I say that you probably will not be sharing any of the images.



I kept trying to get a picture of myself and as you can see from the samples above, it wasn’t an easy task. Even if I would have been able to get a good picture, the resolution is really low.

See it in action!

I thought it was difficult to control the Parrot Swing the first time I flew it. But it only took a few minutes to get the hang of it. Unfortunately, the flight time per battery charge is just that, only a few minutes. That’s why I suggested that you charge both batteries before you head outside to fly it. Thirty minutes of charging will allow you to fly for about 10 minutes give or take. The app will start beeping when the battery power is down to 7% and the Parrot Swing minidrone will go into quad mode and land by itself when battery power goes to 2-3%.

Can it survive a crash?

Yes, it can and yes it did. Multiple times. But there was some “damage”. After one crash I noticed that one of the propellers was missing. Trying to find a small black or white object in piles of leaf clutter was impossible. The propellers really should be a brighter, more noticeable color.

I didn’t freak out though because I remembered that an extra set of propellers are included in the package. So I went back to the house and installed one of the black propellers. I then went back outside to resume flying. But each time I tried to fly, the Parrot Swing would flop over. I double checked all the propellers and the wings to make sure there wasn’t some additional damage that I had missed, but everything looked and felt fine. I continued to try to fly it, but each time the propellers spun up, the drone will flop over on its side.

I returned to the house, flipped through the manual to see if there were any instructions for replacing the propellers and found none. So I searched around on Parrot’s website and found a user forum where another person was asking about the same problem. Long story short, there are clockwise propellers and counter-clockwise propellers. But the weird thing is that the color doesn’t designate which way they should turn or be installed. I had to install a white propeller in place of the missing black propeller.

Once I had the right propeller installed, flying fun commenced.

Final thoughts

The Parrot Swing minidrone is a LOT of fun to fly either in quad or plane mode (I like the plane mode the best). It’s not hard to get the hang of it and once you do, crashes don’t happen that often unless you’re flying near a lot of trees like I am. But if you do crash, the Swing seems to be tough enough to handle it. Just make sure that you have extra propellers handy and know which one goes where.

At about $99, the Parrot Swing isn’t too expensive. I just wish the built-in camera was better and the flight times were longer. But even with those minor complaints, it’s still a really fun flying toy.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Parrot. Please visit their site for more info and Amazon to order.

 

Product Information

Price: $139.99 MSRP
Manufacturer: Parrot
Retailer: Amazon
Pros:
  • Fun and relatively easy to fly
  • One press launch and land
  • Rugged
Cons:
  • Didn't include instructions for replacing propellers
  • Image quality isn't good

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged:

Parrot Swing drone review originally appeared on on April 18, 2017 at 4:03 pm.

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Aerix Vidius HD video drone review

Over the course of my time with the Gadgeteer I’ve had the opportunity to review several different drones. I’ve reviewed big drones, little drones, and video drones.

Two such drones, the Axis Vidius 420P video drone, and the Axis Aerius quadcopter, both flew well, but the Vidius was a bit bigger and had a built-in camera. Although I enjoyed flying both drones, I didn’t feel the quality of the Vidius’s camera footage justified its higher cost.

Recently I was given the chance to review the Vidius’s successor, the Vidius HD. With a 720P camera, the Vidius HD should have far greater video quality.

(It should be noted, shortly after reviewing the Vidius, Axis changed its company name to Aerix)

Specifications

  • Dimensions – 4.3cm x 4.3cm x 2.5cm
  • 720P Video and HD photos
  • 200 mAh battery
  • 3-Speeds
  • 6-Axis Gyro Stabilization
  • No FAA registration required

In the Box

  • Drone with blade guards
  • 2.4 gHz controller
  • USB charger cable
  • 4 replacement blades
  • Mini screwdriver
  • Mini blade remover

Design

According to the Aerix website, the Vidius and Vidius HD are identical in size. They also state it is the “world’s smallest live Streaming HD video drone”.

I’m not sure whether or not that claim is true, but the Vidius HD is small enough to fit in the palm of my hand.

The blades of the drone are each protected by a blade guard.

This is a nice upgrade from the original Vidius; I often found myself crashing, distorting the blades in the process.


One side of the drone has a small charging port, while the front contains the HD camera.


Below each rotor is an LED, red in the rear, green in the front. The LEDs are useful for maintaining orientation.

The drone itself is a pretty standard micro-drone. It appears to be the same body used with the original Vidius.

The controller is standard for a micro-drone.



The left joystick controls throttle and rotation, while the right controls forward/backward/left/right movement.

There is also a power switch and two trim controllers on the front.

The left bumper button on the controller activates “headless mode”, which means no matter which way the front of the drone is facing, the drone will move in the direction you push the joystick.

The right bumper button automatically returns the drone to the pilot while in headless mode.

The back of the controller is where the battery compartment is located.

All in all, the drone and controller are almost identical to the original Vidius.

Operation

Like the original Vidius, the drone can be controlled using the controller or a smartphone; although, there have been some minor changes to the way you operate the drone.

To use the controller, you power on both the controller and drone. Next, you move the throttle up, then down; this pairs the devices.

As before, this has to be done each time the devices are powered on. I’m still not certain why the drone and controller can’t be permanently paired together.

With the previous drones I’ve reviewed, the drone could immediately be flown after being paired by pressing up on the throttle. With the Vidius HD, Aerix added a few steps before flight begins.

Now before takeoff, Aerix suggests you calibrate the drone. This should help keep the drone stabilized.

Once the drone is calibrated, you can start the motors.

Even though the motors are running, the drone won’t take off until you raise the throttle.

Once you’re finally up and flying, the drone is easy to control. The controls are responsive and easy to get used to.

The Vidius HD is also equipped with “trick mode”. You enter it by pressing down on the right joystick. You then push the right joystick in any direction and the drone will do a flip.

The Vidius HD is a bit easier to fly than the drones I previously reviewed, but not by much.

Despite having “6-Axis Gyro Stabilization”, the drone still doesn’t hover in place and the pre-flight calibration doesn’t prevent the drone from occasionally drifting. 

To fly the Vidius using your smartphone or tablet, you go to the App Store or Play Store and download the “Vidius HD” app.

You open the app and you’re instructed to connect to the drone via Wi-Fi. You do this by selecting “VIDIUS Drone” from your Wi-Fi menu.

This is simple enough, but it does present some issues.

First, it’s really annoying to have to manually connect to a different Wi-Fi network everytime you want to use your drone.

Second, many newer phones – like my Pixel XL – don’t want to connect to a Wi-Fi network that doesn’t have an active internet connection. Some will notify you that the drone’s “network” doesn’t provide an internet connection and ask if you want to connect anyway; however, if your phone doesn’t do that, you have to tweak your Wi-Fi settings to allow for the connection.

It would be much better if the drone was able to connect to your phone via Bluetooth.

Once your drone is connected to the app, you will be presented with virtual controls atop the drone’s live video feed.


Above is a description of all the functions and controls available within the app.

I didn’t enjoy flying the drone using the app.

When using the on-screen controls, it’s too easy to have your thumbs slip out of the control area. It might be better if the phone vibrated as you reached the outer limits of the virtual joystick’s range.

You do have the option of controlling the drone in gyroscope mode. Instead of controlling motion with the right virtual joystick, you control it by tilting your phone in the desired direction. This isn’t nearly as easy as using the controller.

There is abother control mode that is new with the Vidius HD, draw-to-fly. This mode removes the right controller from the screen and allows you to trace a path along your phone that the drone will follow.

It’s a pretty neat feature, but ultimately not better than using a real joystick.

Finally, there is also a VR mode in which you can place your phone into VR googles. You get a first-person view of what the drone is seeing.

In theory it’s cool; in reality it’s impossible to fly the drone like this. I kept crashing within seconds.

Personally, I found using the controller is the best way to fly to drone, but it is nice to have options.

Video and Photographs

Taking photos and recording video is easy.

To do so, you press the camera or camcorder button in the upper left portion of the screen. Of course, your phone has to be connected to the drone’s Wi-Fi network to work properly.

To view the photos or videos, you press the button that looks like a browser refresh button, or you can use a file manager app and locate a folder named “Drone” on your phone.

The original Vidius was only capable of recording 420P video. I found the quality wanting and didn’t believe it was enough to justify the cost of the drone.

The Vidius HD has been upgraded to 720P and it’s immediately clear the upgrade was for the best.


The picture on the left is from the Vidius HD, while the right is the original Vidius.

The video footage is a marked improvement over the original Vidius as well.

Original Vidius

Vidius HD

The video isn’t perfect. The room was well-lit, yet the video is dark in certain portions, but overall it’s pretty good.

Overall, the video quality is pretty solid. You aren’t going to film documentaries with the drone, but you can certainly create some fun videos.

Conclusion

The Vidius HD is an excellent upgrade from the original.

I immediately dismissed the original due to the awful camera footage; fortunately, Aerix took the criticism and improved the design.

The drone is just as easy to fly as the original, but now it provides usable camera footage.

Aerix added a few gimmicky flight modes like VR mode and draw-to-fly modes; they are briefly fun, but ultimately not an ideal way to use the drone.

The battery life on the Vidius HD is only about 5 minues, but that’s to be expected on such a tiny device. Plus, it only takes 20 minutes to charge, so it’s not a huge negative.

If you’re interested in the Vidius HD you can purchase it for $85. It’s a bit expensive, but it would make a good starter drone for anyone interested.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Aerix. Please visit their site for more information.

 

Product Information

Price: $85
Manufacturer: Aerix
Retailer: Aerix
Requirements:
  • Android or iOS device to use the app
Pros:
  • Fun
  • Easy to fly
  • Good video quality
Cons:
  • Wi-Fi connection for app
  • Short battery life
  • Expensive

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, Reviews

Tagged:

Aerix Vidius HD video drone review originally appeared on on March 14, 2017 at 8:30 am.

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Aerix Vidius HD video drone review

Over the course of my time with the Gadgeteer I’ve had the opportunity to review several different drones. I’ve reviewed big drones, little drones, and video drones.

Two such drones, the Axis Vidius 420P video drone, and the Axis Aerius quadcopter, both flew well, but the Vidius was a bit bigger and had a built-in camera. Although I enjoyed flying both drones, I didn’t feel the quality of the Vidius’s camera footage justified its higher cost.

Recently I was given the chance to review the Vidius’s successor, the Vidius HD. With a 720P camera, the Vidius HD should have far greater video quality.

(It should be noted, shortly after reviewing the Vidius, Axis changed its company name to Aerix)

Specifications

  • Dimensions – 4.3cm x 4.3cm x 2.5cm
  • 720P Video and HD photos
  • 200 mAh battery
  • 3-Speeds
  • 6-Axis Gyro Stabilization
  • No FAA registration required

In the Box

  • Drone with blade guards
  • 2.4 gHz controller
  • USB charger cable
  • 4 replacement blades
  • Mini screwdriver
  • Mini blade remover

Design

According to the Aerix website, the Vidius and Vidius HD are identical in size. They also state it is the “world’s smallest live Streaming HD video drone”.

I’m not sure whether or not that claim is true, but the Vidius HD is small enough to fit in the palm of my hand.

The blades of the drone are each protected by a blade guard.

This is a nice upgrade from the original Vidius; I often found myself crashing, distorting the blades in the process.


One side of the drone has a small charging port, while the front contains the HD camera.


Below each rotor is an LED, red in the rear, green in the front. The LEDs are useful for maintaining orientation.

The drone itself is a pretty standard micro-drone. It appears to be the same body used with the original Vidius.

The controller is standard for a micro-drone.



The left joystick controls throttle and rotation, while the right controls forward/backward/left/right movement.

There is also a power switch and two trim controllers on the front.

The left bumper button on the controller activates “headless mode”, which means no matter which way the front of the drone is facing, the drone will move in the direction you push the joystick.

The right bumper button automatically returns the drone to the pilot while in headless mode.

The back of the controller is where the battery compartment is located.

All in all, the drone and controller are almost identical to the original Vidius.

Operation

Like the original Vidius, the drone can be controlled using the controller or a smartphone; although, there have been some minor changes to the way you operate the drone.

To use the controller, you power on both the controller and drone. Next, you move the throttle up, then down; this pairs the devices.

As before, this has to be done each time the devices are powered on. I’m still not certain why the drone and controller can’t be permanently paired together.

With the previous drones I’ve reviewed, the drone could immediately be flown after being paired by pressing up on the throttle. With the Vidius HD, Aerix added a few steps before flight begins.

Now before takeoff, Aerix suggests you calibrate the drone. This should help keep the drone stabilized.

Once the drone is calibrated, you can start the motors.

Even though the motors are running, the drone won’t take off until you raise the throttle.

Once you’re finally up and flying, the drone is easy to control. The controls are responsive and easy to get used to.

The Vidius HD is also equipped with “trick mode”. You enter it by pressing down on the right joystick. You then push the right joystick in any direction and the drone will do a flip.

The Vidius HD is a bit easier to fly than the drones I previously reviewed, but not by much.

Despite having “6-Axis Gyro Stabilization”, the drone still doesn’t hover in place and the pre-flight calibration doesn’t prevent the drone from occasionally drifting. 

To fly the Vidius using your smartphone or tablet, you go to the App Store or Play Store and download the “Vidius HD” app.

You open the app and you’re instructed to connect to the drone via Wi-Fi. You do this by selecting “VIDIUS Drone” from your Wi-Fi menu.

This is simple enough, but it does present some issues.

First, it’s really annoying to have to manually connect to a different Wi-Fi network everytime you want to use your drone.

Second, many newer phones – like my Pixel XL – don’t want to connect to a Wi-Fi network that doesn’t have an active internet connection. Some will notify you that the drone’s “network” doesn’t provide an internet connection and ask if you want to connect anyway; however, if your phone doesn’t do that, you have to tweak your Wi-Fi settings to allow for the connection.

It would be much better if the drone was able to connect to your phone via Bluetooth.

Once your drone is connected to the app, you will be presented with virtual controls atop the drone’s live video feed.


Above is a description of all the functions and controls available within the app.

I didn’t enjoy flying the drone using the app.

When using the on-screen controls, it’s too easy to have your thumbs slip out of the control area. It might be better if the phone vibrated as you reached the outer limits of the virtual joystick’s range.

You do have the option of controlling the drone in gyroscope mode. Instead of controlling motion with the right virtual joystick, you control it by tilting your phone in the desired direction. This isn’t nearly as easy as using the controller.

There is abother control mode that is new with the Vidius HD, draw-to-fly. This mode removes the right controller from the screen and allows you to trace a path along your phone that the drone will follow.

It’s a pretty neat feature, but ultimately not better than using a real joystick.

Finally, there is also a VR mode in which you can place your phone into VR googles. You get a first-person view of what the drone is seeing.

In theory it’s cool; in reality it’s impossible to fly the drone like this. I kept crashing within seconds.

Personally, I found using the controller is the best way to fly to drone, but it is nice to have options.

Video and Photographs

Taking photos and recording video is easy.

To do so, you press the camera or camcorder button in the upper left portion of the screen. Of course, your phone has to be connected to the drone’s Wi-Fi network to work properly.

To view the photos or videos, you press the button that looks like a browser refresh button, or you can use a file manager app and locate a folder named “Drone” on your phone.

The original Vidius was only capable of recording 420P video. I found the quality wanting and didn’t believe it was enough to justify the cost of the drone.

The Vidius HD has been upgraded to 720P and it’s immediately clear the upgrade was for the best.


The picture on the left is from the Vidius HD, while the right is the original Vidius.

The video footage is a marked improvement over the original Vidius as well.

Original Vidius

Vidius HD

The video isn’t perfect. The room was well-lit, yet the video is dark in certain portions, but overall it’s pretty good.

Overall, the video quality is pretty solid. You aren’t going to film documentaries with the drone, but you can certainly create some fun videos.

Conclusion

The Vidius HD is an excellent upgrade from the original.

I immediately dismissed the original due to the awful camera footage; fortunately, Aerix took the criticism and improved the design.

The drone is just as easy to fly as the original, but now it provides usable camera footage.

Aerix added a few gimmicky flight modes like VR mode and draw-to-fly modes; they are briefly fun, but ultimately not an ideal way to use the drone.

The battery life on the Vidius HD is only about 5 minues, but that’s to be expected on such a tiny device. Plus, it only takes 20 minutes to charge, so it’s not a huge negative.

If you’re interested in the Vidius HD you can purchase it for $85. It’s a bit expensive, but it would make a good starter drone for anyone interested.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Aerix. Please visit their site for more information.

 

Product Information

Price: $85
Manufacturer: Aerix
Retailer: Aerix
Requirements:
  • Android or iOS device to use the app
Pros:
  • Fun
  • Easy to fly
  • Good video quality
Cons:
  • Wi-Fi connection for app
  • Short battery life
  • Expensive

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, Reviews

Tagged:

Aerix Vidius HD video drone review originally appeared on on March 14, 2017 at 8:30 am.

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Parrot’s Mambo drone can shoot and grab objects

Drones have become a little boring in the last year or two because they are all pretty much the same. Parrot is changing all of that with their Mambo drone that comes with cannon and grabber attachments that take drone flying fun to the next level.

The Parrot Mambo Drone can pair with your smartphone which will be used as a controller, or you can buy the optional advanced flight controller for even easier flight control.

The drone features a built-in camera that can take snapshots but unfortunately, it doesn’t record video.

You can fly the Parrot Mambo with or without one of the attachments like the cannon, the grabber or the hulls. The cannon mounts on top of the drone and can hold up to 6 balls that shoot from the cannon when you activate that feature through the smartphone or advanced flight controller. The grabber arm can be attached to grab and drop small objects and the hulls are snap on cages that protect each of the four propellers.

The Parrot Mambo is priced has an MSRP of $119.99. For more info on the Parrot Mambo, head over to parrot.com or Amazon to buy one for less than $100.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, News

Tagged: ,

Parrot’s Mambo drone can shoot and grab objects originally appeared on on March 4, 2017 at 5:19 pm.

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Look up in the sky, it’s a 9.5ft bald eagle drone

Who would want a traditional (aka boring) drone when you can have this remote controlled bird of prey instead. The remote controlled bald eagle has a carbon fiber frame with nylon and polyester wings that are 9.5 feet wide from feather tip to feather tip. The included rechargeable lithium battery powered wireless transmitter controls flight from up to 500 feet away. Enjoy up to eight minutes of soaring, looping and even hovering flight per charge.

The 9 1/2 foot remote controlled bald eagle is suitable for ages 14 and up. At $499.99, this majestic symbol of the United States of America is going to put a massive dent in your wallet. But if that’s not an issue, head over to Hammacher Schlemmer for more info.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, News

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Look up in the sky, it’s a 9.5ft bald eagle drone originally appeared on on February 25, 2017 at 2:33 pm.

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