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Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
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Coolest CES 2011 announcement so far - AR.Drone 2.0

By | January 9, 2012, 5:23am PST

Summary: A cool toy becomes even cooler!

I gotta be honest with you, CES (Consumer Electronics Show) doesn’t jazz me that much. It’s not because I don’t like cool stuff (I do) but it’s because a lot fo the cool stuff shown off there has a vaporware feel to it. I’m waiting for this stuff to appear on the shelves.

Except for this …

This is cool. This is AR.Drone 2.0, a revamped version of the ultra-cool AR. Drone wireless personal UAV that you can control from your iOS device. I own an AR.Drone and let me tell you that it’s a lot of fun, but the revamped AR.Drone 2.0 brings with it a whole raft of new and exciting features.

For starters, the new Drone features a 720p front-facing camera so that you can capture your flights in HD. There’s also a whole raft of new sensors, including an on-board magnetometer so that it can always tell where the pilot is in relation to its flightpath, and a new air pressure sensor that allows it to be more stable when hovering.

AR.Drone 2.0 is currently expected to be released Q2 2012, with a retail price of $299.

I can’t wait!

CES 2012: See CNET’s news and product coverage

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CES, CES 2011, Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology.

Disclosure

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

All opinions expressed on Hardware 2.0 are those of Adrian Kingsley-Hughes. Every effort is made to ensure that the information posted is accurate. If you have any comments, queries or corrections, please contact Adrian via the email link here. Any possible conflicts of interest will be posted below. [Updated: February 23, 2010] - Adrian Kingsley-Hughes has no business relationships, affiliations, investments, or other actual/potential conflicts of interest relating to the content posted so far on this blog.

Biography

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology -- whether that be by learning to program, building a PC from a pile of parts, or helping them get the most from their new MP3 player or digital camera.

Adrian has authored/co-authored technical books on a variety of topics, ranging from programming to building and maintaining PCs. His most recent books include "Build the Ultimate Custom PC", "Beginning Programming" and "The PC Doctor's Fix It Yourself Guide". He has also written training manuals that have been used by a number of Fortune 500 companies.

Adrian also runs a popular blog under the name The PC Doctor, where he covers a range of computer-related topics -- from security to repairing and upgrading.

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RE: Coolest CES 2011 announcement so far - AR.Drone 2.0
Buitremx 10th Jan
@dtdono0
Actually, my son controls his with his Android phone. Of course, you didn't know it (and there is no irony on this).
View in thread
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RE: Coolest CES 2011 announcement so far - AR.Drone 2.0
dtdono0 9th Jan
So wait you're telling me 'Droid' does not have a 'Drone' app but Apple does?

Irony.

(Also what are the dimensions of this thing? Will it fit in a standard size backpack?)
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RE: Coolest CES 2011 announcement so far - AR.Drone 2.0
Buitremx 10th Jan
@dtdono0
Actually, my son controls his with his Android phone. Of course, you didn't know it (and there is no irony on this).
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RE: Coolest CES 2011 announcement so far - AR.Drone 2.0
ggraysonlvlv 9th Jan
You meant CES 2012, I presume?
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RE: Coolest CES 2011 announcement so far - AR.Drone 2.0
Willnott 9th Jan
@ggraysonlvlv : It's so "last year"..... LOL
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RE: Coolest CES 2011 announcement so far - AR.Drone 2.0
nfordzdn 10th Jan
@ggraysonlvlv
No surprise. I doubt that any ZD bloggers ever proof what they write. Check this out from the first paragraph:

"because a lot fo the cool stuff shown"

Apparently, even using a spelling checker is too much trouble.
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Wow!
thx-1138_@... Updated - 9th Jan
Plant a wireless transceiver and data capture app's in it and Google can use it for "Street View" (...and "other things").

wink
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A
Dr_Zinj Updated - 10th Jan
Equip it with a remote paint sprayer to cover surveillance camera lenses.
Recon for guard placement and personnel movements.
Remote delivery of toxins, bioagents, or even ordinary riot control agents like tear gas or puke gas.
Or even delivery of an explosive.
Use one or more of these to deliver a handful of nuts and bolts into the engine intake of a jet on take off.

I notice that it comes with a detachable rotor guard; and I wonder if the weight of the guard offsets the improved efficiency of turning them into ducted rotors?

I guess it depends on the payload capacity of the machine, the wifi range on it, and what it takes to boost that range?

Dollars to doughnuts somebody already knows.

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