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Snap launches its first drone

pixy.com

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Re: Snap launches its first drone

#251

Post by bko »

dymk wrote: post #197

The one thing that drives me up the wall is being on a beach, or on a hike, and somebody brings out a drone. The whine of the rotors carries much farther than people would like to admit. The ambient screech makes a beautiful natural landscape feel like an anxious techno nightmare. Now make them cheap, connect it to social media, and target them at teens. Let's hope these don't take off (pun intended). At least they c…

As someone else mentioned, the intended videos are 30 seconds, which I think is reasonable. The battery last 5-8 recordings, so at most 4 minutes. It's really not a big deal IMO

Re: Snap launches its first drone

#252

Post by void-pointer »

People saying that this can’t compete with DJI are missing the point.

This product knows its target market (hint, not the people who browse HN) and, based on my initial first impressions, I think it’s nailed it.

Forgive me for a slightly contrived analogy, but if a DJI Mavic is a DSLR, and a DJI Mini is a portable point-and-shoot camera, then Pixy is a Polaroid. It’s certainly not got the highest picture quality, doesn’t have good altitude or range and the 30s flight time sounds laughable, but it’s a nice looking, approachable device that looks like it could be used by anyone to take videos they currently can’t with the devices they currently have (the mode dial is a brilliant idea.)

I think this thing will sell very nicely. The big question for me is whether the Pixy wireless streaming to the phone allows exports out of the Snapchat app, if it does then all the biggest TikTok stars will buy one immediately and it will explode in popularity.

Re: Snap launches its first drone

#253

Post by dymk »

windowsrookie wrote: post #234
dymk wrote: post #193

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're down 45% in the last 6 months. 53% the last 12. They're flagging. None of their cutesy hardware has taken off in the past (remember spectacles?).

In the last 6 months Netflix is down 71%, Nvidia 23%, Facebook 36%, AMD 25%, Amazon 14%, General Motors 29%, Alphabet 20%, Volkswagen 32%, etc. Are these all flagging companies as well?

I take your point, but Netflix probably yes. Facebook, maybe. VW and GM, probably yes.

Re: Snap launches its first drone

#254

Post by sahila »

devmunchies wrote: post #52
RC_ITR wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Would there be an audible hum in the video it records from the 4x propellers? 100% yes and this is why every drone video ever has music over it.

not just drone vids, pro video (e.g. hollywood) all add sound in post. Foley Artist is a fun job. A solution would be to have Snap™ mics that i clip on to my shirt and it syncs with the video while recording.

No need for an external mic if they can just use your phone app + mic.

Re: Snap launches its first drone

#255

Post by dimatura »

azinman2 wrote: post #143
inasio wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd be surprised if they get 15 minutes, I've played with the DJI mini and barely get that (per battery), and this one looks bulkier and with worse aerodynamics. That said, you probably don't want a noisy drone just hovering next/over your party all the time, and they do include a couple of batteries, swap is super easy.

Can the mini follow me around and just take the video I’d want to capture the moment? The pixy seems very easy to operate. I don’t want to have to be thinking about controlling the thing.

It does have a follow feature, but honestly I've never tried it. It's pretty easy to pilot, fwiw, and like most DJI drones has an incredible price to quality and features ratio. I'd be surprised if this drone comes anywhere near in range/image quality/features/etc. The form factor reminds me of the tiny-whoop class of FPV drones, which are super fun but not great outdoors as they will easily be blown away by even light wind. But I can see this having a certain appeal, as a drone version of a polaroid camera. It's also very cute!

Re: Snap launches its first drone

#256

Post by js2 »

bko wrote: post #250
dymk wrote: post #242

Earlier quoted context omitted.

More people want to enjoy a peaceful outdoors than those who want to play with loud fads in shared spaces. Deal with it.

You should check out Coase Theorem: > A candy maker had had the same property for over 60 years when a doctor moved next door. After eight years passed without incident between them, the the doctor built a consulting room right against the confectioner’s kitchen. The doctor then found that the noise from the confectioner’s equipment interfered with the doctor’s ability to work, and in particular to hear with a stetho…

I'm not sure how that applies here, where the conflicting activities are both recreational and not producing of income. Enlighten me?

Re: Snap launches its first drone

#257

Post by Crabber »

fredley wrote: post #5
deanc wrote: post #4

What on earth is this pivot? From ephemeral messenger into camera sunglasses and a drone?

> Snap Inc. is a camera company. > We believe that reinventing the camera represents our greatest opportunity to improve the way people live and communicate. https://snap.com/

>We contribute to human progress by empowering people to live in the moment

How is every social media company so painfully self-unaware? Is this just a "it's impossible to get a man to see a problem he is paid not to see" kind of situation or do snapchat employees genuinely believe that they are helping people "live in the moment" by developing an app that encourages the exact opposite?

Re: Snap launches its first drone

#258

Post by jjkaczor »

InGoodFaith wrote: post #188
germinalphrase wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To address your point rather than your sarcasm: headphones are unsafe while cycling because they block environmental sounds (though it’s true that music from a speaker can impact attentional blindness. There is also the shared experience of listening to music with another person. The ability to create a “music bubble” around you without disturbing others satisfies both parties. Ultrasonic speakers aren’t even exotic…

I'm not the person you replied to but just dropping this here for others interested: There are some 'open-back' and 'open-ear' headphones that let you hear your environment passively. Others that have more active environment passthrough such as Ambient Sound from Samsung, also exist. This might be a useful gift for a cyclist or jogger that needs situational awareness.

Bone conduction?

(Am fairly certain they aren't great if you are going for audiophile level reproduction - but from a safety perspective, they let you hear your environment - note, I have personally never tried them)

Re: Snap launches its first drone

#259

Post by jumpman500 »

dymk wrote: post #197

The one thing that drives me up the wall is being on a beach, or on a hike, and somebody brings out a drone. The whine of the rotors carries much farther than people would like to admit. The ambient screech makes a beautiful natural landscape feel like an anxious techno nightmare. Now make them cheap, connect it to social media, and target them at teens. Let's hope these don't take off (pun intended). At least they c…

Yea I mean all crowded public places suck if you’re trying enjoy the scenery and relax… I don’t think this product would make it any worse. There’s already plenty of ways to make a lot of noise and annoy folks.

Re: Snap launches its first drone

#260

Post by rsanek »

dymk wrote: post #249
rsanek wrote: post #246

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Source? I think the want to take a cool shot from a drone could actually make alot more teens go outdoors. I don't like drones either but incentivizing going outside through social media is an interesting concept and certainly beats them staying indoors.

> Source? No, thank you > could actually make alot more teens go outdoors That's not society's problem. I'm not trying to come up with ways to incentivize Lil' Jimmathy to see the great outdoors at any cost. People can go outside and respect others' desire to enjoy peaceful, beautiful nature, or they can stay inside and scroll on their phones.

Interesting, I actually perceive it to very much be society's problem, and do consider it my responsibility to promote mental and physical health in my community. I found this post [0] useful in considering the difference between entitlement and responsibility.

[0] https://apenwarr.ca/log/20211229

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