111–120 of 169 posts
Spy drone or not, why can’t US companies design and manufacture better products to compete with DJI?
Would love to get a new shiny thing, but it’s difficult to excuse since my 5 year old Mavic Air still works very well and feels amazing. If you are looking into getting a (no-DIY) drone, consider a second-hand Mavic, they are cheap and great. Maybe get a new battery or two.
I fly an Autel Evo 2 Pro, and love it - but I still recommend people new to drones pick up a used DJI Mavic Mini (or Mini2) when just getting into aerial photography. You can pick them up barely used, with three batteries, charger, and carrying case for ~$250 if you shop around. I've had five of the things at this point. I keep buying them when I find them cheap, and passing them on to people who are entering the hob…
DJI seems to be the one company that requires sideloading the Android app. DJI makes great products, but there's really few companies who I would trust less to give unvetted access to my phone. I know the Android app sandboxing should help a lot, but there's enough unknowns & potentially lurking security holes that I really wouldn't want to trust them. They also are 100% the most likely company on the planet to self-…
As a user I want the big developers to have to bend the knee to Apple. I don't want to side load my DJI app, I don't want to download Instagram from the Meta store.
I don't agree with all of Apple's rules (and also with the way the app revenue is split), but I'm mostly satisfied with them.
Never found the idea of owning a drone appealing before, but this thing does look pretty great.
Start with a used Mavic Mini. Seriously. They're like $200, and will teach you what you want in a drone. That way, when you go to spend real money on one, you'll be able to make an informed decision. If you can't spare the $200, I'd argue you probably shouldn't be diving deep into this hobby. You certainly shouldn't be spending $3k on this one.
DJI seems to be the one company that requires sideloading the Android app. DJI makes great products, but there's really few companies who I would trust less to give unvetted access to my phone. I know the Android app sandboxing should help a lot, but there's enough unknowns & potentially lurking security holes that I really wouldn't want to trust them. They also are 100% the most likely company on the planet to self-…
I get why people want the end of the App Store monopoly and I apprieciate the idea of being able to run anything I want on my hardware, but this here is the reason why I'm hesitant. As a user I want the big developers to have to bend the knee to Apple. I don't want to side load my DJI app, I don't want to download Instagram from the Meta store. I don't agree with all of Apple's rules (and also with the way the app re…
Strict sandboxing and a robust permissions model can still give you security with these kinds of apps.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Zipline has built an interesting asymmetric design that's remarkably quiet. Mark Rober featured it in one of his recent videos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOWDNBu9DkU&t=831s
It does a similar sort of thing - asymmetric offset propellors shunt the frequency of what gets emitted way down. It still emits a similar amount of energy, but the direction of emission changes, and with the lower frequency, there's a lower perceived sound. Toroidal props actually have less sound coming off them, and at a lower frequency. I've got some ideas about how you'd potentially then have a greater spread of…
I found that fascinating. TIL about the car tire noise.
I think you've got the right kind of audience here.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I get why people want the end of the App Store monopoly and I apprieciate the idea of being able to run anything I want on my hardware, but this here is the reason why I'm hesitant. As a user I want the big developers to have to bend the knee to Apple. I don't want to side load my DJI app, I don't want to download Instagram from the Meta store. I don't agree with all of Apple's rules (and also with the way the app re…
Then the future of computing will be in the hands of mega-corporations. Have an innovative app idea that goes against corporate policy? Too bad, won't happen. Strict sandboxing and a robust permissions model can still give you security with these kinds of apps.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
It needs it to make sure it follows any local flight restrictions, like no-fly zones.
1) Other manufacturers don't have restrictive geofencing like DJI - it's not a regulatory issue, but liability. 2) DJI's flight restrictions are determined by DJI, not the FAA. They don't align with each other, so you end up having to keep track of and comply with two airspace systems. That's why I abandoned DJI for my business use. I wasn't able to take off to cover an event at an airport for which I had FAA approva…
In my home town basically the entire air space is regulated due to the location of the airport/flight paths.
I don't like that the propellers don't have guard rings around them.
They make them, they just aren't standard equipment. They also reduce flight time and agility, and in come cases can interfere with your field of view. I've got hundreds of hours flying quadcopters at this point, and the only times I've ever wanted prop guards on a photo drone have been for flying indoors or very near hot air balloons.
If yes -> This is why they should be there by default.
Spy drone or not, why can’t US companies design and manufacture better products to compete with DJI?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hornet_Nano
https://www.flir.eu/news-center/military/qa-flir-acquires-wo...