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DJI Mini 4 Pro

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Re: DJI Mini 4 Pro

#261

Post by palata »

oceanplexian wrote: post #125
cultofmetatron wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

would love to get an alternative but it doesn't seem like anyone else is getting anywhere near the flight times that dji has. all the non dji drones I've seen list 8 min while dji is saying 15-20 min.

There are lots of them like the Explorer LR that are under the 250g limit, and get 30-40 minute runtime. That said in the hobbyist community power is more interesting than range. I have a DJI mini 2 and the technology is impressive but honestly, it puts me to sleep compared to my 100MPH mini quad. Every time I use it (once every few months) I have to update the app, use a trash remote, and install all this spyware on…

> and install all this spyware on my phone.

Now take a step back and think about what most apps on your phones are already doing, or even your OS itself ;-). It's just not Chinese, I guess that's why you don't care?

Re: DJI Mini 4 Pro

#262

Post by palata »

rmbyrro wrote: post #232
snypher wrote: post #187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>They're beaming back home whatever they want This claim is always thrown out like a life preserver without ever anything to back it up. Do you have anything to support this claim?

Given the history of China and its tech companies, the burden of proof shifted to their shoulders. So, I turn to them: is there anything that proves its a surveillance-free device? No, they cannot assure that. Someone may not like it, but China now has a very, very bad reputation among people in the West. Especially after the last pandemic and how they handled it.

> So, I turn to them: is there anything that proves its a surveillance-free device? No, they cannot assure that.

Can Google and Apple prove that their stuff is surveillance-free, though?

Re: DJI Mini 4 Pro

#263

Post by palata »

corbezzoli wrote: post #240
okdood64 wrote: post #237

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While I myself still wouldn't ever use DJI because of this reason, no can ever provide any concrete claim. Quite hilarious.

What concrete claim are you looking for? Is it not enough that Huawei was banned by the US? Do you know the reason why it was banned? The same reason could broadly apply to every Chinese company. TikTok is the software counterpart that isn’t allowed on any government phone. DJI does not produce infrastructure pieces so it hasn’t reached the same urgency to the US, so it’s still allowed.

> Do you know the reason why it was banned?

For the infrastructure, for legit strategic reasons (without even considering they are abusing it, you generally don't want to rely on foreign infrastructure on your territory).

For the smartphones, that's pure commercial war. Huawei was a big competitor.

Re: DJI Mini 4 Pro

#264

Post by palata »

hackernewds wrote: post #247
corbezzoli wrote: post #240

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What concrete claim are you looking for? Is it not enough that Huawei was banned by the US? Do you know the reason why it was banned? The same reason could broadly apply to every Chinese company. TikTok is the software counterpart that isn’t allowed on any government phone. DJI does not produce infrastructure pieces so it hasn’t reached the same urgency to the US, so it’s still allowed.

at this point then NULL hypothesis should be that China is using consumer grades products to spy on its perceived enemies including the USA.

Since Snowden it's pretty clear that the USA is spying on even its citizen. I don't see how it would be surprising that China does something similar.

Re: DJI Mini 4 Pro

#265

Post by quailfarmer »

Eji1700 wrote: post #218
brentm wrote: post #74

I always look at these and think I want one but also can't think of what i'd actually use it for. I just picture it sitting in a closet next to my GoPro and Oculus after about 3 days of messing around. Anyone own one? What do you use it for?

I really wish the tiny whoop scene would take off more to lower the barrier to entry. It's for extremely small drones (65-85mm from diagonal motor posts) which are great for flying indoors or in small areas. The main issues being: 1. It's still very much a "hobby" hobby. You can get some ready to fly kits, but even then it can wind up more technical than you expect. 2. They're spec'd for the niche market, meaning qui…

I recently got a BetaFPV Cetus X Pro. I was considering a DJI Mini, but FPV seemed like a lot more fun than the well-engineered computer controlled flight. And the vehicle costs much less to crash and destroy.

Re: DJI Mini 4 Pro

#266

Post by bittercynic »

ben7799 wrote: post #104
brentm wrote: post #74

I always look at these and think I want one but also can't think of what i'd actually use it for. I just picture it sitting in a closet next to my GoPro and Oculus after about 3 days of messing around. Anyone own one? What do you use it for?

The trick is you have to find a way to take it places that satisfy: - It's OK to fly there and you're not going to annoy anyone - You can get some interesting photos. Having previously flow R/C airplanes and aircraft drones like DJI makes are not actually that entertaining to fly, they are too easy and not that engaging. So it's all about the photos. You'll see new people flying at a park or something, but after a wh…

Fellow R/C pilot and DJI operator here, and I very much agree. On the surface it may appear to be similar, but R/C flying and drone operation are two completely separate hobbies. One may prepare you a bit for the other, but they are fun for different reasons, and mostly separate skills to develop.

Re: DJI Mini 4 Pro

#267

Post by palata »

mcsniff wrote: post #195
spankalee wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who inspects APKs? The Play Store has all kind of automated and manual processes to detect malware and vulnerabilities. It's why I don't enable side-loading on my phone.

Please tell me you're joking or missing the sarcasm tag. The Play Store is notorious for allowing absolute garbage apps in, regardless of the "risks" of sideloading.

That's not incompatible. They do a lot for security, even if malware still manages to get there. One would assume that the most popular apps get more attention.

Re: DJI Mini 4 Pro

#269

Post by palata »

Aurornis wrote: post #106
ramenmeal wrote: post #21

Streaming 1080p/60fps up to 20km wirelessly is mind boggling to me. What kind of tech is used to make that happen? seems like it'd require a lot of power.

The video quality degrades at longer distances. You can't get the full bandwidth at the maximum distance, but you might see enough to navigate. Communicating with a drone up in the sky is easier than something like your WiFi or your cell phone because you have a nice, clear line of sight to the drone. Fly behind a hill, building, or some trees at distance and the drone will lose connection and go into safety mode. Th…

That's super interesting! Would you have resources to recommend to learn about that?

For instance: where do you get that "the free space path loss at 20kM is 126dB at 2.4GHz in perfect conditions, or 134dB at 5.8GHz"? And why does 1 Watt translate to +30dBm?

Re: DJI Mini 4 Pro

#270

Post by nebula8804 »

palata wrote: post #253
nebula8804 wrote: post #242

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No because DJI, XPENG, BYD, and a ton of other Chinese companies have this 'move fast and break things' mentality X100 that most American firms don't have. They ran circles around GoPro and their attempts. Closest analog is Tesla/SpaceX but who knows if even those guys last long term when the guy running it is so easily distracted by nonsense (eg. Buying Twitter, starting yet another company, playing hours of Polytop…

> No because DJI, XPENG, BYD, and a ton of other Chinese companies have this 'move fast and break things' mentality X100 that most American firms don't have. Respectfully, that's ridiculous. The Silicon Valley has a long tradition of "move fast and break things". No no no, this time, it's just that the Chinese companies are simply a lot better than the Western drone companies. Yes, there are many excuses to make ("it…

>Respectfully, that's ridiculous. The Silicon Valley has a long tradition of "move fast and break things".

Some companies do...like Tesla, SpaceX, and Netflix. Their iteration rate is amazing.

>No no no, this time, it's just that the Chinese companies are simply a lot better than the Western drone companies. Yes, there are many excuses to make ("it's cheaper for them"), but even without considering the price, the Western drones mostly feel like DJI 10 years ago.

You haven't explained why? Move fast and break things mean to iterate fast, that includes finding way to cut the cost, improve specs, and just make the overall product better.

>The Parrot Anafi has been fairly nice for a few years now, but for some reason Parrot struggles to sell them (I suspect that US companies dismiss them because they are not from the US?). Skydio just announced a new drone that seems reasonable. Both quite a lot more expensive than DJI, so here is your excuse.

Is it or is it not competitive what what DJI is selling on the market? These drones are a innovation smorgasbord in so many different fields: cameras, weight, embedded electronics, avionics, and not to mention their software is good enough to not make people dismiss all the other things and go elsewhere. The fact they can offer all of that at a lower price point is (in my opinion) a sign of things to come in other industries: electric cars, space travel, renewable energy.

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