UPDATE: The Phantom 4 has been introduced starting at $1399. It has a number of improvements over the Phantom 3 line. Here is the DJI order page which contains specs and more. Update 2: DJI has just announced sale pricing on the Osmo (handheld gimbal/cam) and Inspire product lines. I was tempted and bought an […]
News
Drone law expert Peter Sachs weighs-in on H.R. 4432 Commercial UAS Modernization Act
The commercial drone forums were all ablaze this week with the announcement of proposed bill H.R. 4433 Commercial UAS Modernization Act – and just what that means for the industry, and those who have already been jumping through hoops to get accepted in the FAA’s current Section 333 Exemption process. Today, I asked drone law expert […]
How many consumer drones, toys aside, exist in the USA as of Jan, 2016
How many real consumer drones, toys aside, exist in the USA as of Jan, 2016 Unless you are living under a rock, you’ve probably heard about the new (US) FAA requirement that all drones over a certain weight (250 grams – a bit more than 1/2 pound) need to be registered. Registration is easy and […]
Drones at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show -CES
Drone Report from the Consumer Electronics Show 2016 In our 2 1/2 days at CES, I walked over 30 miles! It certainly is a big show and, as with 2015, drones were a large part of the buzz this year. Here is our “executive summary” of drones at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). It […]
The 4 Biggest Drone Stories of 2015
Happy New Year! As we prepare for a visit to the Consumer Electronic Show (CES, Las Vegas), it might be instructional to look back at the top consumer drone stories of 2015. Here, in no particular order, are the subjects we think have shaped – and are continuing to shape – this industry. 1. Regulation […]
4 trends, questions and controversies that will develop in drones in 2016
2015 was a whirlwind year for drones — consumer drone sales hit records, the FAA called for drone registration, and the commercial drone regulation deadline was missed. We saw drones epically (and dangerously) crash, and we also saw epic innovation in the technology, with everything from improved cameras to quads that are easier to fly than ever.
Is 3D Robotics Falling from the Sky?
Editorial Opinion: 2016 will be the year of the “dot drone” bust as many of the dreamers and schemers succumb to the Reality of Gravity. We’ve already seen the complete failure of Zano Drone, the largest Kickstarter funded drone project (3 million dollars). Other multi-million dollar efforts are also having trouble delivering – Plexi-Drone is […]
New FAA Drone Registration Made Easy
With all the confusion and rampant discussions from the hobbyist drone industry these past few weeks, on the announcement of the FAA’s recent drone registry requirements, I’d like to try to provide some information and walk you through the typical process that takes only about 5 minutes to complete online. Starting today, December 21, 2015, the […]
Metrics and Indications for Dot-Drone Bust
The following is a peek into various metrics and indications regarding the consumer drone industry. Specifically, we attempt to show a general slowdown in the consumer drone growth curve and more specifically indications that a “dot-drone” bust is already underway and may accelerate in 2016. We will focus on 3D Robotics which we believe to […]
Women of Commercial Drones formally launches
Commercial drone development and sales are on the rise, but the number of women in leadership positions in this space, or just generally in technology, is not. This has been a common and growing theme across the United States, but is particularly evident in Silicon Valley. Earlier this year, the InterDrone conference hosted a Women […]
