This week the South African rand broke through R11.00 to the US dollar, and prospects are not looking good for the currency heading into the last quarter of the year (see Why the rand is so weak). The main reason for the weaker rand is South Africa’s current account deficit, while tapering in the United States typically supports the US dollar at the expense of the emerging market currencies. The weaker rand is bad news for South African tech lovers. Most of the technology products in the country are imported, and the weaker rand therefore means higher gadget prices. Some of South Africa’s largest retailers are easing the pain with promotional prices on technology products. Here are some of the best deals available from Makro, HiFi Corp, Incredible Connection, and other retailers. Makro has cut the price of the LG 55’’ 3D Smart Full HD LED TV from R17,999 to R14,999. The TV features an 800Hz clear motion rate, built-in Wi-Fi, and has 3 x HDMI and 3 x USB ports.

The promotional price is available until 22 September 2014. Makro is offering a TomTom XXL GPS, which includes free daily maps, for R999. The Acer B1 7’’ Android tablet is available at Makro for R1,899. The tablet features a quad-core processor, 16GB storage, and ships with Android 4.2. The Pioneer satellite home theatre system is available from HiFi Corp for R3,999.90. The system sports 4 compact speakers, 1 dual centre speaker, a subwoofer, 4 HDMI inputs, and Ultra HD 4K pass through. The promotional price is available until 21 September 2014. Incredible Connection is offering the iPad Mini 16GB with Wi-Fi for R2,999.90. The iPad Mini deal comes with a Smart Cover and a portable wireless router. The deal is available until 21 September 2014. Incredible Connection is offering the Xbox One for R6,299.90. What makes this deal special is that from 00:00 to 01:00 on 23 September 2014 – Xbox One launch day in SA – the company is offering the first 10 customers at each store a R1,000 gift voucher and 10% off anything in the store.

Dion Wired has cut the price of the Parrot AR.Drone Elite Edition from R4,200 to R3,000. The promotional price is available this weekend. Esquire has great offers on Tablets, Notebooks, accessories, SSD drives, and flash memory products this weekend. It should be noted that all the prices listed exclude VAT. Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China Macao Special Administrative Region of China Taiwan, Province of China United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland United States of America Rio Sound & Visionin bikes & ride-ons Action FiguresVideo GamesBikes & Ride-onsElectronicsBuilding SetsLearningGames & PuzzlesOutdoor PlayVehicles, Hobby & R/CPretend PlayArts & CraftsPreschoolMusical InstrumentsStuffed AnimalsCooking for Kids Hot WheelsMinecraftLEGOStar WarsTransformersTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles DollsArts & CraftsBath, Beauty & AccessoriesPretend PlayBikes & Ride-onsElectronicsBuilding SetsOutdoor PlayLearningPreschoolGames & PuzzlesMusical InstrumentsStuffed AnimalsVideo GamesCooking for Kids

Disney FrozenBarbieDisney PrincessMy Little PonyMonster HighDoc McStuffinsThis post is the latest in the Drones and Small Unmanned Aerial Systems Special Series,  which profiles interesting information, thoughts and research into using  drones, UAVs or remotely piloted vehicles for journalism and photography, that Kike learns about during his travels. 1. Hubsan H107D FPV X4 Mini RTF Quadcopter: With 6 Axis Gyro Stabilization and immersive FPV flight, it allows you to record flight video into an SD Card.best ar drone mod 2. Nano QX RTF with SAFE: This little mini-copter received the 2014 Editor´s Choice – Innovation of the Year by Airplane Magazine. insect spy drone realIts tough and light weighted, and its airframe comes with blade guards. ar drone quadricopter review

It features exclusive SAFE technology with stability and agility modes. The Nano QX RTF comes with a radio.  You don’t need to buy one.  But be aware you will need to buy separately a DSMX compatible radio if you get the BNF version (bind and fly.) 3. Walkera Ladybird V2 Lady Bug RTF Quadcopter Drone Quad with Devo 4 Transmitter: This copter is the smallest Quadcopter with ladybird canopy. It comes ready to fly with a Devo 4 Radio, receiver, battery and a charger. ar drone 2 manualIt features a Walkera 6 axis gyro control system.ar drone battery canada 4. The Hubsan X4, an Old Time Favorite: Along with the Parrot AR.ar drone parrot storeDrone 2.0 Quadricopter, this 4 Channel 2.4GHz RC Quadcopter helped me polished my flying skills on my early beginnings. parrot ar drone free

Get a Hubsan X4 today. 5. Jumping Sumo with FPV: The Parrot MiniDrone Jumping Sum jumps over 2.5 feet high and always falls back on its wheels. Its equipped with a wide angle camera that streams live immersive views on the piloting screen. I am sure the Parrot MiniDrone Jumping Sumo will bring lots of fun to your home. 6. Syma X1 4 Channel 2.4G RC Quad Copter – UFO: With a dual fly mode Indoor/Outdoor and a 2.4GHz Radio control, it provides stabilty and agility in flight, allowing you to experiment with 3D maneuvers like pirouettes 3D fun flips and rolls. Controlling distance is about 35 Meters. 7. Parrot MiniDrone Rolling Spider White: An ultra-compact drone with amazing stability and speed, indoors and outdoors from the creators of the Parrot AR.It allows you to take aerial shots, so selfies from the sky with its embedded vertical mini-camera are now possible. The wheels are removable, so it can roll across the floor, up the walls or across the ceiling.

Drone 2.0 Elite Edition Quadricopter:  This copter was my first approach to the world of remote control quadricopters. It even came in my photo bag to CERN in Geneva while I was part of a multidisciplinary team at Yale University working on he project  ¨Discovering the Higgs through Physics, Dance and Photography.¨ It is controlled using an iOS or Android smartphone or tablet, capturing 720p high-definition live video, that is stream & recorded into your smartphone or tablet while you are flying. 9. DJI Phantom 1 Quadcopter: With a maximum horizontal speed of 22 miles/hour (10 meters/second), the Phantom is a complete quadcopter and remote transmitter, pre-tuned by the factory and ready in minutes! Outdoor flight is made possible by advanced GPS positioning that compensates for light wind. 10. Estes 4606 Proto X Nano R/C Quadcopter:  Sometimes good things come in very small sizes. This copter, made of a plastic body, has a detail LED light that indicates front and back of the machine.

It also helps the pilot fly  low light.  It comes with a 2.4GHz Radio. Drone / UAV Dictionary: Includes 300 Commercial UAV Applications Drones: Their Many Civilian Uses and the U.S. Laws Surrounding Them. Cool stuff for Drone and Unmanned Vehicle enthusiasts Drone Entrepreneurship: 30 Businesses You Can Start Small Unmanned Aircraft: Theory and Practice Introduction to Unmanned Systems: Air, Ground, Sea & Space How to Start an Unmanned Aircraft Vehicle (UAV) Business Course on DVD Getting Started with Hobby Quadcopters and Drones: Learn about, buy and fly these amazing aerial vehicles Introduction to Unmanned Aircraft Systems Fly by Wire Aircraft: Fighters, Drones, and Airliners Introduction to Remote Sensing, Fifth Edition Popular minicopters and drones include: DJI Phantom 2 Quadcopter with Zenmuse H3-3D 3-Axis Gimbal 3d Robotics Iris+ Multicopter 915 Mhz 3DR IRIS+Drone 2.0 Elite Edition Jungle Walkera QR LadyBird V2 Mini