Parrot promised to reveal the launch details for its AR.Drone at E3 this week, and it's now delivered -- the remote-controlled quadricopter will be available in the U.S. this September for $299. Of course, this is hardly your ordinary remote-controlled quadricopter, as it's not only controlled via WiFi, but via an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch -- something we got well acquainted with both at CES and on the Engadget Show back in January. Incidentally, an Android app for the device was also recently demoed by the company, but it's apparently still not quite official. Head on past the break for the complete press release, and hit up the gallery below for a closer look at the Drone itself in some of its various configurations. Update: We swung by the company's demo station outside the show floors here at E3, spoke with the company CEO, got a little more information about the post-release plans for this thing, and dive-bombed a few PR reps before running for the hills. All those details and a funky fresh new video are waiting for you after the break.

Hopefully you're not sick of the AR.Drone, because we sure aren't, and we took another opportunity to take it for a spin, and to speak with Henri Seydoux, founder and CEO of Parrot, the company behind the thing. Naturally the big news of the day is the $299 price, which is steep but honestly a little lower than some of the cynics among us were predicting.For that money you get yourself one drone with two bodies: one for indoor flying with expansive foam bumpers and a second for zipping around outdoors. This one ditches the bumpers in favor of better stability in crosswinds and, we presume, better overall speed. You also get a free download of the control app in the App Store, as well as a simple combat app in which your view on your iPhone is overlaid with missiles, lasers, and explosions as you duel with another Drone -- meaning you have to talk a friend into getting one, too if you want to get the most out of it.That's not exactly a stunning deal for $299, but it's the future that has us intrigued.

The idea is that there will be additional apps added to the App Store on a regular basis that will add new games and challenges. Henri suggested there might be bombing runs on the Drone's cardboard box (which has a target on the back), missions to rescue hostages far out in your backyard, and pretty much anything else that anyone can think of. This is because, of course, the AR.Drone's software is completely open-source, and the company will be encouraging others to write their own games and release them to the App Store -- or via any other distribution system. Basically, creative types will be free to do whatever they like, and if this thing has one fourth the success that LittleBigPlanet achieved the results could be amazing.The controls right now are simple and intuitive. The iPhone displays two inputs, the right being a virtual thumbstick that raises or lowers altitude, and allows you to rotate the Drone on its axis. If you hold your thumb on the left control you can tilt the iPhone to bank the Drone in any direction.

There's also a button you can tap to take off or land automatically, which is good for those prone to buying the farm.The initial Android app is not expected to be ready at launch time, which is disappointing, but that should come soon enough. We're hoping that independent devs flock to this device and fill App Stores, Marketplaces, and everything else with augmented reality minigames. If that happens this somewhat pricey, high-tech novelty could turn into a truly killer augmented app. .ar drone flight recorder malaysiaUser Rating: ( votes)parrot ar drone 2 zubehör The Parrot AR Drone 2.0 Power Edition Quadcopter is the latest version of AR’s popular series of personal drones. parrot ar drone developer zone

The Power Edition introduces a new black color scheme with a variety of colored rotors and more importantly, a huge improvement in battery life – up to 36 minutes! This is achieved through the use of 2 batteries, something that previously could only be done with your modifications. In addition to the massive battery life, this quadcopter is also powered via the smartphone app; there is no controller. This is quite different from other quadcopters, such as the popular DJI Phantom FC40, which use a controller in conjunction with a smartphone. ar drone parrot moins cherWhat this means for you is that you would have one less piece to tune and calibrate before taking off.parrot ar drone los angeles The Power Edition of the Parrot has been redesigned with a much more stealthly and sleek look – all black. ar drone parrot moins cher

The only color on the quadcopter comes from the rotors, which AR furnishes in orange, red, blue, or – you guessed it – black. So, if you’re a fan of the Sith or the Darkside, the choice is easy for you. However, the real appeal of the Parrot is it’s ability to pull off some extremely tight maneuvers, such as cornering and barrel rolls. If you’re looking for a speedy quadcopter that is a whole lot of fun to fly, this is the quadcopter you’ve been looking for. Just check out this video: While not the most aesthetically pleasing quadcopter on the market, the redesigned Parrot has some nice updates. Firstly, there are two bodies. There is an outdoor body, which is sleek and streamlined, allowing for some very cool maneuvers. Or, you can choose the “indoor” body, which provides circular rotor guards as well as foam like padding for the body. The new Parrot also includes two batteries, which theoretically doubles your flight time. However, you will have to land and swap batteries;

the 36 minutes of flight time is not continuous unless you modify the quadcopter to carry both batteries. Despite its flimsy looking appearance, the Parrot is designed to fly and that it does very well. The Parrot is extremely aerodynamic, which when combined with it’s lightweight design makes for some very fun flying. The Parrot is controlled via it’s smartphone app, which is an interesting approach. This eliminates a lot of the headaches of calibration and tuning users experience with a traditional RC controller. All you really need to do is turn on the drone, fire up and the app and you’re ready to fly. The app functions much like flying games and is quick and easy to learn. You can use the onscreen controls or your phone’s accelerometer to control the drone. The app can sometimes be glitchy and freeze, however it doesn’t seem to crash. The Wi-Fi connection between the drone and your phone is strong and does not drop out, which is a plus. Once in the air, the Parrot is a pleasure to fly.

We found it’s movements to be very precise and easy to maneuver, which at first is unexpected given it is being controlled from a touch screen. Flying indoors we were able to successfully navigate through an office – straight down hallways, around corners and through doorways. Never once did we feel the Parrot was drifting or out of control. Flying outdoors is where the Parrot really shines. Here we were able to take advantage of the drone’s speed and agility. Again, when it does work, the app performed surprisingly well when controlling the drone; it’s clear AR is really onto something with this. The really amazing feature of the Parrot is the barrel roll. A double tap on the touchscreen and the drone performs this super cool move. Check out the video below to see what we’re talking about: There are a few negatives here. Firstly, as we’ve already mentioned, the app can be glitchy. We noticed this most when doing barrel rolls, which really is a shame as it’s the coolest thing about the Parrot.

About 50% of the time the Parrot just didn’t roll when we double tapped the screen. To be fair, it could be the phone or it could be the app or it could be the way the app was running on the phone. Controlling a drone via a smartphone is a very new thing and undoubtedly there will be updates and improvements. But, for now, expect a few things to go wrong. Overall, we found the Parrot to be really fun and entertaining to fly, more so than other quadcopters. Clearly, this is a different kind of flying experience, one that’s geared more towards the RC crowd. The camera is a great addition for the Parrot and provides great footage. This is especially true when navigating indoors; we really had a lot of fun flying around the office and can see how this could make for some really entertaining video. Outdoors the camera proved to be slightly disappointing. The lens is rather narrow which made for scenes to be tight rather than wide and panoramic. This is an odd choice since the market for outdoor quadcopter video has really grown and still has high demand.