Thinking about getting into the world of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), but don’t want to plunk down too much cash? Well, have we got the drone for you!
Okay, the Swann Quad Starship isn’t actually a drone – there are no fancy autonomous flying modes, on-board cameras, or any of the other futuristic abilities packed into competing devices like the Parrot AR.Drone 2. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t an awesome bit of RC tech for much cheaper than flying robots with similar features.
Equipped with Swann’s Easy Fly Gyro technology, the four-propeller-powered Quad Starship is capable of “performing death-defying turns, dives, flips, tumbles, and stunts” with relative ease, according to Jeremy Stewart, Swann’s VP of marketing. Add in its “powerful” 2.4GHz control, and you get a flight range of up to 330 feet – plenty far for this little zipper.
Unfortunately, Quad Starship’s battery only gives you eight minutes of airtime – which is actually pretty good for a ‘copter of this size, but still not nearly as long as a kid’s attention space. After the charge runs out, you power the sucker back up using a provided USB that attaches to the remote control (which itself is powered by four AA batteries).
This is the first quadcopter from Swann, which specializes in DIY home security camera sets ups, though the company does make a range of RC helicopters, some of which you may have seen feature at your local mall kiosk.
The Swann Quad Starship retails for just $80, and is available from Amazon, Fry’s, Tiger Direct, and B&H.
