The successor to the original Parrot AR.Drone is here. It will ship in Q2 of 2011 for $299, has a new 1280x720p camera for flight, and new flight modes. The UAV will now have an app for Android devices, iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. And it’s the camera where the AR.Drone 2.0 shines — it allows you to record video and program the UAV to fly in any set direction. We can’t wait for this. Full PR after the break. Via: AR Drone Flyers

Parrot ‘AR.Drone 2.0’:

High-Definition Excitement!

At CES Las Vegas 2012, Parrot, a global leader in wireless devices for mobile phones, reveals the AR.Drone 2.0, the new generation of its renowned high-tech quadricopter that can be controlled by Wi-Fi using a smartphone or tablet.

With a new high-definition camera, video recording, flight data sharing, new piloting mode, increased stability and brand-new look, the AR.Drone 2.0 offers an experience like no other!

A flying HD camera

While in flight, the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0′s front camera transmits real-time what the quadricopter sees onto the pilot’s device screen.

For the first time the AR.Drone 2.0 camera, with a 1280×720 resolution, shows a view from the sky in high definition with smooth and unbelievable images.

The pilot enjoys an experience like never before, as if he was on board. For gaming purposes, this camera also can recognize specific shapes and colors to show augmented-reality elements on the smartphone’s screen.

Record and share flying experiences

Thanks to the new AR.FreeFlight 2.0 piloting application, players can record their own HD videos and watch them or share them with the AR.Drone community.

Additionally, with the “travelling” feature, the pilot can film HD video sequences like a professional! Simply select the direction of travel (forward, back, sideways) and the duration, and the AR.Drone 2.0 does the rest.
AR.FreeFlight 2.0, a new piloting and sharing platform

In addition to flying the AR.Drone, new application AR.FreeFlight 2.0 – available to download for free from the AppStoreSM and AndroidTM Market – offers players a new interface and several options.

. FreeFlight: Access to the piloting application.
. The pilot can record flights, take HD videos or photos and save them in the piloting device. All the flight data (altitude, speed, duration and place) can be saved, checked by the pilot and shared with the community.
. Guest Space: Access an overview of the AR.Drone 2.0, the best flight videos and practical information.
. Drone Update: Access the AR.Drone 2.0′s free software updates.
. AR.Drone Academy: Get geolocation data of the best flight zones, watch other pilots’ videos and access their shared flight data.
. AR.Games: Access applications/games available for the AR.Drone.
. Photos/Videos: Directly access your own videos and photos. Watch or upload to YouTube for the community to enjoy.

‘Absolute Flight’, a revolutionary ultra-intuitive flight mode

After the AR.FreeFlight 2.0 pilot application has been loaded onto an iOS or AndroidTM smartphone or tablet, the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 connects to the device via Wi-Fi. After connection, all the on-board instruments appear on screen with a cockpit view.

Press the take off button briefly and the four brushless motors turn on. The AR.Drone 2.0 takes off.

Flying is very simple. With your thumbs placed on either side of the screen, a control button automatically forms beneath:

. Press and hold the left button and the AR.Drone 2.0 follows the movement of the pilot’s device: it moves forward, backwards or sideways when you tilt the tablet forward, towards you or to the left or right.
. Slide your finger over the right button, and the quadricopter rises, descends or rotates right or left.

Thanks to Parrot’s patented new ‘Absolute Control’ mode, the player accesses an even more intuitive piloting system.

With a 3D magnetometer, the AR.Drone 2.0 knows its precise orientation with respect to the smartphone, which becomes the reference point. The pilot no longer needs to care about the orientation of the AR.Drone 2.0′s front camera, which will accurately track the smartphone’s motion and tilt.

Experienced players will select ‘Relative Flight’ mode, the conventional flight mode. This disables Parrot AR.Drone 2.0′s magnetometer. The pilot manages the quadricopter’s orientation with no assistance.
Surprising stability at any altitude

The heart of the AR.Drone 2.0 contains MEMS (microelectromechanical systems).
A 3-axis accelerometer, a 3-axis gyroscope, a 3-axis magnetometer and a pressure sensor give the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 surprising stability, complete with:

. 2 ultrasound sensors, which analyze flight altitude up to 6 meters. New! A pressure sensor completes the device and provides great vertical stability.
. 4 blades, specially designed for the AR.Drone 2.0, make it possible to carry out smooth flights.
. A second camera, placed beneath the quadricopter and connected to the central inertial unit, measures the craft’s speed using an image comparison system.

2 hulls made for both types of flight

The Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 has 2 hulls with specially designed contours. Made of PA66 (a material used in designing car bumpers), they are light, highly resistant and protect the quadricopter.

For outdoor flight, the contoured hull, available in three colors (orange/yellow; orange/green; orange/blue), reduces wind resistance and preserves the AR.Drone 2.0′s handling and stability.

When indoor, a second hull protects the blades from any impact. The black-and-white cockpit, underlined with a red stripe, reinforces the quadricopter’s mysterious, thrilling appearance.

Finally, light-emitting diodes (green in front, red in rear), positioned on the landing gear, help the pilot track the orientation of the AR.Drone 2.0 for easier flying.

An Open Development Platform

In order to expand the use of the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 and its compatibility with other operating systems and to develop new flying games and applications, Parrot is providing developers and members of the Apple® and AndroidTM communities with a software development kit.

By logging in at https://projects.ardrone.org and accepting the terms of the license, developers can access the source code used to fly the AR.Drone 2.0. A wiki and a tutorial also are available. A forum is available to discuss new developments and share feedback with Parrot engineers.

***

The Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 runs on a rechargeable lithium-ion battery (included).

Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 will be available for purchase at selected retailers in Q2-2012 in the United States for $299 MSRP

Available For Purchase At Thinkgeeek. 

Despite only having my just-purchased Razer Onza Tournament Edition for only a few days, I’ve fallen in love with its many perfections and few flaws. The Razer Onza TE is from the well-respected PC gaming keyboard and mouse manufacturer, Razer. For the first time they have ventured to home consoles, and with a bang. The Onza TE has several features that the original Xbox 360 controller doesn’t have, like adjustable analog sticks (increased or decreased tensions), an improved D-pad, two programmable shoulder buttons (which can replace almost any button on the controller), “Hyper Response” ABYX buttons that also have built-in LEDs, a 15-foot braided USB cable, and finally a rubber texture.

Check out the full Onza TE review after the break to see if it really bests the competition!

Price as Reviewed: $49.99 from the Razer Store

Design

Honestly, the pictures speak a thousand words. The Xbox 360 S controller looks nothing even close to the Onza TE, and the Onza is incredibly light, as well as having a better overall grip due to the use of rubber and not plastic for the body. Oh, and overall, it looks like a boss. Also worth mentioning is that due to Microsoft’s policy, third-party wireless Xbox 360 controllers cannot be built (unless they have certain stock elements) and the Onza is a completely new breed of controller, so it had to be wired. Thankfully the 15-foot braided cable to incredibly strong, and comes tied up should you want little to no tangling when gaming.

Now, all of that being said, certain design elements of the Onza TE take some getting used to, including the crappy looking Xbox logo and the programmable shoulder buttons, which make you think twice about which bumpers you’re pushing, so plenty of practice is recommended before you go out there and risk your K/D by hitting the wrong buttons in a first-person shooter title or any genre of gaming for that matter.

Performance

In-game performance with the Onza TE is superb. In 5 PC games I tested – Call Of Duty: Black Ops, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood  Need For Speed: Shift 2 Unleashed, and Crysis 2 —  I had more fun using the controller instead of the keyboard and a Razer mouse, even with the auto-aim off (since plenty of console players prefer that n00b setting).

Now, onto the buttons. The analog sticks have 30 different tension settings, all taken care of by just turning a dial right beneath the stick.The ABYX buttons are nearly flat but have the same mouse click “feel” found in Razer’s mice, making them easier to push rapidly. Razer also improved the D-pad, which instead of a cheap-feeling, clunky button, is four separate buttons with a much better feel. As for the shoulder buttons, they too eel great to touch and push, but as I mentioned earlier, can be the source of some confusion due to the major difference between the stock controller and Razer Onza TE shoulder buttons (the programmable buttons are above the default shoulder buttons, that’s why).

Final Verdict

Score: 9/10

If you’re looking to up the ante in any in-game situation, the Razer Onza  Tournament Edition is going to take care of that for you, as long as you’ve had practiced with it. And hell, you’ll look cool while doing it, even if the Xbox logo isn’t the best looking, the Select and Start buttons in an odd place, and the controller only comes in a wired configuration. It still performs better than a default Xbox 360 S controller and looks better, as well as being less expensive than the wireless model. Nice work, Razer.

Ah, something cool from Razer, per usual. This time it’s one of their classics, the Naga MMO gaming mouse.  There is little doubt that PC gaming is very much alive and well (and so is the gaming mouse), so it’s time to go ahead and check out what this classic offers compared to some of Razer’s newer and more expensive models.

Price as Reviewed: $79.99, as sent to us by our friends at ThinkGeek!

Design

Nothing about the Razer Naga seems “regular”, The lights, massive numpad, and shape is something completely unique to Razer products. It’s very comfortable to hold in the hand for me, and the clicking sensation and sound for each of the 16 buttons plus the scroll wheel. Build quality is quite high, with the plastics and buttons being properly placed, polished, and with the new gadget smell (yes, that is important).

Using It

The numpad is an unusual sight, but when in use it’s very useful. Very much so. An added bonus is the use the numberpad as the normal number row keys seen on your keyboard, or to use it as an additional number pad, meaning that the numbers 10, 11, and 12 are now part of your set. These buttons can be programmed to do just about anything in your MMO game, or just about any other game or application. For example, in games like Need for SPeed: Shift 2 Unleashed I’d use the keys 1 and 2 for gear changes, and in first-person shooters like Battlefield 3 (the alpha build), Call of Duty: Black Ops, or Crysis 2 I can use the buttons for quick reloading, throwing in grenades, changing from prone, crouch, or stand, or just calling in a friendly airstrike. As a gamer you’ll never tire of the Naga.

Final Verdict

Score: 9/10

It’s affordable in terms of an already expensive gaming setup and is useful (read: the numpad). Would I buy one myself? Totally. But I kind of doubt that the Razer Naga would go with the upcoming Razer Blade, as I would prefer something a little different for a laptop of the caliber (read: .50 cal).

And finally yes, if you’re looking into a gaming mouse, go ahead and try out the Naga.