THE FLYING CAMERA OF SNAPCHAT
Snap is returning with a second hardware device, more than five years after releasing Spectacles. And it flies this time.
Snap did, in fact, create a drone. The little yellow puck, known as Pixy, detaches from your palm, follows you about, and records footage that may be shared back to Snapchat. It's Snap's effort to create a drone that's kinder and more accessible than other options on the market — and it might foreshadow Snap's more sophisticated, AR-powered future.
Starting Thursday, Pixy will be available for $230 online in the United States and France. It's compact and light enough to put in a trouser pocket, unlike most current drones. There is no controller; it takes off and lands on an extended palm, and it employs six pre-programmed flight patterns controlled by a dial on the device's top.
Why would Snap, which is best known for its ephemeral messaging software, create a selfie drone? It's the first thing I ask Evan Spiegel, the company's CEO.
He told me lately through video chat, "Because we're a camera business." Snap has used the phrase since changing its name from Snapchat to Snap and releasing the first pair of Spectacles in 2016. "Our goal is to provide people the tools they need to express themselves, live in the present, learn about the world, and have fun together." And this product satisfies that requirement."
Spiegel has been fascinated with drones for a long time, at least since 2016, when Snap began experimenting with how the gadgets may fit into its camera firm plan. Around that time, he came close to buying a Chinese drone business named Zero Zero Robotics, but the timing was wrong. Investors were skeptical of Snap's future prospects as a newly public firm after Facebook aggressively copied its signature Stories feature, and the transaction finally fell apart over pricing. Snapchat is still not profitable on a constant basis, but it is presently expanding considerably faster than Facebook and has now surpassed Twitter in terms of user base.
Drones have yet to gain traction outside of professional use cases and early users. The majority are large, noisy, and costly. Some even need obtaining a permission. With friendly-sounding propellers and a shape that could fit in your pocket, Pixy was designed to be accessible. "We eventually arrived to a point where we said, 'Wow, this is a lot of fun.' "I suppose we should probably distribute it," Spiegel adds.
With its swappable battery installed, the Pixy weighs just 101 grams. Snap claims that a full charge will buy you five to eight flights, each lasting between 10 and 20 seconds - a short flight even by micro drone standards. Additional batteries are $20 each, and a portable dual-battery charger is $50 through Snap. The Pixy's 12MP sensor can capture up to 1,000 photographs or 100 movies, which are all saved locally on a 16GB SSD.
The movie is wirelessly synchronized to Snapchat's Memories section, where it is altered (because it doesn't record audio, Snap allows you to use tracks it has licensed from music companies), and then shared directly in the app or elsewhere. Snap has included a few Pixy-specific AR effects to pick from, and I anticipate the business and its developers to add more over time. Snap's signature vertical orientation, focused on the primary subject, may be instantly converted using an auto-crop tool. The video quality isn't great — it's not something you'll want to see on a big screen — but it's good enough to watch on your phone.
The Pixy's major skill is taking off and landing in your palm, thanks to a bottom-facing camera. As it takes off, its front-facing camera must be aligned about at eye level, and it will then follow you as you move around. Simply extend your hand to the Pixy when you're ready to finish the trip, and it will return to your palm. This was the most remarkable aspect of operating the drone throughout both outdoor and interior testing; it simply works and gives you an unique "wow" feeling the first time you use it.
The Pixy, according to Spiegel, is a new method of filming moments focusing on humans, which is a narrower perspective than how drones have previously been positioned. "I believe Pixy opens up a whole new realm here," he adds, explaining that your smartphone can't fly. "You may get a whole fresh and unique viewpoint." As a result, I believe Pixy is far superior to what your smartphone can produce."
The Pixy's simplicity sets it distinct from other tiny drones. DJI has been developing tiny drones that can take off from your hand and follow you around for years; these drones have a longer battery life and improved video quality. However, these rival devices are both more costly and more difficult to operate. They're also a lot bigger than the Pixy, which is pocket-sized.
The Pixy's design has a few more constraints. You won't want to use the gadget in windy circumstances since it's so light. Snap also warns against flying it over water or other glossy, reflecting surfaces because the bottom camera, which automates flight, may be confused.
The Pixy isn't expected to bring in a lot of money for Snap. According to Spiegel, "the idea is essentially simply to get it in people's hands and have them play around with it." "And if consumers like the initial product, we may manufacture more using version two." Snap, he believes, may have set its own standards for version one too low. "In retrospect, we probably should have manufactured more." And now, with all of the supply chain issues, it's much more challenging. We simply didn't anticipate it to be as fantastic as it turned out to be."
Comments
Post a Comment