I was invited by Parrot a week ago to witness the launch of their drones in Singapore. It was the first time for me to attend a drone event. Anyway, these are the new Parrot drones – Parrot Disco, Bebop 2 FPV, and minidrones Swing and Mambo. And during the event, surprise, surprise, Parrot also showed off Parrot Pot, an intelligent pot for your plant (there is an app for it). The event was held at Privé, at ACM (Asian Civilisations Museum).
The event started with the introduction of the Parrot history by Chris Roberts, Vice President & Managing Director – JPAC + SE ASIA at Parrot.
Did you know that Parrot was founded by Henri Seydoux in 1994? And did you know that Parrot DID NOT make drones initially?
Parrot, headquartered in Paris, actually creates, develops and markets high tech wireless products for the retail and professional markets. The company operates in 3 main sectors:
- Civil Drones (UAVs) through retail leisure quadcopters and cutting edge professional solutions
- Automotive, with the widest range of hands-free communication systems and infotainment solutions for the car
- Connected objects, in the area of sound equipment as well as gardening tools.
Video Highlights
If it is too bored to read on, here is the video highlights.
I was glad that we were able to hands on the drones during the event. It was super fun trying out these drones. Honestly, I only tried out Parrot Swing. More about my favorite later.
Parrot has changed the way it markets the drones. Previously, drones like Disco or Bebop 2 have accessories like Skycontroller that are sold separately. Today, Skycontroller 2 and Cockpitglasses are bundled and sold together with the drones.
Skycontroller 2
Here is Skycontroller 2. It has a range of 2 km and is much smaller than the original Skycontroller.
Parrot Cockpitglasses
If you like FPV (First Person View), check out the Parrot Cockpitglasses. You need to slide out a slot on put in your smartphone to view the flight of your drone in First Person perspective.
If you already owned the Bebop or Disco via other sources, you can actually buy both products – The Parrot Skycontroller 2 and Parrot Cockpitglasses bundle at S$599.
Parrot Disco
Here is one drone that I did not see it fly during the event. The Parrot Disco is a fixed wing drone. It has a large wingspan (about 1 meter). It is the first consumer fixed wing drone from Parrot. If you see carefully, it is powered by one propeller. And with full battery, it has a flight time of 45 minutes and is capable of capturing video at Full HD. The Parrot Disco (Includes Parrot Cockpitglasses + Parrot Skycontroller 2) retails at S$2,399.
Specifications of Parrot Disco
Here is the specs: –
Parrot Bebop 2 FPV
This is one of my favorites drones. Before the launch of some drones recently from other “big brands”, it is one of my dreams to own one. The Parrot Bebop 2 FPV (Includes Parrot Cockpitglasses + Parrot Skycontroller 2) retails at S$1,399.
Here is me holding on to the drone. It is very small and weighs about 500 grams. You can control it via WiFi with your smartphone or with Skycontroller.
Specifications of Parrot Bebop 2
Here is the specs of Bebop 2.
Parrot minidrones
Truthfully, I did not pay much attention on Parrot minidrones before this event. I think I fell in love with one of them 🙂 . Two new minidrones were launched during the event – Mambo and Swing. For Parrot, minidrones are made to be fun and easy to use. True enough, all that tried are able to fly and had fun with them.
Mambo
One of the features of the Mambo is that it has accessories like cannons to fire projectiles and a grabbing arm that can carry messages or items of up to 4g. The drone also has a distinct “throw and take-off” function that detects itself being tossed in the air and automatically starts its engines to stay afloat. I have not tried this feature. The Parrot Mambo retails at S$229.
A closer look at the Mambo.
Here is the Mambo mounted with the cannon. BTW, it is a working cannon with physical pellets and controlled via your smartphone.
Parrot Swing
This is currently my favorite drone. The Parrot Swing takes off vertically and can fly horizontally in 3 modes (watch my video). Actually, I would like to call it the X-Wing 🙂 with its unique cross wings design. The Parrot Swing retails at S$269.
Here is me holding on to the Swing. Notice how small it is?
Close up of the body. It has a replaceable battery and a flight time (on paper) of 8 minutes.
Check out how the battery is secured.
The propellers are designed to be slanted to one side. It is not a defect.
And there is a small camera that can take snapshots (saved to its internal 1GB storage). Check out the close up (camera is next to the Micro USB port).
Specifications of Parrot Mambo and Parrot Swing
Here is the specs of the Parrot Mambo and Parrot Swing.
Parrot Flypad
Previously, all minidrones are flown via the app on Smartphone. Now, Parrot has made a controller, Parrot Flypad, to enhance the flying experience. The Parrot Flypad has a holder to hold on to your smartphone and is also capable of flying your minidrone without the smartphone. The Parrot Flypad retails at S$69.
Pricing & Availability
Here is a summary of the pricing of the drones. The Parrot Disco, Bebop 2 and minidrones Swing and Mambo will be available for purchase from 7th October 2016. Prices and retail locations are as follows:
Parrot Pot
Before I end my post, check out the Parrot Pot. It is a pot for plants and is intelligent to self water them. There is an app where you can choose the plant type and based on the selection, it will monitor and water it. I have not seen it in action but the feature is already interesting.
Check out the top view.
I have no information on the pricing of this Parrot Pot. If you are interested in the local price, I can ask Parrot. That is it. Thank you Parrot for the invite. Enjoyed it a lot.
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