Janine E. Mooney
Wireless Design & Development
Drones are pricey little toys, but they sure are fun. The cost of the actual drone, plus the camera, because everyone needs the camera, is sure to cost you at least $3,000 (for a good one, anyway).
Instead of investing in a $3k drone, PhoneDrone Ethos came up with a cool way to turn your smartphone into a drone, using the phone as the "brains." It's a less expensive solution because it basically uses all of the components you already have built into your smartphone, plus most drones use your smartphone as the remote control anyway. An accompanying app allows you to actually set the flight pattern for the drone as its own separate "mission." Here's the catch though – your phone can't be in two places at once, acting as the drone and acting as the remote control to the drone. So this will work if you have another smartphone or tablet, but not so much if you don't.
Another option is called "follow me," in which a device acts as a GPS beacon and the drone will fly alongside of you as you relocate.
As for the camera, different angles are available thanks to a small on-board mirror that you set up before takeoff.
The thought of putting your phone into something that will, most likely, crash at some point, is a little alarming, and so the PhoneDrone Ethos has an integrated shockproof slot to protect the phone. Plus, it includes a USB charging port and an on-board battery that should allow for about 15-20 minutes of flying time.
The retail cost is expected to be about $300 and will arrive in September 2016.
