SNAP, the company behind the instant messaging app Snapchat, has launched a new flying drone camera called The Pixy. It promises hands-free photography with no selfie stick required. It may mark the beginning of drone tech becoming widely adopted by the general public.
What is a “Pixy” exactly?
It’s a small yellow drone that can fit in your pocket. It weighs just 101 grammes and Snap chief executive Evan Spiegel has described it as a “pocket-sized, free-flying sidekick for adventures big and small.”
How does it work?
The Pixy doesn’t have a controller. It comes with six pre-programmed inbuilt flight patterns which see it take to the air for between 10 and 20 seconds. Any footage it takes is then synced to your Snapchat account.
Any drawbacks?
Well, as it is so light, it’s not great for using on a windy day (this may prove problematic in Scotland).
Where can I buy one?
Ah, hold your horses. It’s not available in the UK just yet. It is currently only available in the US and France where laws about drones are a little more lenient than they are here. It costs $230 (£184), but as yet there is no word as to when it might go on sale in the UK.
Pardon my ignorance, but what is Snapchat exactly?
Ah, I think you’re betraying your age there. The instant messaging app is popular with teenagers. It allows them to share stories and images for a short time. It is one of the most popular social media networks with most people accessing it through their mobile phone. Hence the importance of selfies. Snap says the app has 600 million users, with some 300 million active daily users around the world. And just to be clear, we are not going to mention the word sexting at any point in this article (apart from just there).
So, is this tiny Pixy drone a big deal?
Well, that depends on how successful it becomes. Snapchat’s success is built on access to mobile phone tech. Will users be prepared to splash out for extra hardware?
But the Pixy certainly offers a vision of how social media and tech may develop in conjunction in the future.
That said, it’s worth remembering, Snap launched “Spectacles” in 2016; camera-equipped glasses which were meant to offer an augmented reality experience. It was a costly failure, which saw the company take a £30m hit. But Snap has not given up on the idea and a new version has been developed.
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