A Quick Glance at Parrot's Most Compact Drone to Date Bebop Drone

Parrot, a French consumer drone maker, has unveiled its very own indoor/outdoor quadricopter that is packed with lots of awesome and hi-tech specs. Called the Bebop Drone, it sports a full HD video and cutting-edge image stabilization with a wide-angle 180-degree view. And just like with the company's other hobby drones, the Bebop Drone can be controlled using its associated app on iOS or Android smartphone or tablet.

One unique thing about this upcoming drone that separates it from others is its 14-megapixel fish-eye lens, which captures and streams live HD views of its flight to the device that you're using to control it. Another is its superb stability due to its several on-board sensors, a combination of a 3-axis accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer, which gives it a smooth flight even on windy conditions. It was considered as one of the most stable drone flights by far -- and it only weighs less than a pound. Flying the Bebop Drone, however, is pretty short because its flight time is 12 minutes only, even on a full battery charge.

It has the capability of capturing videos in 1080p full-HD resolution; whereas its previous model, the AR.Drone 2.0, can only do it in 720p. The Bebop Drone records videos to its 8GB internal memory in MP4 format (it has no microSD or SD card slot). Parrot's controller app, FreeFlight, allows you to control the flight via your iOS or Android device. With its upgraded version (3.0), which aims in giving a streamlined experience, still offers the same features found in the older version such as the ability to share videos or program flight paths.

Your iPhone or iPad communicates with the drone via Wi-Fi with a distance of up to 300 meters. Now, in case you'd like to go farther than that, you can get the Skycontroller. This new accessory from Parrot that serves as a dock for your smartphone or tablet, giving you controls on each side and a huge antenna on the top that will extend your wireless range at an unbelievable distance of 2 kilometers.

You can also connect virtual reality headsets like the Oculus Rift to the Skycontroller to pilot the drone's camera. If you move your head around while wearing the Oculus Rift, it will control the drone's camera, but not its movement. Before using the VR headset, make sure you're already familiar on how to use the Skycontroller since you won't be able to see it while your eyes are covered with it.

Here's a detailed summary of the Bebop Drone:

• 14 megapixel camera w/ fisheye lens
• 180-degree field view
• Full HD video recording
• 3-axis image stabilization system
• WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
• WiFi MIMO 2.4 & 5GHz
• GNSS : GPS + Glonass + Galileo
• Inertial unit: Gyroscope, Accelerometer,
  Magnetometer, Altimeter, Ultrasound, Vertical
  camera.
• 1,200mAh battery (12 minutes flight time)
• Removable hull
• iOS and Android smartphone / tablet support via FreeFlight app

This promising drone is expected to come out in the market later this year. With the Bebop Drone, Parrot puts higher-end features into a compact quadcopter that is sure to attract new and experienced pilots. As for the pricing, there's still no information from Parrot as to how much it will cost. Rough guess? It's something between $300-$400, an estimate that is considerably competitive with other consumer drones around.