Five years later, after the release of smart glasses Spectacles, Snap, the parent company of social software Snapchat, has finally launched their second hardware product again. This time, Snap launched a hardware product that can fly - the flying camera Pixy.
The flying pale yellow selfie drone, the Pixy, looks cute, and is small, lightweight, and even fits into your pants pocket. More convenient than other drones, the Pixy does not require a controller to use, and it can take off from the outstretched palm and land back into the palm. In addition, Pixy has six airplane modes that users can switch between from the dial at the top of the device.
Pictured| Snap's flying camera Pixy (Source: Snap)
While at work, this small, cute yellow machine takes off from the user's hand and then captures the video at the same time. Users can also send these videos to their personal Snapchat accounts.
The new flight camera Pixy went on sale on April 28, and it's priced at just $229.99, and users can currently buy it online in the U.S. and France.
In fact, Pixy is a new attempt at drones, designed to be more approachable, easier to use, and closer to the needs of the masses. It's not hard to guess Snap's ambitions to take a place in the metaverse of the future, driven by virtual reality (VR) and augmented Reality (AR).
Why did Snap, a company that started with social media Snapchat, do hardware and step into the selfie drone space? In fact, Snap has shown interest in the field since the company changed its name in 2016.
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel said in an interview that Snapchat has positioned itself as a camera company since it changed its name to Snap in 2016, when it also released the company's first smart glasses. Since then, Snap has positioned itself in its mission: through its own products, let people express themselves, live in the moment, understand the world, and have fun together.
Spiegel also showed interest in the field of drones in 2016. At that time, in addition to spending time to study how to integrate drone equipment into the company's strategy, he also tried to acquire China's drone company Zero Zero Unlimited. However, the acquisition ultimately failed because the price was not consistent.
Snap is now out of its predicament, and although it has not yet achieved profitability, it has risen well. Currently, the snapchat software is growing faster than Facebook's.
The drone market, although once hot, is now dominated by professionals and early enthusiasts. Moreover, most of the drones on the market are bulky, noisy and expensive, and some professional drones need relevant licenses.
The launch of Pixy is the right market and timing, Spiegel also said: "We have finally encountered a market situation that is favorable to us. I think it's time to release this machine. ”
The flight camera Pixy has made concessions in its endurance time in order to achieve light weight. Pixy weighs only 101 grams when plugged into a replaceable battery, and when fully charged, Pixy can keep flying 5 to 8 times. However, each flight time is between about 10 and 20 seconds. Even by the standards of a micro-drone, such flight times are short. To keep Pixy running longer, users can choose to buy an extra battery for Pixy for $19.99. In addition, users can purchase a portable dual-battery charger for $49.99.
Pixy's 12MP sensor can capture up to 100 videos or 1,000 photos and is stored locally on a 16GB drive. In addition, videos taken by Pixy can be wirelessly synced to the "Memories" section of the Snapchat app, where users can then edit them directly. It is worth noting that the video quality of Pixy is not so outstanding, if users want to show the video they shoot on the big screen, it is not sharp enough, but enough to support viewing on the phone.
In addition, Snap has added some specific AR effects for Pixy to choose from. In the future, it is not difficult to imagine that as it becomes popular, Snap companies and creators will introduce more AR effects for it.
Another unique trick of the flight camera Pixy is the ability to take off and land in the palm of the user's hand. This is largely due to the bottom-facing camera that Pixy comes with. On takeoff, users need to keep Pixy's front camera at an altitude roughly at eye level so it can find the user and automatically track the user later in the flight. When the user wants to end the Pixy flight, simply extend the hand to the Pixy and it will return to the palm of the hand.
Spiegel is very proud of the feature, saying, "I think Pixy opens up a whole new space because your smartphone can't fly. Users will be able to get a whole new and different perspective. ”
Figure| Snap's Pixy can take off and land in the palm of your hand (Source: Snap)
Pixy, which wins with lightness, also has its own limitations. Because it is very light, it is not conducive to its use in a windy environment. In addition, Snap said that it is also restricted on water surfaces and other reflective surfaces, because the conditions may cause the camera at its bottom to be unrecognizable.
Spiegel said Snap's goal at this stage is to get more people to understand and use it. If the market proves that users like the first product, perhaps they will add more features to the second version.
But he also said that from the current performance of the market, his expectations may be too low. At the moment, he has felt that the production volume of the first Pixy may be too small, but due to the tight global supply chain, it is difficult to add new production in a short period of time.
-End-
reference:
https://www.theverge.com/2022/4/28/23043011/snapchat-pixy-drone-hands-on