(credit: Griffin Technology) Griffin Helo TC | US$49.99 | www.griffintechnology.com
if you think flying your real aircraft model using iPhly with your iPhone is a little too risky and the Parrot A.R.Drone price tag is way off your budget, then Griffin Technology may just have the answer for you. it has announced an AppPowered toy, dubbed the Helo TC that let you use an iOS app to pilot a micro indoor helicopter. users can control this little heli using their iOS devices via the dedicated app that controls either by touching the screen or through “tilt-to-fly”.
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communication between your iOS device with the heli is via Infrared (IR) but wait, we don’t have IR on our iOS devices, do we? fret not, all you have to do is to attach the accompanied “flight deck module” – which essentially is an IR attachment powered by 4xAAA cells – to your iOS device. it even comes with five super-bright LEDs for night flight. the helicopter features two motors: one powers the main coaxial rotors and the other to power the tail rotor. the motors draw its juice from a 180 mAh PolyLithium Fuel Cell that’s good for about 8-minutes of flight on a 30-minutes full charge. charging is via any computer or USB power source.
priced at £34.99 (about US$56) US$49.99, it is definitely way cheaper than the Parrot A.R.Drone. then again, it won’t have onboard video cam for Augmented Reality gaming, nor does it have any WiFi. let’s just say that for this price, i won’t hesitate to give it a go, plus the app is free. expect the Helo TC to hit the stores this Christmas season.
via Engadget
