Snap, the media company best known for its instant messaging app Snapchat which you may already have forgotten in a world dominated by TikTok, is back with a new gadget. This time, Snap wants you to buy an imaging drone – or more correctly, a selfie drone.
Called Pixy Flying Camera, it is the second imaging device after Snap Spectacles and it is definitely more interesting and has more allure than the Spectacles, IMHO.
Pixy looks cute. It is palm-size. It’s yellow and it is a little bit rounded at the corners. Four rotors that enable lift and flight are safely tucked inside the small, oblong slab. Also on board are of course the camera module and physical control buttons.
That’s right. This imaging drone has control buttons that it does not make any effort to hide. The controls include a start button and a camera-inspired setting dial. Snap didn’t say it, but we think the dial may be a nod to a regular camera.
Pixy isn’t just any selfie drone, btw. It does not come with a controller. And you cannot control it with your phone either. Snap does not want you to be distracted by the chore of flying and hence, Pixy flies and records images without intervention.
All you need is to choose one of the four preset flight modes, namely, Hover, Reveal, Follow, and Orbit, and hit the start button and it will take off and dutifully does its job. When it is done, Pixy will find its home in your hand.
After which, videos from the flights are wirelessly transferred and saved to SnapChat Memories. From there, you can choose to use Snapchat’s editing tools, lenses, and sounds, crop into a portrait and apply quick Smart Edits like Hyperspeed, Bounce, Orbit 3D, and Jump Cut, before sharing it on Chat, Stories, and other platforms.
The Pixy Flying Camera by Snap is available to buy in the U.S. and France, while supplies last, for US$229.99.
Images: Snap Inc.
