This update to the Parrot AR.Drone user experience will bring on hardware controls to Android, this being what we can expect as the cross-over to similar Bluetooth-friendly controls in the near future as well. With Project SHIELD, users will end up being able to work with a bit more of a unique experience with the unobstructed display not offered on any other platform. If you work with the Parrot AR.Drone on your smartphone, your controls are on-screen.

With Project SHIELD, you’re able to utilize this quadcopters on-board camera with Project SHIELD’s 5-inch display, allowing you to feel much more like you’re onboard the flying machine with physical controls outside your camera view. This demonstration by NVIDIA points toward a unqiue app update for Project SHIELD by Parrot in the near future.

Have a peek at the timeline below to see more information on NVIDIA’s Project SHIELD and make sure you’re tuned to SlashGear’s Tegra Hub for an expanded view of what the processor inside this device is capable of. We’ll have more information on Project SHIELD in regards to release time and price in the near future – stay tuned!

It’s a pretty nifty little gadget, and it plugs into the AR.Drone 2.0 copter at the top via USB, and is strapped in with a simple velcro strap. It has 4GB of storage, which doesn’t seem like a lot at all, and we’re thinking that the company could’ve definitely stuffed in more silicon to boost up the storage limit.

In any case, there are some cool features that users can take advantage of, including Director Mode, which lets users “program pre-registered and automatic movements”, like traveling, pan movements, and crane. This is to ensure that users shoot exactly the video they want, and allows for full control, just like a movie director.

The GPS dongle also comes with an extra battery, which allows for 18 minutes of extra flight time. The iPad app, in particular, offers stabilization features and post-processing capabilities to allow complete editing control and provide your friends and family with the best possible viewing from the sky.

With the Zikmu Solo, as it was with the original Zikmu, you’ve got what’s first a monstrous iPhone dock, then set of connections that’s ready to rock for the future. This device is built for the 30-pin generations of iOS devices including everything from the iPhone 3Gs to the iPhone 4S, iPod nano (every generation between 2 and 6,) iPod classic, and iPod touch 4th, 5th, and 6th generation.

You also have Bluetooth connectivity for basically every modern smart device as well as instant connectivity with NFC. The folks at Parrot assure us that every NFC-carrying Android device using Android 4.1 and above will be able to connect instantly with the NFC sensor placed at the top of the Zikmu Solo – instant splendor! You can also connect to the unit with Wi-fi synchronization with WPS – this way you’ll be able to access and play music from one computer with another computer blasted out of your Zikmu, no sweat! This speaker also works with UPnP, DLNA, and Samba – there’s basically no modern wireless speaker connectivity technology that doesn’t work here, when it comes down to it.

Under the hood then you’ll find that you’ve got 2 x 20W side HARP (high aspect ratio panel) drivers between 350Hz and 20KHz, a center speaker that got a 1 x 20W BMR (balanced modal radiator) driver between 350Hz and 20KHz, and under the bottom of the beast you’ve got a 40W Woofer. That woofer, for those of you interested in the wee specifics, is a 6-inch 40W neodymium unit working between 50Hz and 350Hz, and audio restitution hits between 30Hz and 20kHz on the regular.

Audio power for this beast on the whole is 100W RMS output with a Class D amplifier for digital sound – “pure” digital sound, of course. And that it is – pure as the driven snow working with AAC, MP3, LPCM and WMA file types natively with software updates coming in via wi-fi and ethernet. The ethernet port that makes this update magic (and the web-based audio connectivity magic) happen sits on the bottom side of the unit as well.

Down at the bottom end you’ve also got a combined input socket that works with analog line-in as well as digital optical – 24 bit sound for your ears to explode by. Your analog line-in action will be used mainly for hi-fi channels and your everyday average television sound-out connections. In the box you get the speaker itself, a remote control, an AC power cord, one optical Toslink adapter / 3.5-inch jack, and a few “universal” dock adapters that work for the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, and iPhone 3GS.

There’s also a unique Parrot Audio Suite app that works with iOS devices at the moment (with Android coming soon) that allows you to change the Room Size and Position for automatic settings based on both – this speaker is smart! This app also has an equalizer that works as directly with the speaker’s sound settings as possible and has a set of pre-set modes. You can of course change the source volume from this app, work with Bluetooth and wider volume management, and name your speaker – a must!

This unit is a masterpiece of iPhone dock greatness, that’s for certain. If you’re not an iPhone or iPod owner working with a unit thats got a 30-pin connector under the bottom, you might want to wait for a Parrot Zikmu either devoid of a dock at the top or one that also has the ability to cradle any smartphone, not just one made by Apple. That said, if you’re not worried about the tiny element that is the look of the top of the speaker, this speaker is a great, great unit.

The Parrot Zikmu Solo is set for a MSRP 999 USD pricetag and will be out immediately if now soon – have a peek and see where you can grab it! And be sure to be aware that you can get it in black or white – or get one of each!

First you’ve got Two HARP (High Aspect Ratio Panel) drivers that diffuse the sound between the left and/or right side of the unit. Then you’ve got one central BMR (Balanced Modal Radiator) driver to diffuse the sound to the back and lower front of the unit. Inside you’ve also got a proprietary algorithmic processor called Sound Flex, optimized to bring you a “pure and perfectly balanced musical image.”

This device connects via Bluetooth, Wi-fi, NFC, and has an integrated ethernet port to boot! You’ll be able to connect the speaker to essentially any audio source with an integrated line-in input for both analog and optical digital connections. You’ve got UPnP and DLNA protocols on your side here and the whole thing is able to act as an iPhone or iPod dock as well.

The dock does not (yet) offer a dock for the iPhone 5, but is able to work with the iPhone 4S, 4, and 3Gs. You’ll be able to work with the Parrot Audio Suite application for both Android and iOS devices to connect wirelessly and control everything from your iPad, Android tablet, Android smartphone, or iPhone, and the whole package contains just the basics – plus a few extras. For MSRP 999 USD you get the main speaker unit, an AC power cord, an optical Toslink adapter / 3.5-inch jack, remote control (with included battery), a quick start guide, and a collection of “universal dock adapters” for your different iPhones and iPods – 3Gs, 4, and 4S. This device will be out in November at a collection of in-store retailers – check it out!

Pix4UAV takes thousands of normal pictures captured by drones and converts them into a professional 3D map. The advantage of Pix4D’s solution is that the creation of the maps is fully automatic, and the company also claims that its processing is faster, cheaper, and has better accuracy. Ultimately UAV manufacturers and professional surveyors benefit from the maps, reportedly accurate up to 5cm, as Pix4UAV sells on the software and necessary tools.

Meanwhile, Parrot and senseFly have joined forces to build even more advanced drones. The key piece of technology that will benefit Parrot is the swinglet CAM, a drone with autopilot capabilities that can handle take-off, flight, and landing by itself. It’s also packed with a high-resolution camera that might be useful for, say, geographical information and 3D maps. Parrot is bolstering senseFly’s activities with around $5.1 million in funding. Match the technology at hand with Pix4UAV’s software capabilities, and you can see that Parrot is taking automated surveillance drones seriously.

In fact, Parrot is asking a hefty $399.99 for the ZIK set, which puts them up against some big names in prosumer headphone technology (as well as competing with custom in-ear headphones). What most rivals don’t offer, though, is a pair of apps – for iOS and Android – that allow listeners to control the virtual “Concert Hall” DSP remotely.

NFC is used to pair your music player (if supported) though there’s also a wired option to hook up old-school devices too. The rechargeable battery is juiced up via USB, and there are four integrated microphones used for active noise-reduction and hands-free calls.

There’s even automatic muting, the ZIK headphones pausing playback when they sense that you’ve taken them off. The Parrot ZIK headphones are available to preorder from Brookstone in the US now.

The Epson Moverio BT-100 was designed as a pair of video glasses running Android, with two small LCD screens that sit close to your eyes, emulating a big screen experience. While they’re designed as a portable movie and TV watching solution, Sohmers has taken advantage of the see-through display and controller in order to watch the video fed coming from the AR.Drone while also making basic adjustments such as thrust and rotation.

Because the Moverio is running Android, it can run the AR.Drone application naively. The drone also creates an ad-hoc WiFi network, allowing the Moverio to connect and receive the video, as well as send control commands. It’s far from perfect, of course, with some controls still not working.

Still, it’s a nifty little demo, even if the price to get everything running is a little high. The Moverio glasses retail for around £500 (~$785), with the AR.Drone itself coming in around $300.

[via Engadget]

Version 2.0 ships with the flying device with quad rotors, an indoor hull, outdoor hull, charger, and battery. It will work with the original AR.Drone battery pack as well. The indoor hull appears to be made from some sort of high-density foam to protect walls, and the AR.Drone from impacts. The outdoor hull simply snaps over the top of the electronics to keep them safe in the event of an accident, leaving the rotors uncovered.

The version 2.0 flying toy includes a fast LIPO battery along with charger adapters for multiple country use. The device also comes with stickers for playing augmented reality games and a target for augmented reality games. Pre-orders in the US will be through Brookstone and pre-orders for Canadian fans are listed as coming soon. Pricing is still unknown, but we should find out tomorrow when pre-orders start.

The exterior muffs have touch sensitive panels to help regulate sound volume and power. It is also said to have an easy connection through NFC (Near Field Communication). Whether this is to provide better stereo quality sound or to just connect to your device – no other headphones are currently equipped with NFC.

Bluetooth audio streaming is also available, and will likely be the primary wireless connection. Though, a 3.5mm analogue line-in is available. Automatic sound activation through a built in motion detection sensor is also obvious innovation from a pair of headphones. Though they haven’t officially priced the ZIK, its sound quality was superb – and could easily retail for $399.

There’s also an integrated 4x45W MOSFET amp, hands-free calling and a pair of line-out connections, along with an included remote control.

The Parrot Asteroid Nav has a larger, 5-inch touchscreen and comes preloaded with navigation software, real-time map updates and various geo-location services and apps. There’s also hands-free calling, the same connectivity options for music sources as the Asteroid CK, voice navifation and automatic phonebook sync. USB or Bluetooth tethering can get the Asteroid Nav online, or alternatively there’s WiFi. A steering wheel mounted remote is included.

Finally, the Parrot Asteroid 2DIN has a 6.2-inch TFT multitouch touchscreen and does all of what the Asteroid Nav can, adding in reverse camera support, the ability to broadcast video to separate rear-seat displays, and packs more choice for inputs and outputs. There’s a video output and a video input, twin audio outputs and a subwoofer output, a line-in and two line-out, along with a remote control.

Parrot is yet to confirm pricing and availability.

In the original version, controlling from an iPhone or Android phone meant keeping the Drone going in the same direction like any remote controlled car or plane – when the pilot turned the drone around to face himself or herself, the controls would be “reversed”, at least from a user perspective. The AR Drone 2.0 can keep itself oriented to the pilot, allowing for more precise and user-friendly controls.

The hits don’t stop there. A new 720p camera can record video or photos straight to your phone, and the new motor is quieter, not assaulting your with its “weeeeeeeee” squeal. In a busy CES hall the four rotors could barely be heard. A new app will premiere with the Drone 2.0, at an unspecified time in the future. No price or availability details have been announced just yet.

Whereas the first-gen AR.Drone – which we reviewed back in 2010 - required you to keep track of where the front of the quadricopter was, the new Absolute Flight mode relies on a 3D magnetometer built to let the the second-gen model know what orientation it’s at in relation to the smartphone controlling it. That way, “the pilot no longer needs to care about the orientation of the AR.Drone 2.0′s front camera, which will accurately track the smartphone’s motion and tilt.”

The traditional steering method will still be available as an option, and you’ll now be able to pre-program preset flight paths. Meanwhile there are some tweaks to the sensor array, with a pressure sensor used to boost vertical stability, new blade designs for smoother flight, and a slightly altered hull. As before, two shells are supplied – one for indoor flight, one for outdoor – and there are flashing LEDs to keep it looking impressive.

Apps for both Android and iOS are available, and there’s an open development platform for third-party game and other app developers to tie into the new AR.Drone 2.0. According to the leaked release, the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 will go on sale in Q2 2012, priced at $299. We’ll be keeping an eye on the skies at CES to see if we can spot it there.

[via Engadget and via AR.Drone Flyers]

The creators of the hacked flying toy dubbed it SkyNET. This SkyNET won’t hunt you down and kill you though, it will just hack your wireless network. The goal of the hacked flying toy is to compromise wireless networks to infect the machines on the network with Malware and bring them online as part of the spamming scourge botnets out there.

The idea here is that the hacker could fly the AR.Drone around a neighborhood and find computers that are susceptible to the hack. By not using a computer and flying around infecting computers, it would presumably make the hacker harder to find. Of course, the downside to this is that a stiff breeze may be more than the AR.Drone can handle.

[via CNET]

The price is not as bad as I though it would be honestly. The car radio will connect to the internet using WiFi from a hotspot, your mobile phone, or a USB dongle plugged into the back of the radio. With that web connectivity the Asteroid will allow apps made for the system to access mapping data and a lot more. The radio also has a FM tuner inside and will play music from apps too. The screen on the device is 3.2-inches and you can see album art on it, maps, and all sorts of other stuff.

The Asteroid will land with six apps for navigation, music, and reading and composing texts and emails to the driver hands-free while driving. The Asteroid also has Bluetooth inside for hands free calls. The six apps available at launch include maps, Roadtrip, Wikango, Weather, Text Friendly, and TuneIn. The stereo can stream music from the iPhone, Android devices, and more.

[via Android Community]

Parrot has named the official distributor of the AR.Drone for the US and Canada and that distributor is Horizon Hobby. With an official distributor named that means you will be able to walk into your local Horizon Hobby location and take one home with you.

If you have somehow missed the AR.Drone with all we have talked about the thing, it’s really cool. It comes with the AR.Drone flying device, and external hull, battery, charger, stickers, and a quick start guide. The app to control the toy is on the App Store for free and the camera on the AR.Drone will send video of what it sees back to the Apple device.

Inputs include USB, an SD card slot and an aux-in, and if you hook up your iPod or iPhone you can see album art, playlists, videos and other content on the Pioneer’s display. There’s also App Mode, which displays content from third-party iOS apps on the head-unit, as long as those apps have some sort of video output support.

There’s MP3, WMA and AAC support, and up to 32GB SDHC cards can be read; Pioneer also throws in an 8-band equalizer and various audio DSP tech to tweak the best out of compressed music. Finally, the MVH-8300BT gets Parrot Bluetooth hands-free. No word on pricing or availability at this stage.

One of the more interesting apps out there is GPS map view; it’s functional, responsive, and definitely makes your head unit more interesting than that old Pioneer one in your car. As you can see in the gallery, this bad boy has all of the inputs including an iPod port that will charge your ipod while connected, USB storage, a memory card slot, 3G modem, and a microphone for Blutooth pairing. Be prepared to see this device launch in the US around Q2 this year.

Video demo after the cut

Unlike the iOS versions, the N900 app for controlling the AR.Drone uses two on-screen joysticks rather than the accelerometer to control the quadricopter. Still, we’re guessing that could be addressed in future versions. Otherwise you get the same live video stream and direct WiFi connection, together with all the AR.Drone’s own intelligent auto-hover and object avoidance.

While the project has been a way of letting the N900 work with a new toy, Alhola also has another motivation: to prove that neither the N900 nor Maemo are dead. Responding to speculation that both device and platform are facing an imminent demise, she instead suggests that “the best option today is to develop with maemo5 with Qt and Qt Quick and when a MeeGo handset is released, just deploy your application for it, it is that easy.”

[via My Nokia Blog]

Video demo after the cut

That last point might put something of a dampener on your impromptu AR.Drone object tracking fun, since the quadricopter needs to be hooked up to a computer running Windows, OS X or Linux to run the full Urbi software. However, that also means you can use the Gostai Lab software to come up with custom interfaces for the ‘copter, handy if you’re less than enamoured with the relatively basic UI of the official iOS app.

Alternatively, Psykokowak has a second – more risky – method that allows you to load a version of Urbi directly into the AR.Drone’s own memory, running the software on the quadricopter’s own processor. The risk is that you might wipe Parrot’s original programming, and while the company is open minded in encouraging mods to the AR.Drone, that probably falls outside their warranty.

[via Engadget]

R3 Media Network

SlashPhone
Swype Beta for Android Gets A New Update
CyanogenMod 6.1 Now Available For Update
White iPhone 4 to be Launched in Spring 2011?
Windows Phone 7 Gets Cut and Paste

Android Community
Nexus S Review and Rundown by TechCrunch
Nexus One Owners: Have You Received Gingerbread Yet? [Update: Not for a Few Weeks]
Android 2.3 SDK Officially Released
Samsung W899 is twin Super AMOLED touchscreen clamshell
Google eBookstore launches with new eBook Reader for Android
ZDNet outlines the top Android phones
Big day for Android today says Notion Ink, NFC suspected
NOOKcolor Android 2.2 Froyo hack revealed [Video]
DK28 Froyo Test Build for Epic 4G

SlashGear
Nexus One Gingerbread OTA Update Due in a Few Weeks
BenQ DV S11 Camcorder Breaks Cover, Features Pico Projector Built-In
A Cartoonish Way to Prevent Cruelty
Google Nexus S official [FEATURED]
Acer Aspire 5745DG [REVIEW]
Sprint Network Vision will combine 3G/4G base-stations, boost voice/data/PTT
Verizon may pay Apple to lock out T-Mobile/Sprint iPhone tips analyst
Tony Hawk rides 630hp V8-powered skateboard
AT&T worst US carrier claims Consumer Reports
Low-bandwidth Skype custom app created for UN Refugee aid workers [Video]
FedEx expects to ship 16 million packages on December 13
Rear view cameras to become standard on just about all Ford cars
Verizon announces the first cities to get LTE service
Chinese netbook rips off Dell duo and Sony Vaio P
December 13 may be launch day for Mac App Store
World’s largest floating Christmas tree on display in Rio de Janeiro
New Facebook profile: Switching is super-simple
Cyber Monday was big, rest of week softened
OnLive and Vizio planning Netflix rival services tip insiders
$25 iPhone 4 at Radio Shack after discount & trade-in deals
AOL considers Yahoo! deal after potentially ditching dial-up
T-Mobile Galaxy Tab unlimited messaging restored after websales glitch
Apple credit card secrecy driving magazine publishers away
“Apple City” campus plans tip Norman Foster as designer
Facebook Profile Changes Rolled Out Today
Parrot AR.Drone [REVIEW]
Which is better: Short or long video games? [COLUMN]

To see more wrap-up posts, follow the following tags: [The Daily Slash] or [SlashGear Morning Wrap-up]

Hardware

While remote-control helicopters have long been using dual, contra-rotating blades for increased stability and easier amateur piloting, the AR.Drone goes even better and doubles that to a full four rotors. They’re set on short arms around a black polystyrene hub, into which slots the battery pack. Unlike with many “toy” ‘copters, Parrot expects the AR.Drone to be used indoors and out, and provides not only a colorful top chassis but also a removable four-hoop bumper. Indoors, the bumper reduces the likelihood of rotors snapping when you inevitably hit the walls, ceiling and floor; outdoors, the AR.Drone is faster, more maneuverable and more wind-resilient with the bumper taken off.

Inside the AR.Drone there are the same sort of sensors, radios and cameras, as you’d find in a modern smartphone, only here they’re all working together to keep the quadricopter airborne. As well as gyroscopes, ultrasound sensors and the like, to keep the ‘copter level, Parrot’s engineers have used twin cameras to track height and position. One camera points ahead, beaming back a live stream to whichever iOS device you’re using to control the AR.Drone, while a second looks down at the ground and is used to monitor speed. Together, they’re good enough to keep the AR.Drone hovering stable at a preset height – you can even nudge it with your hand and it will re-steady itself – which means that should you lose controller connection or generally screw up your piloting duties, the Parrot can righten itself automatically.

The final key ingredient is WiFi, which Parrot use to hook up your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad with the AR.Drone itself. Rather than rely on a third-party router – generally in short supply when you’re in a park – the AR.Drone creates its own WiFi network to which the iOS app connects (though you have to set up the WiFi permissions in iOS’ own Settings pages). Range is a quoted 160 feet – less if there are walls in-between, naturally – and if the AR.Drone does get away from you it’ll automatically land when it spots the connection has dropped.

Parrot’s choice of plastics, foams and other materials are suitably rugged, and despite repeated crashes as we gradually earned our pilot’s stripes we never managed to put more than a minor dent into the chassis. Happily Parrot also make various spares available (for instance, an indoor hull is $30 while an outdoor hull is $20), so if you do manage to snap a rotor you needn’t buy a whole new AR.Drone to replace it. As for safety, the blades automatically stop as soon as they encounter any resistance: we jammed a sacrificial SlashGear finger in their way, and escaped scratch-free.

Software

No small amount of the AR.Drone’s appeal is its method of control, with Parrot bypassing plasticky remotes and instead heading straight for Apple’s App Store. The free software turns an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad into a touchscreen controller, with simple on-screen buttons, a live video feed from either of the two cameras, and accelerometer-led flying.

Piloting the AR.Drone requires a combination of screen taps and device movement: physically tilting the iPhone moves the quadricopter forward, back, left and right, while the right thumb controls altitude and rotation with an on-screen joystick. Parrot has sensibly offered two modes, depending on pilot aptitude: the “beginner” mode is less responsive to sudden movements but more forgiving of novice users, while the “ace” mode tightens up the responsiveness if you have the skill level to match. Take your left thumb off the screen and the ‘copter automatically hovers.

Colored LEDs on the AR.Drone itself help you figure out its orientation, useful considering it can be otherwise tricky to differentiate which is the front; alternatively you can be brave and attempt to navigate solely from the video feed. This is a reasonably tricky prospect, however, what with the 15fps refresh rate – which Parrot claims is a limitation of the WiFi connection and 640 x 480 resolution – though it does mean you can control the AR.Drone from a completely different room. Unfortunately there’s no way to record the streaming video, so you can’t, say, strafe your family and then upload the havoc to YouTube. Screenshots via the usual home/power-button iOS combo do work, however. The bottom camera runs at just 176 x 144, but streams at 60fps.

The other notable controls are the auto-land and emergency buttons; the functionality of each is pretty obvious. Auto-land causes the AR.Drone to ease its way to the ground and then kill the rotors; the emergency button, meanwhile, cuts power instantly. Signal strength and power are shown as gauges in the top left and right hand corners, respectively, while the setting pages allow you to tweak responsiveness and re-calibrate the auto-leveling.

While users are expected to get no small amount of enjoyment with a single AR.Drone, Parrot is also hoping that owners will get together and play games with more than one unit. The “AR” in the name stands for “augmented reality”, which basically involves running games on the iPhone or iPod touch that overlay graphics onto the view from the AR.Drone’s camera. So, with two units you can hold in-air dogfights, trying to line up and blast your opponent on-screen. Each quadricopter identifies the other using the different colored stickers included in the box, and you can have three sets of colors in play at any one time.

Parrot is promising more apps that take advantage of the augmented reality aspect of the AR.Drone – they launched another earlier this month – but their real ambition is to get third-party developers involved. There’s an open SDK available, though so far we’re yet to see any significant results from it; it may well be a case of coders waiting for the AR.Drone to pick up in sales popularity before they dive in.

As for non-iOS devices, right now there’s no way to get involved: the AR.Drone is Apple-only. Back at CES in January 2010 there was talk of an Android version of the controller software, but that’s so far failed to materialize. Still, Parrot claims to be adding the communication source code to their development platform, so it’s possible a third-party developer could come up with an Android app.

AR.Drone taking flight

Performance

Parrot’s control system takes a little getting used to, as does figuring out which way the AR.Drone is facing, but after a short acclimatization period it’s clear this is one of the most easily piloted R/C ‘copters we’ve tested. It certainly benefits from having plenty of space, however; the manufacturer recommends 12 x 12 feet for indoor flight. More enclosed spaces can lead to the autopilot system being overwhelmed by air from the rotors buffeting against walls.

Outdoors and that concern is gone, though then you have wind to contend with. The AR.Drone can withstand a moderate wind, but anything above around 7MPH is considered no-go by Parrot, and considering watching $300 worth of quadricopter blown away into the distance will have an unpleasant impact on your wallet, we tend to agree.

The biggest frustration – like with all remote control vehicles – is battery life. Parrot estimate an average flight time of 12 minutes from a full charge, with the battery taking 90 minutes to rejuice. Unfortunately there’s only a single power pack in the box, though Parrot will sell you spares at $30 each. In practical terms, we found we were unlikely to fly the AR.Drone solidly, and so the amount of use from a single battery was longer – or at least felt that way – than the stated time. The ‘copter also varies in its power demands depending on how you’re using it: leave it hovering on autopilot, for instance, and it’ll last longer than if you’re actively flying it.

Still, it’s the biggest stumbling block the AR.Drone faces, and it puts a dampener on the user experience overall. Parrot could have easily gone some way to addressing this by bundling a second battery, which seems a miserly omission.

Wrap-Up

Although Parrot’s augmented reality dogfight ideas certainly have merit, they’re not the winning feature of the AR.Drone. The units themselves are simply too expensive – and thus rare – to make it likely you’ll come across another owner, which means you either need to double your outlay and buy two AR.Drones or content yourself with solo flight. Hopefully third-party developers will bring out games that allow a single user to take advantage of AR gameplay.

Instead, the AR.Drone stands out as the most consumer-ready R/C device we’ve played with, comfortably ahead of regular – albeit generally cheaper – toy helicopters. Though we wouldn’t argue with longer runtime or smoother video, they’re both limitations it would likely cost significantly more to address in any meaningful way, and with its $300 sticker the AR.Drone isn’t exactly budget-minded in the first place. Having to buy an iOS device if you haven’t already got one throws in another hurdle.

The AR.Drone is an expensive toy, certainly, but it’s an appealing one, with enough geeky kudos to endear it to adults and children alike. The tipping point will be when – if – third-party developers pick up Parrot’s SDK in any significant way, and the quality of the applications they develop. If the AR.Drone can make a good case for augmented reality gaming, that should give the quadricopter a much-needed push further out of the toy-gimmick category.

Interestingly, all of Parrot’s complex processing – which uses various ultrasound and other sensors, together with camera input, to guide the AR.Drone’s autopilot – is done on a 468MHz ARM9 processor. iFixit were suitably impressed by most of Parrot’s decisions regarding construction, with all the points where users are likely to want to replace components easily accessed and dissembled. More info here.

Make hands-free calls and tell that phone where to take you with the navigation apps you already use. Calls and that lady speaking directions using GPS guidance are broadcast through the 2W speaker integrated into the MINIKIT Smart. Also depending on if your phone is up to the task, MINIKIT Smart can put GPS functions on hold if you get a call in the middle of hearing the lady speak, then have those directions started again where you left off after you’re done taking a call.

MINIKIT Smart is compatible with all navigation software available and works on all operating systems: Android, iOS, Windows Mobile, Blackberry, Symbian, Bada, etc. and will cost around $129.99 MSRP at the following locations: BestBuy.com, Crutchfield.com, 6th Avenue Electronics, Car Toys Al & Ed’s, ABT Electronics, Car Toys, 6th Avenue Electronics, Fry’s Electronics, Bell Canada and ParrotShopping.com. Read the whole press release below for further details:

Parrot MINIKIT Smart:
Get more out of your Smartphone!
 
Southfield, Mich., Nov. 2, 2010 – In order to fully benefit from telephone and navigation capabilities of Smartphones, Parrot, leader of wireless peripherals for mobile phones, created the first Bluetooth hands-free and multifunction kit adapted to all models and compatible with all operating systems: Parrot MINIKIT Smart.
 
A docking bay for all Smartphones
The Parrot MINIKIT Smart is a Bluetooth® hands-free kit for the vehicle with a docking bay designed for all Smartphones, whatever their size (from 56mm to  70mm width).
 
The connection between the two devices is done via Bluetooth and the MINIKIT Smart can simultaneously manage hands-free conversations and navigation applications available on Smartphones. Calls and GPS guidance will be broadcast through the 2W speaker integrated in the MINIKIT Smart
 
Depending on the capability of each Smartphone, the MINIKIT Smart could put on hold the GPS functions, and restart them once the conversation ends.
MINIKIT Smart is compatible with all navigation software available (free or paid) and all operating systems: Android, iOS, Windows Mobile, Blackberry, Symbian, Bada, etc.
 
The MINIKIT Smart allows drivers and passengers to always be reachable and not lose their way, even on long trips. When the Smartphone is docked in the MINIKIT Smart, it can recharge via one of the USB cables included in the box. (Micro USB, Mini USB, Apple).
 
A smart solution, with no installation — The Parrot MINIKIT Smart is equipped with a swiveling suction cup to be fixed on the windshield or the dashboard of the vehicle. The docking bay is equipped with a magnet for quick and easy positioning.

Once positioned, the MINIKIT Smart can be set to portrait or landscape mode so that the screen of the Smartphone is easily seen by the driver.
 
To enable high-quality conversations, the MINIKIT Smart is equipped with a retractable microphone that can be positioned according to the interior of the vehicle. The Parrot MINIKIT Smart has one-week autonomy on standby, 10 hours of talk time and can be recharged using the in-vehicle DC power outlet.

Advanced hands-free functionalities — Once paired with a smartphone via Bluetooth, the MINIKIT Smart synchronizes and automatically updates its phonebook. The MINIKITSmart can store up to 10 different phone books (2,000 contacts per Smartphone,) and can then be used by several drivers.
 
Thanks to the voice synthesis of the names and a voice recognition system that requires no prior training or installation, the phonebook is available without changing any settings on the Smartphone.
  
To call one of the contacts in the phonebook, simply say the name and the MINIKIT Smartwill dial the number. If several numbers are associated with a contact, the MINIKIT Smartwill offer options and user can vocally choose one.
 
Price and availability: Parrot MINIKIT Smart will be available in November 2010 at $129.99 MSRP through BestBuy.com, Crutchfield.com, 6th Avenue Electronics, Car Toys Al & Ed’s, ABT Electronics, Car Toys, 6th Avenue Electronics, Fry’s Electronics, Bell Canada and ParrotShopping.com.

Technical information available at: http://www.parrot.com/fr/produits/kits-mains-libres-Bluetooth-portable

Your Moment of Near-Halloween Geek-Zen The greatest parts of the fact that the folks around my generation are having kids are the ways they have fun raising those children. Take, for example, the costumes they take the time to make for them. Today it’s your choice, two of the most amazing kid costumes DIY created by their parents (or grandparents in the case of kid #2.) Choose either Sweet Juniper’s Kid Robotcop, or Kid Jawa as presented by “fatrobot” of Reddit. I could never make such a choice, never in all my life.

R3 Media Network

SlashPhone
HTC HD7 Heading Amazon Wireless For $170
Windows Phone Receives Amazon Kindle App
Verizon Motorola Droid Pro Version Will Not Have A camera

Android Community
T-Mobile G2 Unboxing and Hands-on [UNBOXING]
REMINDER: 1 Day left to enter our LG Optimus T Halloween Giveaway! [GIVEAWAY]
A Bit of Extra Clarity for Would-Be Developers of NookColor Apps
Last Free Phone Friday at BestBuy: Snag a Droid Incredible or a Samsung Vibrant
Android Halloween Pumpkin Carving is Pure Win [PUMPKINS!]

SlashGear
Mount Everest: Now with WiFi
Apple Now 4th Largest Global Mobile Phone Vendor
JH Audio JH16 Pro [REVIEW]
Parrot Zikmu speakers [REVIEW]
SlashGear in Featured Sources section of Pulse App
HTC HD7 [REVIEW]
HTC Desire Z unboxing & video demo [FEATURED]
All 89,000 Microsoft staff getting Windows Phone 7 devices
Samsung GT-P1010 WiFi-only Galaxy Tab clears FCC

Dress your little kid or animal or animal/kid up for Halloween or I will just cry forever. All kids should be in costume at all times, and all costumes should employ LED lights. To see more Daily Slash posts, click here: [The Daily Slash]

The Zikmu design has been around for a while now – Parrot first unveiled them at the end of 2008, in fact – but the most recent update added a choice of colors and made their software smarter. Each speaker stands almost 30-inches high and weighs 17lbs; in addition to the original black there’s now pearl grey, white and the optically searing lime sorbet of our review units. A matching remote control offers the basics – power, volume, play/pause, and track skipping and source selection – and uses RF not infrared for non-line-of-sight operation.

Although they’re billed as perfect partners for your iPod, there are actually quite a few ways to play music through the Zikmu. One of the speakers has an iPod/iPhone dock on top, for direct connection (and recharging) of an Apple PMP, but there’s also an RCA analog input for other sources. However there’s also WiFi b/g and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR with A2DP and AVRCP profile support.

The left and right speakers are connected wirelessly, so there’s no cable joining the two (each gets its own power supply), and you can pair your iPod touch, iPhone, or any other Bluetooth smartphone and stream audio through the speakers. Alternatively, using the free PC and Mac software, you can stream audio via WiFi (or, indeed, via Bluetooth) to the Zikmu. With that software you can also manage the audio profile, with a multi-band equalizer, various presets, room compensation and dynamic loudness, which adjusts settings according to whatever audio, is currently playing. You can also flip the left and right channels around, should you move the Zikmu.

Parrot has used a combination of NXT flat panel speakers, a down-facing woofer and a bass-reflex system in each Zikmu unit, which they claim adds up to 360-degree sound. In fact, they recommend you place them near the middle of the room rather than banish them to the corners. There’s certainly a broader sound-stage than you get with regular speakers, and they can crank up to loud levels, but there’s an unfortunate lack of precision along with it.

Partly that seems down to patchy balance between the NXT speakers, which can overemphasize the top end of tracks, and the sometimes-boomy woofer. Some careful tweaking of the equalizer levels things out, but we do wonder if a wireless subwoofer – turning the Zikmu into a 2.1 system – would allow the woofer to do better work in the mid-range. Obviously the quality of your digital audio makes a big difference too: feed the Parrots with low-bitrate files and you’ll end up with a crunchy, underwhelming mess.

Parrot’s main problem is that, for the $1,600 of the Zikmu pair, you can pick up a very strong – but less visually distinctive – amp, iPod dock and speakers that will certainly best them on audio performance. That setup will probably lack the wireless connectivity, however, and it certainly won’t be the talking point that the Zikmu so obviously is. If you can justify a fair chunk of your budget going on aesthetics, and you like the Starck style, the Parrot Zikmu speakers are unusually appealing. [Parrot Zikmu homepage]

Riyahi offers some insights on Parrot’s FC6100 module that uses the Android OS to integrate numerous software libraries for various functions into the vehicle system. The module does the things we expect of hands free systems in cars today like allow for Bluetooth calls, voice control, and hands free features. The module will also offer some very cool integration with Android apps.

The Android framework will allow the driver and passengers to integrate the cars system with apps from the Android Market. That would mean a driver could download apps for things like speed camera databases, navigation, media management and just about anything else you can think of and use them in the car. The FC6100 will also share a 3G mobile connection amongst passengers in the car using WiFi. There is no word on when the FC6100 will hit the market or in what vehicles it will be used.

Via Android Community

You’ll have the ability to preorder starting today, but you’ll have to make a quick trip to Brookstone’s website to finish the deed. If you’ll recall, the AR.Drone can be piloted by an iPhone, iPod Touch, or even an iPad, and it will rely on augmented reality to fly around the terrain in the real world. Parrot is using open source technology to create the augmented reality “stages,” so that means designers will be able to create their own levels, and you will be able to reap the benefits of their endeavors.

If you’re interested in preordering one, the full cost of the drone is $299, and it will ship your way come September 3rd. Or, if you’d rather just have that instant gratification after you purchase, you can head into a Brookstone brick-and-mortar location beginning October 31st and pick one up. But, if you’re still on the fence, check out our hands-on video below. It will make you want one.

[thanks, Nick]

As for the software update, that now allows owners to remotely control their iPod or iPhone from a new web browser interface, rather than having to go over to the PMP itself and peck away at the display.  It’s a free download for existing owners, too.  If you haven’t got an iPod then you can still stream audio from a PC, Mac or cellphone via Bluetooth or WiFi, or use the analog RCA input.

Unsurprisingly, the pricing hasn’t gotten any easier to stomach, each set comes with 2 speakers that communicate wirelessly with one another so that they can be positioned anywhere in the room for $1,600.  Heady stuff, considering the sort of multi-room Sonos system you could start building for that.

Press Release:

Parrot Zikmu ‘in Color’ by Philippe Starck

Famous wireless speakers now available in 4 stylish colors and reinvent the magic of Zikmu sound

DETROIT, July 19 /PRNewswire/ — Parrot, global leader in wireless devices for mobile phones, announces a new colored range of its stereo speakers Zikmu by Philippe Starck – White Arctic, Grey Pearl and Lime Sorbet – in addition to a new Web interface and software update.

The state-of-the-art technology and the pure sound of the Zikmu take another dimension with the new, color collection: the elegance of Black, the purity of White, the sobriety of Grey and the fancy of Yellow, magnified by the smart and aerial design from Philippe Starck.

“With Zikmu, we created a beautiful and a unique object for listening to music with today’s digital devices,” explains Henri Seydoux, founder of Parrot. “With the Zikmu ‘in Color’ collection, we pursue the idea of a high-tech product which is part of everyday life, similar to a piece of furniture or a decorative object. You choose it because you like it, because you will live well with it.”

In addition to new colors, Parrot’s software update includes a new Web interface with browsing mode to select music in the iPod. Also, an equalizer offers pre-settings according to the chosen music themes. With every Parrot product, including Zikmu, the company offers free software updates at www.parrot.com to improve customer experience.

Parrot Zikmu by Starck offers a 360 degree immersive sound and crystal clear sound image, thanks to the NXT technology and control of all electrodynamic elements via a system of DSP processing and amplifiers.

With Parrot Zikmu, listeners can enjoy music from today’s digital devices:

– iPod®/iPhone(TM) via a dedicated docking station
– PC, with audio streaming via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
– Mac computers and Bluetooth mobile phones, with audio streaming via
Bluetooth® Stereo (A2DP)

Furthermore, an RCA line-in enables Parrot Zikmu to be connected to a television for home theater entertainment.

Zikmu ‘in Color’ is available at select Design Within Reach retail locations across the United States and online at www.dwr.com.

For further information about Parrot Zikmu ‘in Color’ by Starck wireless speakers, visit www.parrot.com/zikmu / www.starck.com.

The Best of R3 Media

Froyo Landing on Motorola Droids in July and August: At the announcement for the Droid X today, it was made perfectly clear that the update to Android 2.2, for the Droid X and the original Droid, was coming by the end of the Summer. And now, thanks to some leaked direct images from an internal Verizon Wireless source, we are starting to get a bit more of a clearer image. The original Droid is apparently getting the update to Froyo a month ahead of the Droid X — it’s expected to launch at the end of July. As for the Droid X? That’s coming at the end of August, apparently. [via Android Community]

Parrot AR.Drone Hands-On: The Parrot AR.Drone is definitely one of the most talked about, and heavily wanted items on the planet right now. And, thanks to our charms here at SlashGear, we were able to get some hands-on time with the new-fangled device. You’ll be able to control the Drone from your iPhone or iPod Touch (that includes the iPad, too), and there’s even an Android application coming some time in the future. There will be interactive games that you’ll be able to “play” on the mobile controller, with more games coming from an open source approach later, after the device launches later this year. Check out the other details, pictures, as well as the video through the link. [via SlashGear]

BlackBerry 9650 Heading to US Cellular: As CDMA-based devices go, the BlackBerry lineage is a breed that gets passed around a lot. No surprise here, but the device that’s already made an appearance on Verizon Wireless and the Sprint Network is making its way to the sixth largest wireless carrier in the United States, better known as the regional carrier U.S. Cellular. It’s launching some time in early August, but other than that, we’ve got no more information, as US Cellular is being remarkably quiet on the launch. Guess they have to have their surprises, too, right? [via PhoneMag]

The Dredge ‘Net

Zune Music Comes to Xbox 360, No You Can’t Listen to It While You Play Games: Long title, because it deserves one. Not because it’s good news, though. If you’ve got your hands on an Xbox 360, and you’re one that’s used Last.fm before, then you know that music played from Last.fm can’t be played while you’re playing games, or anything else for that matter. That’s right — you’re console can’t multitask that certain application. In any event, Zune is just about ready to make it so you can use your Zune Pass on your 360, but it’ll work just like Last.fm — no music multitasking. But, then again, if you’ve got a Zune Pass, then you probably have a computer and the Zune Software, which means you can just connect your computer to the Xbox 360, thanks to wireless syncing, and play your music that way, right from the media player. So . . . Problem solved? [via Gizmodo]

Nintendo 3DS May Do 3D Video Chat, How Cool is That? Yes, that rhymes. Excuse us, we’re in a curious mood tonight. Anyway! Apparently, Nintendo’s dropped some hints that 3D video chat can, and will be done on the Nintendo 3DS. No idea how, considering that the 3D cameras are on the outside of the device, but hey, Nintendo’s obviously got some ideas. Now, we make it happen. We want 3D video chat! [via Kotaku]

Trinity Euphoria Yacht is Real, Costs A Lot: Yachts are expensive. There’s definitely no denying that. And, the Trinity Euphoria is $39,000,000 worth of 168-feet goodness. It can comfortably hold 10 people in its five state rooms. There’s a pair of 2,250-hp engines, too, and they can send the yacht on 3,000 nautical miles on a tank of fuel. That’s beyond impressive. [via The Awesomer]

Parrot tells us there have been plenty of changes since the AR.Drone made its debut at CES back in January 2010. They include hardware tweaks to the quadricopter itself, adjusting the balance and weighting among other things, together with multiple updates to the control software. Currently that’s written for iPhone or iPod touch – and presumably in “doubled” mode on the iPad – but since Parrot have released the AR.Drone API publicly, they’re expecting developers to code up versions for Android and other platforms in short order.

Control is straightforward, with the screen dominated by a view from the AR.Drone’s front-facing camera (updating at 10fps) while the down-facing camera is in a small window in the top left-hand corner; you can flip the two by tapping the PIP. At the top is an “emergency” button which kills the quadricopter, while at the bottom is a take off/landing button; when you hit it initially the AR.Drone takes off and hovers automatically at about chest height. The left thumb control, when tapped, allows you to move the drone via the accelerometer, tilting it to move left, right, forward and back. The right thumb control spins the AR.Drone on its axis – the two red LEDs are always at the back, the green at the front, to help you orient yourself – as well as controlling altitude. Currently there’s no way to record the video footage from either camera on the iPhone, though Parrot say there’s nothing stopping third-party developers from offering a suitable app for that.

Parrot AR.Drone live demo:

In practice, any trouble you experience is generally pilot error rather than the AR.Drone falling short. The autopilot mode, which hovers the quadricopter in mid-air when you let go of any of the controls (or if it flies out of WiFi range), is almost magical in its stability: you can push or even shove the ‘copter and it’ll stay composed. It’s once you start actually flying it yourself, of course, that the crashes begin; reaction times between moving the iPod touch and the AR.Drone responding are almost instantaneous over the ad-hoc WiFi network the quadricopter itself creates, but it’s easy to spin it around and then lose track of which orientation is which. A little practice improves matters, but thankfully the (removable) EPP hull is sturdy and impact resistant – we saw several crashes (of which we were only responsible for a few) and despite taking a battering none of the AR.Drone demo units showed any sign of damage.

Parrot supply two EPP hulls, one with enclosed blades for indoor use and a simpler, more streamlined “shaped” version for outdoor flight. They, together with spare rotors and other parts, will go on sale alongside the quadricopter, just in case you have a more serious accident. Fingers pushed into the blades will kill the motors straight away (though considering the speed they’re rotating you may still end up a bit sore) but Parrot are still suggesting the AR.Drone be limited to pilots of 14 or up.

We were having enough fun in single user mode, but of course Parrot are positioning the AR.Drone as a flying game system. Thanks to various apps which will be available through the Apple App Store, together with tag detection software running on the Drone itself, two people can dogfight with their AR.Drones, watching virtual explosions and tracer trails on the iPhone display. It takes some practice – and the 10fps update speed doesn’t help matters – but it does at least promise some longevity appeal. Parrot reckon over 450 developers have signed up for SDK access, so hopefully we’ll see some results from that hit the App Store shortly after the AR.Drone’s release.

As with any flying toy, battery life is the AR.Drone’s biggest drawback. A fully-charged power pack – one of which is included in the box – will last for roughly twelve to fourteen minutes of use. After that, you’re looking at around 90 minutes of charging before you can have another go. Parrot will be selling separate battery packs alongside the AR.Drone from the get-go, but there’s no word right now on what sort of price they’ll command; the company told us that those figures hadn’t been decided on yet. If they’re affordable enough to pick up a few spares without breaking the bank then that won’t be so bad, but we won’t know that until closer to release.

The Parrot AR.Drone will landing in the UK on August 18th 2010 at HMV stores, priced at £299. Meanwhile it will arrive in the US for $299 from September 2010. More hardware details in the gallery below.

Parrot AR.Drone demo by CEO Henri Seydoux:

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The myTouch Slide 3G is Rooted, Here’s How: Android hackers are intense. They just don’t know when to give up. And, when a new device gets launched, you can pretty much expect it to be hacked to smithereens in no time. It’s no different for the myTouch Slide 3G, as a hacker by the name of Eugene373, with some teamwork, have managed to get the deed done. And, if you’ve got a myTouch Slide, then you should head on over through the link, read the instructions, and take your time to get your own phone rooted. [via Android Community]

Parrot AR.Drone is $299 This September: Have you ever wanted to get your hands on one of those unmanned aerial vehicles? Us too. That’s why when the Parrot AR.Drone was showcased at CES this year, we couldn’t take our eyes off of it. And now we’re happy to have an official announcement as to when we can get our hands on one. That day’s going to be some time in September, and you’ll e able to get your hands on it for only $299. This, of course, comes with the ability to download an app from Apple’s App Store, where you will be able to pilot, as well as play games, with your new drone. Check out the link for the full details, plus a few videos to whet your appetite. [via SlashGear]

Sony Ericsson Brings Skype to Symbian: If you’re a fan of Skype, and you’ve got yourself a Sony Ericsson device running Symbian, then you’re in luck. Because SE has gone and made it possible for Symbian devices, such as the Vivaz, Vivaz Pro, and Satio, to get a free application that will make it possible for those lucky owners to take advantage of the VoIP service. [via SlashPhone]

The Dredge ‘Net

PlayStation Move Available for Pre-Order at Best Buy and GameStop: Were you interested in pre-ordering the new PlayStation Move that Sony just made official today? Yeah, we wouldn’t be surprised. And while we’re sure that there’s plenty of other retailers, both online and not, that are going to follow suit, it looks like GameStop and Best Buy are on the ball. You can pick up the Move bundle for only $99.99, which includes the necessary EyeToy/PS Eye, the Move controller, and the Sports Champion title. Unfortunately, it says that you won’t get them until at least November 1st, and maybe all the way up to November 6th. So, you know, do what you want. But, at least you get the ability to choose, right? [via GameStop]

US Apple Stores are Sold Out of iPhone 4s. So is AT&T: We already know that the servers for both AT&T and Apple were having some major issues today, but we didn’t think it would result in something like this. While the whole system was done off and on, and people all over the United States were forced to sit idly by while their computers, or employees at brick-and-mortar stores, told them they would have to wait while things got back together, the iPhone 4 was quickly selling out. And, sure enough, it looks like if you order/purchase your iPhone 4 right now, you won’t be getting it even shipped to you until about July 2nd. Bummer, we know. [via TUAW]

Verizon Wireless Says They’re on Track for LTE Roll Out: Verizon Wireless had a Device Specifications webcast today, and the entire point of it was to talk about LTE, the devices upon it, and where Verizon stands on the roll out process. The company managed to reaffirm that they are right on track, and they are going to still launch the 4G network by the end of the year in upwards of 30 markets. Furthermore, they still believe that by 2013, they are going to possibly surpass their current 3G network in coverage. So, good news all around. Now, we just have to wait and see the first handsets. [via Boy Genius Report]

Video demos after the cut

The AR.Drone has four sets of blades and two cameras – one front-facing, the footage from which is streamed back to the iPhone, iPod touch or iPad remotely controlling it, and one looking down which is used for auto-pilot – and can be used both indoors and outdoors.  Gameplay – demos of which are below – can be individual or against other AR.Drone owners, with the quadricopter creating its own WiFi b/g ad-hoc network.  Parrot plan to develop remote apps for other platforms over the next few months.  You can see video demos of the AR.Drone in flight here.

On powering up, the AR.Drone’s auto-pilot hovers it to 50cm above the ground and holds it there.  If you take your fingers off the controls, or it loses the WiFi link, the auto-pilot kicks in and holds the quadricopter steady.  Meanwhile, if you get an incoming call, the AR.Drone automatically lands.  There are more technical details here.  Parrot claim more than 450 developers have signed up for their AR.Drone SDK, and are obviously hoping that a fair chunk of that number will choose to produce augmented-reality gaming apps for the platform.

As we said, the AR.Drone will land on US shelves in September, priced at $299; it’ll arrive in Europe and Asia shortly after.  The AR.Free Flight app will be a free download from the App Store, while the AR.Dronegate and AR.FlyingAce apps – demos of which you can see below – will be priced at $2.99 each.  Meanwhile there’s an AR.Drone developers kit available now for $1,200, which includes the “loan” of a prototype unit and access to Parrot’s support services; the prototype will be switched out for a final model when they’re available.

Parrot AR.Drone demo:

AR.Drone video view:

AR.Free Flight:

[youtube hPXXcIG9KB4]

AR.Drone Gate:

[youtube 3Hmcse3Refs]

AR.Flying Ace:

Press Release:

Parrot AR.Drone: Invasion begins…

The first quadricopter for video games and piloted by Wi-Fi will be available in the U.S. in September under $300.

E3, Los Angeles – 15 June, 2010 – Parrot, leader in wireless peripherals for mobile phones, today unveils at E3 Expo in Los Angeles the final version of the Parrot AR.Drone, a quadricopter using augmented reality and piloted with an iPod touch®, an iPhone® or an iPad™.

With super intuitive handling, Parrot AR.Drone achieves spectacular flights and enables consumers to play video games in augmented reality.

You are piloting a one-of-a-kind quadricopter, where real and virtual worlds meet to offer unparalleled gaming experiences…

The front-camera broadcasts and streams what the drone is seeing onto the iPod touch or iPhone screen; and the image processing allows integrating real-time special effects of augmented reality…

Pattern Ergonomic piloting

With its shaped cockpit driven by four propellers with brushless motors, the Parrot AR.Drone offers excellent maneuverability and stability during piloting.

Parrot AR.Drone generates its own Wi-Fi network (no need for an Internet connection nor a router) at which you simply connect an iPod touch or iPhone. Once the “AR.FreeFlight” application has been downloaded, the iPod touch/iPhone turns into a true piloting station.

Two piloting modes are available:
- Beginner: two tactile piloting buttons to control the accelerometer / the direction of the drone and to maneuver ;
- Ace: expert mode with a single tactile button to pilot the AR.Drone.

Touch the take-off button on the screen of the iPod touch/iPhone and the Parrot AR.Drone starts its engine, takes-off, stabilizes a few feet from the ground and waits for the pilot’s instructions.
The player needs to put his/her left thumb on the screen and a control button will position under it. The accelerometer of the iPod touch/iPhone is detecting movements. Parrot AR.Drone moves forward, back or sidewise depending on the inclinations of the iPod touch/iPhone.
Another command button on the right of the iPod touch/iPhone screen enables the pilot to make the AR.Drone rise, go down or rotate.

In Ace mode, a single button enables the pilot to fully control and pilot the AR.Drone.

Touch the landing button and the quadricopter will land and stop its engines.

A unique high-tech quadricopter

Parrot AR.Drone is made of carbon fiber and high resistance PA66 plastic.

The heart of the AR.Drone contains MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanicals Systems), three axes accelerometer, two gyrometers [one axe & two axes], one ultrasound sensor and two cameras:

· The first camera, located underneath, is connected to an Inertial Measurement Unit. Thanks to this unit, the AR.Drone is capable of measuring its horizontal speed and performing mind-blowing stationary flights. The system of images comparison enables it to compensate turbulences due to the wind during outside flights.
These technologies are usually used for professional or military applications and have been adapted to gaming universe for the first time.

· The second camera, at the front of the quadricopter, broadcasts and streams on the iPod touch/iPhone screen what the drone is seeing as if the player was in the pilot’s position.

This camera plays a major role for video gaming thanks to the use of form recognition: it enables augmented reality.
For example, the front camera will recognize another AR.Drone in the game battle between two quadricopters, or tags which will turn into obstacles, monsters or robots on the screen of the iPod touch/iPhone …

Video streaming has been enhanced compared to the development version of AR.Drone introduced at CES. Also, the front of the hull has been strengthened to better protect the camera.

The players can choose the camera they prefer or display the two cameras simultaneously on the screen of the iPod touch/iPhone.

New rules for games

With the AR.Drone, Parrot is combining the worlds of video gaming and radio-controlled models.
This one-of-a-kind quadricopter enables consumers to recreate a large number of video games in the real world and also offers a multi-player possibility thanks to augmented reality.
To offer pilots unprecedented gaming experiences, three games will be available for download in the App Store℠:

· AR.FreeFlight
- Application that is mandatory to fly and pilot the AR.Drone.
- Two piloting modes: beginner or expert.
- Downloadable for free on App Store.

· AR.Dronegate
- Solo game using augmented reality.
- Requires the two tags provided in the box.
- Story: After the successful downloading of photons, scientists try the same experience with matter. The first try is a catastrophe, a number of scientists disappear and a black hole forms accidentally. This is the “Grey Zone”. Military-researchers create a radio-commanded device able to bear the extreme conditions of the Grey Zone. But since, unexplained attacks occur on the facilities.
- Mission: Protect your military base and destroy “enemies”.
- $2.99 USD on App Store.

· AR.FlyingAce
- Story: For the first time, you will be able to use a radio-commanded quadricopter to conduct aerial battles of World War II aces proportions.
- $2.99 USD on App Store.
A new look for inside and outside flights

Parrot AR.Drone is designed for flying inside and outside.

For a flight outside, a shaped hull reduces the area to the wind and offers an extreme maneuverability of the quadricopter.
Three hulls are available:
- orange and yellow
- orange and green
- orange and blue

These vivid colors enable the pilot to easily follow the movements of his/her AR.Drone. They are also easily recognized by the front-camera of the AR.Drone, which enables the AR.Drone to identify a competitor for two-player battles.

For indoor flight, a specific hull –with a white, gray and black cockpit- surrounds and protects the propellers if the AR.Drone hits an obstacle. Stickers, with colors similar to the shaped hull, can be fixed on each arch to enable drone battles inside.

Finally, electroluminescent diodes (green at front, red on the back), are positioned on the landing gear and enable the pilot to easily position his/her AR.Drone for piloting. These diodes also activate and react according to the action from the game.

A community of pilots

Available via www.ardrone.com, AR.Drone-Pilot Academy will be a website dedicated to Parrot AR.Drone users and fans.
This website will showcase approximately 20 videos and detailed information on the AR.Drone.
· Training Zone
This area of the website accompanies the pilot, from the first encounter of the AR.Drone to tips for piloting.
How to prepare your AR.Drone (installation of the battery, configuration Wi-Fi / iPod touch – iPhone…), pilot (control of the accelerometer…), do sophisticated maneuvers (circles, figure-eight, half-turn, slalom, obstacles race…), practice aerial battle (offensive and defensive maneuvers, indoor and outdoor battles…).
· Community Zone
Here pilots will be able to post their videos, share and discuss on forums, follow AR.Drone news (via Facebook, Twitter…).

An open development platform

Since the introduction at CES 2010, the Software Development Kit, which was updated in May 2010, is available for developers to create games for the AR.Drone. Source code porting on other platforms is also feasible from the SDK.
To date, more than 450 developers around the world have registered on Parrot AR.Drone platform.
The only bounds of the forthcoming games for the AR.Drone are the imagination and ingenuity of the fans of Parrot’s quadricopter.
To download the SDK or get more information, visit http://projects.ardrone.org.
Parrot AR.Drone: a technological first

The development of the AR.Drone required more than four years and the creation of about 20 patents.
For the first time, a consumer product encompasses:
· A quadricopter made of carbon fiber and high resistance PA66 plastic, with 4 brushless engines embedded;
· An inertial unit with MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) combining video processing with an automatic piloting software to ensure a very intuitive piloting of a radio controlled object;
· Wi-Fi and video streaming for a modern gaming interface with an iPod touch/iPhone;
· Images processing software for augmented reality.

Parrot has worked for 15 years on wireless technologies. Engineering is the keystone of the work of Parrot and the R&D department of the company consists of 150 engineers.
Parrot concentrates on the maintenance of its investments in R&D to a high level, with an important focus on the software and the signal processing. Parrot develops complete products in taking care of their use; because of this, software, electronics, design and also manufacturing costs are the daily work of the research department.

Parrot AR.Drone Invasion Plan

Parrot AR.Drone will be available for purchase at selected retailers* in September in the United States for $299 MSRP.

Availability in Europe and Asia will be announced in the following weeks.

Of course, since the AR.Drone was first demonstrated the Apple ecosystem has grown to include the iPad and so, while the thought of an iPhone/iPod touch remote is all well and good, we’re even more excited about the potential for iPad remote control.  Let’s hope Parrot’s engineering teams are busy beavering away at just such a system in advance of E3 2010.

Video demo after the cut

The AR.Drone is controlled via a WiFi link to an iPhone or iPod touch, but it also has some particularly complex onboard intelligence.  Two cameras – one looking at the ground and one looking forward – are used to not only beam real-time footage back to the user, but also for the autopilot system.  When you’ve got just one unit that’s used for object avoidance and stability, but when you’ve got two it makes dogfights more challenging.

Still, if you’ve only got one that doesn’t mean you can’t stage battles; the Parrot software can create virtual enemies shown on-screen to battle against.  Parrot still aren’t saying anything specific regarding availability – only “later in 2010″ – or pricing, but we’re not expecting the AR.Drone to be especially cheap.

Unfortunately the WiFi-soaked show floor meant that Parrot’s iPhone remote control wasn’t playing ball; instead they were demonstrating the arguably more impressive (in a technical sense) auto-pilot systems. The AR.Drone navigates using two cameras – one on the nose and one facing downward – together with accelerometers and other sensors (more details in our initial post from this morning). Parrot include several brightly-colored objects which the AR.Drone can use to navigate, responding to their position so as to maintain safely in the air.

It’s a far more effective system than, say, WowWee’s Bladestar R/C ‘copters, which use a more rudimentary IR system to hover and avoid obstacles. Of course, Parrot’s AR.Drone is likely to be a whole lot more expensive than the Bladestar; the company is staying quiet on exact figures, only saying that the flying gadget will arrive sometime in 2010.

It’ll come with access to an SDK with which developers will be able to create their own applications – including in-air battle games – for the AR.Drone. That also means Parrot can sit back and wait for others to come up with alternative methods of remote control; as it stands, if you haven’t already got an iPod touch or iPhone then factor in buying one of those as well, since there isn’t a “native” controller in the box.

It all seems reasonably rugged, with a foam chassis that protects the blades when you experience the inevitable crash-landing, and we’re assuming that direct control with the iPhone’s accelerometer (which will also see birds-eye footage from the front-facing camera beamed back to the smartphone’s display) will be similarly responsive as the auto-pilot mode. We’ll save wholehearted appreciation until we’ve heard exact pricing, but right now we reckon this is one gadget a whole lot of geeks young and old might be putting on their 2010 holiday gift list.

Multiple video demos after the cut

For instance, while the AR.Drone can be enjoyed as a standalone R/C toy, piloting it by tilting the iPod touch or iPhone as well as controlling altitude and other factors by on-screen buttons, Parrot will release with it an AR game allowing for remote in-air battles.  Two AR.Drone owners will be able to battle in the same virtual airspace, with each opponent seen on the iPod touch’s display.  That way, gamers can compete even if they’re in different countries, and then share footage recorded through the quadricopter’s camera on a dedicated Parrot site.

Parrot claim to have used military-spec technologies – such as wind compensation – in the AR.Drone, making it perhaps one of the most complex R/C models we’ve seen to date.  No word on pricing (we’re thinking it won’t be cheap) but the Parrot AR.Drone will be available to consumers sometime in 2010, as well as part of a developers’ pack.

Parrot AR.Drone flight demo:

Parrot AR.Drone prototype flying test:

Augmented Reality video games demo:

Parrot AR.Drone optical recognition demo:

Parrot AR.Drone front-camera object recognition:

Press Release:

The Parrot AR.Drone project:
When video games become reality…

Parrot AR.Drone, the first quadricopter using augmented reality and piloted by Wi-Fi.

Parrot, leader in wireless products for mobile phones, is unveiling the first quadricopter using augmented reality: Parrot AR.Drone.
With intuitive mobility and universal use, Parrot AR.Drone is piloted initially with an iPhone™ or iPod touch® and allows you to take a spectacular flying journey. In addition, this unique quadricopter can be part of a large number of video games in the real world.
Streaming video on the iPhone™ or iPod touch® screen enables you to pilot the AR.Drone as if you were sitting in the pilot’s seat; the image processing allows for the integration of real-time special effects of augmented reality…
‘Parrot AR.Drone’ project
The idea of the Parrot AR.Drone project is to create a working quadricopter with the best of today’s technologies, exploring new places through mixing video games and the real world. This is augmented reality.

Parrot AR.Drone: create dreams
“At Parrot, we have been developing wireless concepts for video games for 4 years. Our first project was a Bluetooth race car. We developed it, but I was not satisfied. A video game should contain part of a dream that I missed with the Bluetooth car,” explains Henri Seydoux, founder and CEO of Parrot. “It should fly! So I started with the idea of a quadricopter. With video cameras and a powerful computer, we have developed a very stable drone that is easy to control and flies like a dragon-fly.”
Parrot AR.Drone is the outcome of a dream: to invent a high-tech drone for kids and adults, whilst developing a new concept of video gaming using augmented reality. It is initially designed for iPhone™ and iPod touch®.

Parrot AR.Drone: a cutting-edge video quadricopter
Parrot AR.Drone is composed of a central cockpit which is surrounded by 4 propellers, each being driven by an engine. It offers amazing possibilities for piloting, excellent maneuverability and extraordinary stability.

The heart of AR.Drone contains all electronic components and two cameras:

· The first camera, under the structure, is connected to an Inertial Measurement Unit. Thanks to this unit, the AR.Drone is capable of measuring its speed and performing mind-blowing flights. PSP (Parrot Smart Piloting) technology also compensates for wind during outside flights. These technologies are usually used for professional and military applications, but have been adapted for the gaming universe for the first time.

· The second camera, at the front of the quadricopter, broadcasts and streams on the iPhone™ or iPod touch® screen, what the drone is seeing as if the player was in the pilot’s position. It plays a major role for video gaming, thanks to the use of augmented reality.

Parrot AR.Drone: intuitive piloting
The Parrot AR.Drone generates its own Wi-Fi network so you simply need to connect an iPhone™ or iPod touch® to turn it into a true piloting station.
An unseen mix of captors (wide angle camera and high speed camera, MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanicals Systems), 3 axes accelerometer, 3 axes gyro, ultrasound sensor) associated with a powerful computer makes the piloting easy and accessible even for the youngest or non-technologically savvy person.
Thanks to the accelerometer of the iPhone™ or iPod touch® that detects users’ movements, the AR.Drone is very easy to pilot by leaning the iPhone™ forward to move forward or sidewise to corner and change direction.
On the touch pad of the iPhone™, command buttons also indicate some actions such as rise, down, rotate, move back, move forward… Observing the AR.Drone obey each movement of their hands is an incredible experience for the player.

Parrot AR.Drone: imagination has no limits
Parrot AR.Drone is designed for flying inside and outside.
For flying inside, a hull surrounds the propellers and protects the quadricopter if it hits an obstacle. For outside flights, a shaped hull reduces the area to the wind for better maneuverability of the quadricopter.
Every flight with the AR.Drone will always be a new experience. Outside, the user will have to take into account the changing elements of the real environment, such as the wind, the sunshine, shadowed areas or any obstacles that appear.
Parrot AR.Drone is also offering an unprecedented multi-player possibility.
Thanks to augmented reality, it is possible to recreate an aerial fight between two quadricopters. The worlds of video gaming and radio controlled models collaborate for the first time, simultaneously evolving in both universes.

Parrot AR.Drone: an open development platform
Parrot intends to extend the possibilities of AR.Drone so the project is a development platform opened to game developers.
A Software Development Kit (SDK) is available today for the developers who want to create games for the AR.Drone by using the techniques of augmented reality enabled by the frontal camera. Developers just need to register on www.ardrone.org to download the SDK and contribute to the AR.Drone Open API platform.
Development kits, including a prototype of the drone, available soon, will be subject to acceptance of development projects by Parrot.
With AR.Drone, all kind of games can be created: shooting, adventure, races, arcade…

Parrot AR.Drone: a technological first
For the first time, a consumer product encompasses:
A quadricopter made in carbon fiber and high resistance PA66 plastic
MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) and video processing to ensure extremely intuitive piloting of a radio controlled object
Wi-Fi and video streaming to enable interfacing with an iPhone™ or iPod touch®
Images processing software for augmented reality

Parrot has worked for 15 years on wireless technologies. Engineering is the keystone of the work of Parrot and the R&D department of the company consists of 150 engineers.
Parrot maintains its investments in R&D to the highest level, with an important focus on the software and signal processing. Parrot develops complete products from the initial stage; software, electronics, design and also manufacturing are the daily work of the research department.

Note:
Parrot AR.Drone is today open to video games developers.
The quadricopter should be available for consumer in 2010.
A dedicated website will also enable owners of AR.Drone to be part of the AR.Drone community and to share their videos…

That means you have a pretty broad range of options when it comes to getting music off your PMP of choice and through your car’s speakers.  The RKi8400 offers a 4x50W MOSFET amplifier for driving those speakers, together with an external double-microphone with noise- and echo-cancellation, supporting full duplex conversation.  You can pair with up to ten phones, and sync their contacts over to the head-unit for easy dialling.

There’a also an AM/FM tuner, rotary controller and numeric keypad, and since there’s no bulky CD player to accommodate the front panel clips off to reveal a nook where you can leave your iPhone while it’s connected.  No word on pricing as yet; Parrot’s affiliate account with Expansys isn’t even showing a record for the RKi8400.

The Kenwood DNX7140, meanwhile, has many of the same features as the flagship, and is able to not only act as a hands-free kit but perform SMS texting and wireless A2DP audio streaming over Bluetooth.  There’s also a vehicle mileage tracker for monitoring vehicle maintenance and gas mileage, with pre-programmed reminders of upcoming service requirements.

Finally the DNX6140 and DNX5140 have smaller, 6.1-inch displays, with the extra space taken up by a control knob.  They also have Garmin navigation, together with DVD, MP3/WMA compact disc, iPod, iPhone, external mass storage devices, satellite radio and HD Radio compatibility (some of which require adapters).

Both the Kenwood DNX6140 and DNX5140 will be available this month, with MRSP of $1,250 and $1,150 respectively; the latter lacks Bluetooth functionality.  The Kenwood DNX9140 will be available in May 2009, with an MRSP of $2,000; the DNX7140 will be available in March 2009, with an MRSP of $1,700.

Press Release:

KENWOOD LAUNCHES 2009 IN-DASH DVD RECEIVERS WITH BUILT-IN GARMIN GPS NAVIGATION

Kenwood USA Corporation has introduced the new generation of Kenwood DVD receivers that incorporate GPS navigation software from industry-leader Garmin.

For 2009, Kenwood is expanding its double-DIN DVD receiver lineup to include a new flagship model, the Kenwood eXcelon DNX9140 ($2,000 suggested retail price). This is a “best-in-class” DVD receiver with 6.95” high resolution WVGA touchscreen control, built-in advanced navigation technology by Garmin and the industry’s most comprehensive voice control system that provides the utmost in hands-free operation. Kenwood’s voice control feature allows the user to fully operate the navigation system and utilize features such as entering addresses, choosing menu options and selecting points of interest. The voice control system will also operate the audio and video systems, allowing the user to control any of the connected or built-in sources with common functions such as search, selection, and display information as well as manage audio control functions. Through the addition of built-in Bluetooth by Parrot, the DNX9140 has compatibility with the widest range of cell phones and smartphones including iPhone and BlackBerry. High performance audio is made possible through an on-board DSP processor, providing true 5.1 surround-sound and digital time alignment. The DNX9140 has an advanced USB platform that supports high-speed operation of iPod, iPhone, mass storage devices, and Kenwood’s Advanced Bus (KAB) that allows connection to satellite radio and HD Radio (optional iPod, HD Radio, M/H or satellite radio accessories are required). In addition, the DNX9140 will have the ability to connect to an M/H digital television tuner when it becomes available from Kenwood in 2010. Last but not least, the DNX9140 offers variable key illumination. This feature allows the user to match the look of the backlit buttons along the bottom of the screen to their interior lighting. The DNX9140 carries a two-year limited warranty and is only available from authorized Kenwood eXcelon retailers.

The DNX7140 ($1,700 suggested retail price) shares the same advanced Garmin navigation platform and Bluetooth technology by Parrot as included on the DNX9140. The 6.95” LCD touchscreen panel provides easy manual operation of all audio, video and navigation functions. Hands-free phone operation is made possible through the built-in Bluetooth module, which also supports SMS texting and wireless A2DP audio streaming, and is updatable to remain compatible with the newest mobile phones and hand-held e-mail devices. The DNX7140 also features a vehicle mileage tracker that will monitor vehicle maintenance and gas mileage, with pre-programmed reminders of upcoming service requirements.

The DNX6140 ($1,250 suggested retail price) is a value-added combination of cutting edge technologies, intuitive user interface and great Kenwood quality. With the Garmin navigation and Parrot Bluetooth built right into the unit, the DNX6140 offers the latest in technologies at an attractive price. A compact front-panel knob is included to easily control volume, while a front-panel mini A/V input allows for convenient connection of a portable device, such as digital camera or camcorder. A 6.1” LCD touchscreen panel gives the user complete control over multiple audio and video sources, including DVD, MP3/WMA compact disc, iPod, iPhone, external mass storage devices, satellite radio and HD Radio (optional iPod, HD Radio or satellite radio accessories may be required). The user can customize the look of the DNX6140 in many ways; variable color illumination can match the interior lighting of many vehicles, while the background and startup screen graphics can be changed to show personal photos or the brand logo of the vehicle. For customers that wish to add Bluetooth at a later time, Kenwood offers the DNX5140 ($1,150 suggested retail price) which has all of the features of the DNX6140 but with the built-in Bluetooth module deleted.

Model Sugg. Retail Price Availability
DNX9140 $2,000.00 May, 2009
DNX7140 $1,700.00 March, 2009
DNX6140 $1,250.00 January, 2009
DNX5140 $1,150.00 January, 2009

Zikmu uses NXT flat panel technology, rather than traditional speaker cones, and as such doesn’t create a so-called “sweet spot” for the music.  As well as playing music locally from your PMP, they can also stream it across a WiFi network.  Instead, Parrot are claiming full 360-degree sound, while Starck goes one step further and compares it, bizarrely, to a fragrance:

“We were not aiming to create just another speaker. Our design focused more on making the air vibrate. There is actually a three-dimensional feel to this vibration, meaning that the air is palpable, almost humanlike in presence, like a fragrance” Philippe Starck

Hyperbole aside, the speakers stand 2.5 feet high and come with a remote control; they’ll also recharge your iPod or iPhone.  The Parrot by Starck Zikmu speakers will be on sale from Spring 2009, priced at $1,500.

Press Release:

Parrot and Philippe Starck Partner to Create Couture Stereo Speakers

‘Zikmu’ Wireless Speakers Inspire New Sound Experience through Fashionable and Innovative Technology

Parrot, a leader in wireless mobile telephony devices, today unveiled ‘Zikmu’, the Parrot by Philippe Starck set of wireless speakers.

To discover an object or a place designed by Philippe Starck is to walk into a world of vivid imagination and to live a fantasy. For more than 30 years, this unconventional creator, designer and architect has been boldly present in our everyday life, creating iconic destinations that are pure poetry and change the vision of life and objects that are “good” before they are beautiful.

Designed to blend elegant minimalism with the latest and popular technologies, the Parrot by Philippe Starck wireless speakers are timeless works of art with their aerial curves and dense black color.

“These speakers are thoroughly modern, thanks to all their technical specifications and minimalist design,” explains Philippe Starck. “They feature the most extreme and innovative technology with the fewest possible materials to deliver maximum effect: that is the magic.”

Fashionable Technology

‘Zikmu’ stands at the cutting edge of new wireless technologies and streams audio tracks without any wires in sight thanks to its dedicated iPod® / iPhone™ docking station and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth® technologies. The two speakers communicate with each other using Bluetooth technology in order to position both speakers wherever in the room.

“The way we listen to music has radically changed: when I was a kid, you took an LP, you put it on the record player and then you listened to it,” explains Henri Seydoux, CEO and founder of Parrot. “Nowadays, you carry your music around with you, which can come from a wide range of sources. With the Parrot by Philippe Starck speakers, we wanted to create an eye-catching product to accompany these new ways of enjoying music,” Henri Seydoux adds.

The Ultimate iPod®/iPhone™ Accessory

‘Zikmu’ has been designed for compatibility with the entire range of latest generation Apple players. Using the docking station built into one of the columns, users can enjoy their favorite music while recharging their iPod® or iPhone™ music player. In addition, the speakers and connected device can be controlled from anywhere in the room using the Parrot by Starck smart remote control.

Audio tracks can also be streamed from a user’s PC or Mac® to the speakers via Wi-Fi or through Bluetooth® stereo (A2DP) wireless technology.

360° Surround Sound

The Parrot by Starck speakers revolutionizes traditional acoustic design by using innovative audio technology to bring consumers a 360° immersive sound experience thanks to NXT™ technology. An extra-flat membrane creates small-scale vibrations across its entire surface to faithfully reproduce the medium and treble frequencies, optimally radiating sound from both sides of the speaker. Regardless of the size of the room and the position of the columns, the sound will adapt to the acoustics.

“We were not aiming to create just another speaker,” says Philippe Starck. “Our design focused more on making the air vibrate. There is actually a three-dimensional feel to this vibration, meaning that the air is palpable, almost humanlike in presence, like a fragrance.”

The size of the speakers (2.5 feet tall) has been specially designed to maximise listening quality when sitting on the sofa or at the desk for an optimal sound experience every day.

The Parrot by Starck wireless speakers will be available for Spring 2009 at a suggested retail price of $1,500

Now I suppose there’s a joke market out there for digital photo frames that badly display images you don’t actually want to look at – interminable holiday snaps from distant family members, perhaps – but that’s probably not what Parrot were aiming for.  Moreover, $500 is a whole lot to pay for a joke.

It’s a shame, because there’s a lot to like about the guts of the Specchio, if not the casing.  Apart from WiFi, which SlashGear reckons should be in every digital photo frame, it also has Bluetooth with support for the new Near Field Communication (NFC) standard.

[via DVICE]