Why I want a 3DR Solo

The drone market is getting flooded. Today you can buy twice the capability for half the money compared to 2 or 3 years ago.

Although the competition has brought down the price, precious little progress has been made advancing the technology. Companies have chosen to compete based on price. Copying what other have already done, but doing it cheaper.

For example, I paid about $85 for my first Syma X5C "dumb" quadcopter over a year ago (no GPS, no compass/magnetometer). Today you can get a Syma X5C for about $50, or you can get any number of clones starting at about $30, and you get get a live-FPV dumb quad for starting at $60ish.

Well, good for us. As hobbyists, our recreation dollar now goes much, much farther.

In other tech industries though, progress is measured in capability as much as price. The iPad Air 2 you can get today for $700 is not really priced much different than the iPad 4th Gen you could get three years ago. But for that same price, you're getting a much faster processor, more advanced software features packaged into a lighter, more compact package. Progress, in this case, wasn't measured by economics, but rather on capability.

So what about our Hobby? Are we destined to a future filled with cheaper ways to do what we're already doing?

Enter 3D Robotics...

With their first drone, the X8, 3DR focused on improving the existing technology and delivering a more reliable, easier, more capable flight experience, bundled into a modular design. They went on to deliver more improvements and reliability with the Iris+ system, at a lower price point.

Now they're hawking Solo.

What's so special about Solo, compared to, say, a DJI Phantom 3?

LOTS.

First, the Solo has three separate 32-bit ARM processors. Solo's flight controller, the Pixhawk 2, is equipped with a ARM CORTEX-M4. In addition to the Pixhawk 2 flight controller, Solo has an ADDITIONAL ARM Cortex A9 on-board specifically for handling non-active functions. The Pixhawk 2 handles live, active flight like positioning and leveling, while the second processor handles stuff like autopilot scripts, gimbal and camera controls. For example, Solo is the only drone available that's capable of remotely controlling GoPro. NOT just starting and stopping recording (which, in itself is a milestone), but FULL in-flight access to GoPro's controls. FOV, Exposure, White Balance... full access while IN FLIGHT. NOBODY else does that!

3DR also designed Solo with a highly advanced ground controller with it's own ARM CORTEX A9 processor. One of the most advanced controllers in the hobby, the Solo controller processes not just communication with the UAV, but telemetry data, video, FPV, and even keeps flight data logs in the handset.

Compare all this to a DJI Phantom 3 Pro and you're getting a much more powerful and robust aerial photo/video platform for about the same price.

Plus, 3DR is a US based company. This SHOULD mean better, faster, more reliable service and support. At a minimum, it definitely means operator and instruction manuals in UNDERSTANDABLE English, not Chinenglish!

So, that, my friends, is why I am so anxious to own a 3DR Solo.

And since none of you sent me anything for my birthday last month, I invite you to make it up to me and send me one for Christmas! I promise to feed it, and clean up after it, and give it a bath at least once a month...

How about it? Any wealthy benefactors out there wanna show the love? @snapster, how about sending me one of these and we can meet up and compare DJI Inspire vs. 3DR Solo notes?