I remember flying model airplanes with my dad, filling them with fuel and running around the field with the rather large control box with an antennea on it… not to mention the little orange ribbon tied to the top of it, I guess to protect others from flying into it. I also remember our plane ending up on someone elses frequency and flying into a tree. Good times they were… good times.

My how times have changed, Swann, the guys that bring you advanced security sytems, proudly introduces three new additions to its line of RC helicopters: two that feature on-board wireless video cameras and another that is controlled by your iPhone, iPod or iPad. The Sky Eye and Black Swann actually let users record their flights as videos or you can opt for still photos all with the touch of a button and then you can easily share them with friends via the included USB cable.

The less expensive  i-Fly Micro Lightning can be operated by the included IR remote or by an  iDevice with the included adaptor and downloaded application.

Swann’s helicopters feature what they call “Easy-Fly Gyro Technology” and they have trim adjustment for added stability and dual joystick controls on the infrared remote control for 6-way multi-directional flying including up/down, forward/backward, left and right turns. The helicopters are powered by a rechargable lithium ion battery Swann’s RC helicopters are designed for indoor flying for ages 14+, include a spare set of replacement rotors and a bonus landing pad game.

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Heck, it will even be able to move up and down, as well as make its way left or right in mid-air. There is a switch on the infrared remote that does away with the need to reverse joystick directions or remove the horizontal tail rotor. The rechargeable battery delivers up to seven minutes of flight time, although the law of diminishing returns apply here since it will take a good 50 minutes to juice it up fully. At least it plays nice with USB charging, making it a viable option while you work at the office to take 7 minute breaks each hour with an Upside Down Helicopter to go with your upside down workplace.

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The flying quadricopter has a new camera, software, as well as a new look. What you see in the picture is its “outdoor hull” which is designed to reduce wind resistance. It still has the old mod with secondary hull to protect the blades.

The camera for the AR.Drone 2.0 is in 1280 x 720 resolution, to show a view from the sky. A piloting application known as AR.FreeFlight 2.0 allows the user to record their own HD videos, to watch or share with other AR.Drone users.

Another development is “Absolute Flight” which allows the AR.Drone 2.0 to connect to a device via Wi-Fi, and all on-board instruments will appear on screen with a cockpit view. The AR.Drone 2.0 will also have some light-emitting diodes positioned on the landing gear that will help the pilot track the orientation of the AR.Drone 2.0 in flight.

The AR.Drone 2.0 also has some new stabilizers so it will stay in flight, and Parrot is working to provide developers with a new software development kit. You should be seeing the AR.Drone 2.0 sometime in Q2 2012 for a price of about $299.

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Something tells me that with this new, albeit rather obvious, spying capability, your neighbor who loves sunbathing in the nude might just think twice before going out in his/her birthday suit. Let us take a look at the three RC helicopters in greater detail after the jump.

All of Swann’s helicopters will rely on the Easy-Fly Gyro Technology, where trim adjustment has been made for added stability, while the dual joystick controls on the infrared remote control paves the way for 6-way multi-directional flying – and those include up/down, forward/backward, left and right turns. Each helicopter will run on a lithium ion battery which can be juiced up thanks to a cable that is located in the remote control itself, or you can always opt to take the USB cable and PC route. As for the IR remote control, it will be juiced by half a dozen AA batteries, so I would strongly recommend getting rechargeables in the long run. Perfect for indoor flying, taking it outdoors might prove to be rather tricky considering the nature of the wind.

The i-Fly Micro Lightning will be the one that plays nice with iOS-powered devices, where you will use the app’s push button controls, or opt to enter ‘tilt’ mode in order to control the movement of the helicopter simply by tilting the iDevice. It is capable of flying for up to 8 minutes with each full charge, clearly exercising the law of diminishing returns. Expect to fork out $69.99 for this puppy.

As for the Sky Eye that was designed after a RC military helicopter, it can shoot videos and still photos, storing them on the built-in 512MB memory. With a powerful 27MHz radio frequency, it is capable of flying within a 110-foot radius, and will retail for $99.99. Last but not least is the Black Swann RC stealth helicopter that does the same as the Sky Eye, but has far superior storage capabilities thanks to a microSD memory card slot. It will cost the same as the Sky eye.

Press Release

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No longer do you need to throw bits of paper or rubber at your colleagues to irritate them (or paying tit for tat), but all you need to do is adjust where this sleek missile launcher is supposed to point at, where its air-powered pistons will then get to work, shooting safe, spongy projectiles up to 8 meters away. Of course, the iPhone is not the only device that enables control of the iLaunch Thunder, as the iPod Touch and iPad will get the job done as well. Bluetooth connectivity is what delivers the commands over to the iLaunch Thunder, and sporting a rotating angle of 270 degrees with the ability to tilt up or down through 45 degrees, you have quite the weapon on your desk.

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The counter-rotating blades on the Mosquito make it extremely manoeuvrable, and once you have managed to get the hang of its twin-toggle, digital proportional transmitter, you won’t have any issue handling this like a boss. It does not matter whether you are trying to have it go up, down, hover around, move forwards, backwards, left or right – it will obey your every command like magic.

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