Buying a Drone this Christmas? There’s an App for That

As more than one million drones fly off the shelves this holiday season, Airnest announced it will offer its companion app for a promotional holiday rate of $14.99.

“We’re excited that so many new people will be introduced to drones this holiday. And before they’re expert pilots, our app can help them get that aerial family-portrait, or epic outdoor shot - safely and easily,” Ben Brautigam, co-founder of Airnest, said. “Since launching in November, we’ve been blown away at the shots our users have been able to capture from Moscow to Moab. We can’t wait to see what the next jaw-dropping shot will be.”

With the iPhone and iPad app, you can draw a flightpath with your finger and your drone safely flies on autopilot capturing video or camera stills. For those wanting a bit more control, the app also allows users to control the camera – the same way you would use your iPad or iPhone 400 feet in the air – by simply by panning and tilting your iOS device. As you move your iPad or iPhone, the drone will mimic your movements while streaming the live feed back down to you. A video of the features is available on YouTube. The app is currently compatible with the DJI Phantom 3 Pro and Advanced models, as well as the DJI Inspire 1. In just three easy steps, users can plan a flight and launch into the air.

Once airborne, the drone follows the flightpath and captures high resolution photos or video on its memory card. While other autopilot software is available for drones, beta testers said it’s the most intuitive and simplest design on the market. “I spend less time handling an app and more time shooting videos. It’s smooth and on focus. You can do some really nice stunts like upwards spirals that are very time consuming when you program DJI GO or Lichi. In this app it takes literally seconds,” one tester said.