This looks like a cool toy, but I'd have to play with it before I could buy some.

DMelton wrote:Would have already bought one for me and a buddy if they did. Good job on bringing us a product that only appeals to a limited consumer base.

Do you hear people with hard wood floors complaining when they list a vacuum or those without pools when they list the scooba (roomba for the pool), quit the crying you are only pissy because of this Android vs iOS rivalry... then looking at the posts below you and above me, it appears your cries aren't even justified.

MichXelle wrote:You Tube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y95SOhxwAM8&feature=colike

On sale for $50 at hobbtron, regular price $75. Good Woot deal.

http://www.hobbytron.com/GYROiFlyHeliMetal35CHElectricRTFRCHelicopter.html

In the video, the guy is using the iphone and his hand is completely covering the transmitter.
Can someone please confirm if in fact the transmitter is radio and not line of sight IR?

GirlFromJerzey wrote:I don't know anything about these. Can someone tell me the difference between the woot offering and this -

http://www.amazon.com/Syma-S107-S107G-Helicopter-Yellow/dp/B004A8ZRB0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1329545056&sr=8-2

They look the same to me - but there must be some huge difference.

Thanks.

According to the Amazon web link above, the flight range is 30-feet, which seems typical for similar infrared transmitter devices I've seen:

Product Features:
- 2 Selectable Frequencies Let's You Fly Up To - 2 Helicopters At Once
- Full 3 channels: up, down, left, right, forward, and backward
- The transmitter has an alignment trim, a charging and power indicator, a left/right lever and trimmer
- Suitable for indoor flying only

*** Flight range is approximately 30'

atomicow wrote:I wonder if this could lift a GoPro camera...

In case you weren't kidding ... it could not.

It might be able to lift one of those 808 keychain cameras, however. Just make sure it's below the center of gravity on the helicopter, or it'll throw it off balance and might make it impossible to hover.

I wouldn't expect much from these helicopters. If you want a more serious one, get one of the many Blade helicopters -- CX2 or 3, mCX, mSR, etc. They're certainly more expensive, but they'll fly way better than these things.

justincredibleg wrote:This app makes it look like this will in fact work with Android devices:

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.uprtek.rd2.icontroller.syma&hl=en

Also, the amazon listing here appears to suggest it works with Android:

http://www.amazon.com/Electric-Helicopter-Controlled-iPhone-Android/dp/B006GVYXO6

Same price at Amazon, $50. Do you guys know how to add a clickable link? Beginning of the addy type url at the End foward slash in front of the same letters /url [ ] on each side. It makes it much easier for Wooters to click instead of cut n paste. Can anyone else explain this basic html better?

wootizen wrote:In the video, the guy is using the iphone and his hand is completely covering the transmitter.
Can someone please confirm if in fact the transmitter is radio and not line of sight IR?

No, but your welcome for the video.

cuCaulfield wrote:I had a similar styled helicopter (looks like the exact frame) CVS was selling over the holidays. It lasted about 10 min. before it took a hard landing, rolled on its side, and the main rotor never worked right after that.

NO way CVS was selling the same with the same specs. I know the garbage they sell at the holidays. Was it $9.99 or $19.99? If more then they brought it to 1/2 price. I got rid of our CVS stock when way above what I paid for a reason. Now that they got the Express Scripts deal I might buy some stock again if my significant other didn't yet.

atomicow wrote:If less let's you control a helicopter, I'll take less every time

Really? Even when less means someone else controls your what you get to do with your device unless you jailbreak it? And you get to pay more for that too!

Groupon currently has a slightly different model for $6 more
http://www.groupon.com/deals/gg-ipilot-6020i-remote-control-helicopter?utm_medium=email&utm_source=channel_goods-deals&sid=11102060&user=cf4796c2b1ced2fbb27fe429d92cc11ba04529d83dc1043edd98f7dadbda8fac&utm_campaign=11102060&s=body&d=gg-ipilot-6020i-remote-control-helicopter&p=2&c=deal_img

Wow, what weird timing. I got one very similar to this for christmas, but my cat swatted it to the ground and broke it in early january. It was very stable and fun to fly though, until the cat broke it.

But literally just 10 minutes ago I took the helicopter apart and nudged the little plastic gear back into place and fixed it. And now I see this woot, what a coincidence.

The one I have is also GYRO 3.5CH but it's not iPhone/Pod controlled, it comes with a real remote. It really is quite stable though, I am amazed.

My buddy has one of these and he let me borrow it for an evening. My dogs were not amused. They are by no means easy to control and even with the 12 foot ceilings in my house I was wishing I was outdoors in an open field.

Pros:
- LED lights are super cool
- great for terrorizing high strung chihuahuas
- impressive lift

Cons:
- controls take mucho practice
- IR transmitter seemed to have dead spots
- not approved by high strung chihuahuas
- impressive lift (they go up real fast like)

“When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things” --fr. somewhere in the Bible

Manufacturer says the device is compatible with most Android devices, but were not fully tested

http://www.uprtek.com/english/products_detail.asp?pid=144

And this is the most "generic" of all controllers

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.phison.robovation.icontroller&feature=search_result

Two things to note:

1) You can use the phone's orientation sensor to steer the chopper (i.e. tilt sensors) but it's an option.

2) You CANNOT receive calls while you're playing this. Or you'll crash the chopper as the voice call gets routed to the transceiver and your chopper goes haywire. They actually recommend you turn on airplane mode before you start playing.

Wiki on RC Helicopters

Love the woot community--decided the Syma S107 would be a better buy for the man toy. What would you remote control folks recommend for after you learn to fly the S107? Like summer is coming and you want to play in the great outdoors. What's the favorite outdoor alternative?

it's definitely a fun toy, and dare i say it worth getting though i've broken one myself. and personally seen 3 others break! mostly due to hair getting on the blades so make sure the floor's clean. outside is pretty awesome though

darenka wrote:Love the woot community--decided the Syma S107 would be a better buy for the man toy. What would you remote control folks recommend for after you learn to fly the S107? Like summer is coming and you want to play in the great outdoors. What's the favorite outdoor alternative?

One boy's man toy is another man's boy toy...

Too bad it doesn't have an app for Android.

PS sorry for the double post. It won't let me delete one...

MichXelle wrote:Same price at Amazon, $50. Do you guys know how to add a clickable link? Beginning of the addy type url at the End foward slash in front of the same letters /url [ ] on each side. It makes it much easier for Wooters to click instead of cut n paste. Can anyone else explain this basic html better?

That sounds like forums tags not HTML tags.

brucedoesbms wrote:One boy's man toy is another man's boy toy...

Gotta admit-- That was FUNNY!!!!

10/10 for creativity, cleverness, and chuckles. What a fabulous ad.

mcrawfordLDS wrote:Too bad it doesn't have an app for Android.

PS sorry for the double post. It won't let me delete one...

Yes they do!

borntohunt wrote:Maybe I overlooked it, but I wonder what the maximum flight range is from the remote control before you lose control???

According to the manufacturer's website, 8 meters (which is what? 26 ft?)

troller11 wrote:This would mean a LOT more to me if they were also Android compatible.

Apple....giving you LESS for MORE MONEY.

If this is the Swann iFly, they are Android compatible. The app's free in the market.

GirlFromJerzey wrote:I don't know anything about these. Can someone tell me the difference between the woot offering and this - http://www.amazon.com/Syma-S107-S107G-Helicopter-Yellow/dp/B004A8ZRB0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1329545056&sr=8-2

They look the same to me - but there must be some huge difference.

Thanks.

Virtually same chopper, but that one has a standalone controller instead of using your Smartphone as a controller.

kschang wrote:Virtually same chopper, but that one has a standalone controller instead of using your Smartphone as a controller.

So, let's just say I have a Dumbphone... then what am I supposed to do?...

skou wrote:
OK, it says IR AS WELL AS RC!

IR is infared. It is transmitted by a LED, and is VERY line of sight, and also does NOT work in sunlight.

RC means Radio Controlled. RC is NOT line of sight, unless there is a LARGE METAL building in the way. RC also works VERY WELL in direct sunlight. (Since there are no illumination issues, with the treansmission.)

So, IR or RC?? Can't be both!


You’re confusing RC with RF.

RC – Remote Controlled
RF – Radio Frequency
IR – Infrared

So it is both IR and RC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y95SOhxwAM8

Some of them use wifi which is better...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=fvwp&NR=1&v=9tJEUSZo-_E

This is a awesome price I just bought one from Groupon 2 days ago for $32 & $5 shipping, $37 total. Oh woot, 2 days to late. Long live WOOT!!!!

I bought three of the r/c hellies last time woot had them. Not the iPhone kind, just normal.

My son, who is five, has trouble with the finer points of controlling it, and subsequently has beat this thing up badly, and it's still going. Comes with replacement parts which we have needed. At this price I don't mind if he kills it, but it keeps on going.

I agree with the other poster: it would be hard to learn how to control it without a real remote. But if you want it, it's definitely a good deal as I saw them in RadioShack for $100 last week.

One complaint: flies only five minutes on a full charge. That's hard to explain to a five year old.

I'm impressed. With shipping this woot is still cheaper than the comparable models on DX, albeit only by a dollar or so: (http://s.dealextreme.com/search/iphone+helicopter+3.5.html?sort=Price)

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/iphone-ipod-touch-ipad-controlled-rechargeable-3-ch-r-c-i-helicopter-w-gyroscope-silver-black-67087

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/iphone-ipod-touch-ipad-controlled-rechargeable-3-ch-r-c-i-helicopter-w-gyroscope-black-82471

Do yourselves a favor and stay away from IR conrollers and 3 channel coax. Yeah, they're cool for the first week you have it but sooner than later you get bored of simply hovering. You cannot fly it outside.

Invest another 20 bucks and get one of these 2.4 Ghz fixed pitch single blade helis:

WL Toys V911

http://www.banggood.com/Wholesale-New-Wltoys-V911-2_4ghz-4-Channel-Gyro-Remote-Control-Rc-Helicopter(mode-2)-p-36779.html?p=F614210487522012019E

Xieda 9958

http://www.banggood.com/Wholesale-Xieda-9958-4-Channel-2_4ghz-Mini-Radio-Control-Rc-Helicopter-Rtf-p-39696.html?p=F614210487522012019E

These things are indestructible and are very stable. They can hover just like the boring coax and if it's not too windy outside, you can fly them outside as well, which you can't do with an IR-controlled heli, nor a coax. They can be hopped up very cheaply as well

Video of my V911:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmSGUVMZfhE&context=C3b0b95fADOEgsToPDskLsBmledSnrztPFe3XYSmWI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fc1RBWsVKek&feature=context&context=C3b0b95fADOEgsToPDskLsBmledSnrztPFe3XYSmWI

BTW, I owned a Symma for about 2 days before I got bored and got this. I've owned it for about 1.5 months and have never flown helis before if you're wondering if you'll be able to fly it.

Hey, do you know if it works on any android phone or only Iphones?

I have one that's very similar to this model (came with a remote control, not an iPhone control) and the battery gives you about 3-4 minutes of full flight power, then about 2-3 minutes of what I call "floor-buzzing, cat-terrorizing" flight time where it hovers about 3 inches off the ground at most.

I kind of want one of these and it sounds like a great deal. But, after reading the reviews about the stability of the helicopter and the signal strength of the transmitter, I think I'll just purchase a better quality helicopter, mod the remote control to work with my Android phone, and develop the app myself.

I'm serious about this.

good price, but you'd be better of buying this: http://www.amazon.com/Syma-S107-S107G-Helicopter-Yellow/dp/B004A8ZRB0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329574488&sr=8-1
the parts are all replacable for really cheap for when you break it. I own one and love it.

Do not take these outside. Sunlight does bad things to the IR control.

DMelton wrote:Would have already bought one for me and a buddy if they did. Good job on bringing us a product that only appeals to a limited consumer base.

Limited consumer base?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:IPhone_sales_per_quarter_simple.svg

iPhones sold = 183,078,000


http://www.google.com/publicdata/explore?ds=kf7tgg1uo9ude_&met_y=population&idim=country:US&dl=en&hl=en&q=us+population

US Pupolation = 311,591,917

Given not all are sold in the US, and not all are active I would say that there really isn't anything else that would apply to that many people? Haters gonna hate......

sbucknam1 wrote:skou wrote:
OK, it says IR AS WELL AS RC!

IR is infared. It is transmitted by a LED, and is VERY line of sight, and also does NOT work in sunlight.

RC means Radio Controlled. RC is NOT line of sight, unless there is a LARGE METAL building in the way. RC also works VERY WELL in direct sunlight. (Since there are no illumination issues, with the treansmission.)

So, IR or RC?? Can't be both!


You’re confusing RC with RF.

RC – Remote Controlled
RF – Radio Frequency
IR – Infrared

So it is both IR and RC.

Maybe you are mixed up on the definition of RC

The control of an activity, process, or machine from a distance, as by radioed instructions or coded signals.

Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/remote-control#ixzz1mkCEZAjF

It is an inferred light not an LED. Remote Control defines no source of protocol in which it is remotely controlled or by any means says that it has to be controlled out of sight to be considered RC. Do you consider your remote for a TV a remote?


Something that is RC can be remotely controlled by any numerous options such as RF or IR. So it is not RC and IR it is remotely controlled by IR. Semantics.....

wootizen wrote:In the video, the guy is using the iphone and his hand is completely covering the transmitter.
Can someone please confirm if in fact the transmitter is radio and not line of sight IR?

Description say IR transmitter, Also has three lights on the IR transmitter pictured next to the iphone so it defiantly is.

dougmc2 wrote:In case you weren't kidding ... it could not.

It might be able to lift one of those 808 keychain cameras, however. Just make sure it's below the center of gravity on the helicopter, or it'll throw it off balance and might make it impossible to hover.

Gum Cameras (about the size of a pack of gum) have better controls and even a clip that may make mounting easier.