Parrot AR.Drone now available for pre-order at Brookstone

I received the delivery today of a Parrot drone.

Initial impressions:
a) Cool !
b) Fast
c) Fairly easy to use
d) Buy a second battery.
e) Instruction manuals/videos are not so good.

It takes a bit of practice to get the hang of moving it around. And one learns things along the way. So I'll share those with any new users:
Tip 1) After you have inserted the battery and closed the styrofoam "clamshell," you need to remember to look for your WiFi settings and connect to your ardone_xxxxx # WiFi. Then you can use the app.
Tip 2) Set it on the box. Then with the app. press the "Flat Trim" button. In fact, after any significant crash, set the Flat Trim, because that helps overcome little changes in stability that creep in after, say, your third or fourth crash.
Tip 3) The "Emergency" button on the app is really for emergencies. I thought it would set the drone into hover mode. Nope, it cuts the power and the thing drops like a rock.
Tip 4) The battery life is about 10 - 15 minutes. That's it. I will buy a second battery (at least).

What I have found:
- You can use the iPad (just 2x the screen).
- The front facing camera is pretty cool, and quality is decent.
- The bottom camera is about the same.
- There is a sticker of some kind between the cardboard drone-shaped filling and the bottom of the box. I suspect that is used as either a target, or, possibly an auto-landing function (saw that on one of the fairly useless training academy videos). Not sure yet.
- Changing the WiFi SSID is pretty easy.
- Range is at least 60 feet...haven't taken it outside yet to see if it really does 160 feet. (50m).
- Navigating with only the front camera (viewed through the iPad) is not easy, and you should clear breakables in the house -- just in case!
- The cardboard box is a good carrying case and landing pad.
- There are TWO bodies...one is just a piece to give it a centermass....the other body has the loops around the four propellers -- and this is definitely the way to go as you are in learning mode (say, you bounce off the walls frequently...ahem.)
- The right "stick" controls rotation, and altitude, but no lateral movement.
- The left "stick" must be pressed in order for it to go forward, back, left, right...but then you must ALSO tilt the iPad (or iPhone). It is a combination move.


What I have not yet found:
- How to turn "on" the augmented reality.
- If there is an auto-landing function, haven't found it.
- Something to interpret the various blinking light indicators on the battery A/C charging block. They have numbers, but so?
- What the skull and dots sticky-sided sheet of heavy paper does.
- If batteries can be ordered in the USA. Looks like UK-delivery only.
- About twenty-feet up, it begins to be unstable -- probably because that's a hefty amount of air to push downward!

What I will test on Wednesday (weather-permitting):
- Outdoor WiFi range
- Using on an iPhone 4.

I purchased the AR.Drone by Parrot from Brookstone and it was delivered yesterday. I opened the box, read the manual, charged the battery and then gave the AR.Drone a 10 minute test flight. I thought it was a cool gizmo but didn't warrant the cost so I decided to return the item. This is when the problems started. I had purchased the AR.Drone on my iPhone from the Brookstone website where there is no disclaimer that open items cannot be returned to the Brookstone store so I didn't think this would be any different than any other item purchased from Brookstone and took it in to return. This is when they told me that they would not accept open boxed AR.Drone returns and that I had to contact Parrot to get a refund and provided me with the following information to return the item.

# RETURNS AND WARRANTY:
# Unopened and unused AR.Drones can be returned to Brookstone in accordance with Brookstone%u2019s normal return policy which can be found in Brookstone stores, at www.brookstone.c ... More it was a cool gizmo but didn't warrant the cost so I decided to return the item. This is when the problems started. I had purchased the AR.Drone on my iPhone from the Brookstone website where there is no disclaimer that open items cannot be returned to the Brookstone store so I didn't think this would be any different than any other item purchased from Brookstone and took it in to return. This is when they told me that they would not accept open boxed AR.Drone returns and that I had to contact Parrot to get a refund and provided me with the following information to return the item.

# RETURNS AND WARRANTY:
# Unopened and unused AR.Drones can be returned to Brookstone in accordance with Brookstone%u2019s normal return policy which can be found in Brookstone stores, at www.brookstone.com, or on the reverse of your sales receipt or shipping collate.
# Any returns of opened, damaged, or used AR.Drones must be handled directly through Parrot. Please call Parrot directly at 1-877-9PARROT (1-877-972-7768) for full details. Parrot%u2019s return policy is as follows:
You must follow this return procedure:
1. You must call Parrot customer service at 1-877-9PARROT (1-877-972-7768) with serial number and proof of purchase.
2. All opened, damaged, or used product are to be returned directly to Parrot for replacement or repair.
3. You are responsible for the cost of shipping the AR.Drone back to Parrot (at the address specified after calling Parrot at 1-877-9PARROT

I contacted Parrot at the above mentioned number that Brookstone provided me with and I was told that Parrot does not handle refunds of the AR.Drone and that I would have to contact Brookstone to get a refund. So I went back to the Brookstone store and called the same number with the Brookstone manager on the phone so I could get her and Parrot on the phone at the same time. They both said the other was responsible for the refund. They both are trying to contact their upper management to see who is responsible for this refund while me the customer is stuck with a very poor customer service experience.

300$, 12 mns of battery life, 60 meters range, needs 90 mns to get fully charged.
No way I will buy it. It must be a lot of fun though...

WE NEED THIS IN GERMANY :(

How high can it go? Can it see the roof of my house if it still has a wireless connection?

I just visited the Brookstone website. I am sure this unit works well indoors with Wi-Fi and no wind. But for outdoors, there is no mention of controller to copter range. Does Wi-Fi make it infinite? Does it crash if out of range? Is there Wi-Fi outdoors beyond the borders of my house?

Ok just checked. It's €299 incl VAT in France which equates to £249.

So either way they are charging UK customers an extra £50.

I've emailed them asking why. I'll let you know what they say.

Even with VAT it's still much more expensive (~£60 -70). So much for the EU :-)

I didn't see where it mentioned that the first 300 orders get the free flight bag. Was that passed to TUAW separately or did they remove it already due to surpassing 300 orders? Either way, I made my order already.

It's £299 in the "rip off britain" instead of £191 which is the direct exchange value.

Therefore $299 in the states is good value I think