Snap Unveils a Flying Drone Camera Called Pixy

Snap, the maker of the Snapchat messaging app, has lengthy positioned by itself as a digicam company.

On Thursday, it unveiled a traveling one particular. Termed Pixy, the drone digicam can help individuals take selfies devoid of the help of a selfie stick. Users maintain the pocket-size digicam in their palm and decide on a flight mode by means of a dial on the device’s overall body. The gadget then flies for a moment, taking pics and video clips that it downloads to the user’s personal Snapchat push just before landing again in the user’s palm.

“It provides you a thoroughly new standpoint, really will allow you to have exciting and go hold out with your family and create movies all with each other,” Evan Spiegel, Snap’s chief executive, stated in an interview.

Pixy is Snap’s first components product considering that Spectacles, which had been glasses with embedded cameras and augmented-fact functions. Spectacles debuted to hourslong lines in 2016 but in the end underperformed. In 2021, Snap unveiled a new model of Spectacles that let people today see augmented-actuality filters overlaid on the actual physical planet.

Snap is promoting Pixy for $229.99, with supplemental batteries for $19.99 and a dual battery charger for $49.99. The firm reported it planned to provide the camera “while provides last” in the United States and France.

In 2020, Amazon also introduced a flying digital camera, the $249 Ring Generally Household Cam. The surveillance drone flies all around its owner’s household and data online video, ostensibly for safety functions. It was quickly pilloried on social media as a privateness hazard.

Mr. Spiegel mentioned he was unfamiliar with Amazon’s product or service. He explained Snap’s traveling digicam was not a privacy trouble for the reason that its brilliant yellow coloration, recording mild and motor seems produced it conspicuous.

“I really do not imagine there are privateness worries when it arrives to other individuals remaining recorded with out their expertise,” he mentioned.

Snap introduced Pixy alongside a suite of augmented-reality products — which overlay filters and visible effects on the serious planet — at its once-a-year occasion for developers and advertisers. It also introduced new tools for companies that permit customers to just about attempt on their products. Snap stated individuals had engaged with its goods for augmented-fact shopping 5 billion occasions due to the fact January 2021.

“We see our most important chance about time to really be reinventing the digicam,” Mr. Spiegel claimed. “Pixy is a continuation of this experimentation and innovation all around what the digicam is able of.”