The much anticipated DJI Tello is now available in the States. This 80g drone is capable of 720P HD video, stays up in the air for 11 minutes, take 5 MP photos, and fly at 8 m/s. But the coolest thing about this ultralight drone is that it is programable. While this drone is designed to fly inside due to its near total lack of grams one might be able to get those inner city shots that would be illegal with the larger drones. As always fly safe.
Even though today was a rainy afternoon it was brightened by the arrival of the Tello. If there was any doubt that this was a micro-drone it was all erased upon opening the packaging. This drone is small. Inside the the box were very few things. Four extra propellers, a propeller wrench, the battery, a tiny manual, and the Tello. The props guards are removable, but come pre-installed.
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The battery slips right into the back of the unit, held in place with a small knob, and a plastic spring.
To charge the battery is a micro-USB plug on the Tello's side. Since there is no cable, or charger included Ryze expects you to have something laying around with which to provide the charge. There is a blue LED located on the front of the Tello that flashes to indicate that it's charging. When fully charged the LED stops flashing, and remains on.
The power switch is located on the opposite side.
The controller app can be downloaded from the AppStore. Either by going to the store and searching, going to the Ryze Tech website, or using the QR code in the manual.
There is also the option to fly the Tello with a BlueTooth game controller.
DJI's best Black Friday deal is the Tello Boost Combo at 36.5% off the regular price of $156 down to $99. The combo includes two extra batteries, two sets of spare blades, and a usb three battery charger. This is the retail price of just the Tello without the combo.