Hasta La Gadget!

Drones are a hot piece of tech these days, whether you’re a kid or an armed force. Rich kids and rich armed forces, that is: for instance, the popular Parrot AR.Drones sell for $250 to $300 (USD). Lucky for us, Brando stopped being weird for a second and got a hold of a cheap alternative.

Brando describes the UDIRC remote control multicopter as follows: “The Perfect Flying Object with this New Design Technology, The Most Stable (like the real?) Floating in the AIR. The Special Design of the One Press Button, which can make the UFO to Somersault in the Air. This RC UFO is powered by a Small piece Battery that is fueled with the USB External Dual Charging Box; therefore, UFO can Fly Never Stop with this Unlimited Power Supply!” Yeah. Still weird.

Because it doesn’t have a camera, fancy smartphone controls or good looks, the multicopter’s price is the good kind of weird: Brando is selling it for just $50(USD). That’s a steal for a quadcopter, but for a quadcopter with unlimited power supply? It’s the heist of the century.

[via Boing Boing]

Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner is the hottest bird in aviation, and while the American-made airliner has already taken flight with passengers aboard, it has yet to land with US-flag air carrier livery along the fuselage. Japan’s All Nippon Airways was the first to take delivery, with the premier pair making their way from the assembly line in September of 2011. Last year Japan Airlines made its first scheduled voyage across the Pacific in a Dreamliner of its own, and we were fortunate enough to fly roundtrip on a domestic ANA flight leaving from Tokyo a few months later. But now the 787 is making its way to an American carrier. As the first US airline to operate the plane, United Airlines is about to take delivery of its first of 50 Dreamliners, which will join the carrier’s fleet to service both existing and new routes, such as Denver to Tokyo, which is set to launch in late March of next year.

We traveled to Boeing’s Everett, Washington factory today for a first look at United’s aircraft. While the Dreamliner looks physically identical to ANA’s plane, the on-board experience is decidedly different from what we saw in Japan. Though the Dreamliner has a very similar layout to United’s bigger 777, it feels roomier thanks to larger windows with dimmable shades, expanded overheard bins and higher ceilings. There’s plenty more to see, though, so jump past the break for a video tour of United’s new mid-size flagship, and a closer look in photos.

Continue reading Boeing prepares to deliver United’s 787 Dreamliner, we climb aboard for a tour (video)

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Boeing prepares to deliver United’s 787 Dreamliner, we climb aboard for a tour (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 16:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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