Delivery Update

We are excited to share with you a long-awaited update on both manufacturing and delivery. You can read the detailed version below, but we’ll start by cutting to the chase on the delivery timing.

Though we’ve been working around the clock to try and begin shipping by the end of the spring, we are going to delay sending out the first shipments until the end of July. Our target is to ship all pre-orders by the end of September. The first 5% of pre-orders sent out in July will be part of our  “Voluntary Beta” program (which we explain in-full below).

We plan to ramp up delivery starting in August, with the goal of finishing all shipments by the end of September (for all pre-orders placed before today). As a rough approximation, we expect orders placed before Jan 1 to ship in August and those placed after Jan 1 to ship in September.

Snap continues to improve by leaps and bounds. We believe we have created the safest, most portable, and easiest-to-use 4K flying camera in the world, and we couldn’t be more excited to start shipping it to you and letting you experience it for yourselves.

We understand that many of you have been eagerly awaiting your delivery and we hate to make you wait any longer. As a thank you for your patience, we will be shipping all pre-order customers a spare battery, so you can make up for lost time flying as soon as you get your Snap.

Details follow explaining our reason for moving back delivery, the current status of manufacturing, and what the “Voluntary Beta” program entails.

Why are we delaying?

We know that at the end of day you want your flying camera. But we do want to make sure you know we’ve been going to extreme lengths to deliver and are not taking this delay lightly. A few reasons are detailed below:

  • Performance improvements: We opted for a few improvements in battery technology and motors in order to improve our flight time and peak thrust for higher top speed and improved wind performance. We made these changes to both make sure we exceed our 20-minute flight time promise, and in response to requests from customers who wanted to use Snap in the widest possible range of conditions. We knew these changes would take time and vowed to work a bit harder to make up for it, but underestimated the full scope of re-optimizing the system around these changes.
  • Consistent video quality: Holding a 4K video camera to 0.01 degrees with a micro-gimbal is really hard (so hard that we’re the first in the world to accomplish it). We knew this when we launched and had already spent more than two years engineering it. It turned out that making it work consistently, in a variable range of conditions, with our custom 4K camera was significantly harder and required some redesign on vibration isolation, gimbal control techniques, and really, really good yaw control techniques. This took time and introduced delays in kicking off tooling and consumed the extra time we had built into the schedule.
  • Tooling design time: We have made many injection molded parts previously and are very familiar with this challenge. We expected that making parts which are pushing the lower limits on weights while maintaining high durability would be harder, but didn’t fully appreciate the necessary time to get this right. This introduced a few weeks of additional delays as we went back and forth with our injection molding toolers to convince them to pull off the impossible.Molding
  • Vendor component delays: We pushed the limit with technology on Snap and as a result have been beholden to some sole-source suppliers who offer the best components in the world. One was late in completing their product and delivering sample units, which has delayed our testing.  Additionally, the factory making our image sensor was shuttered by the earthquake in Japan in April. We have resolved both issues, but not without burning many more cycles than we would have liked.

We hate making excuses, but as our first supporters, you deserve to know all of the details. We will keep you up to date as we move through the final stages of getting Snap into your hands.

Current Delivery Status

Here is exactly where we stand. This is what’s done:

  • We have completed the design. This was the hardest part, but we finished it many months ago.
  • We have completed performance and field testing on our engineering prototypes to validate that the design will work as intended, and we also updated the design to fix all of the issues we found.
  • We have signed on all of our manufacturing partners for supplying components, creating tooling, and doing the final assembly and testing.
  • We have finalized the interface design (which we will be sharing soon!) and backend of our flight control app and are currently working to merge the two.
  • We have cut tooling (see pics below) for our most challenging parts and expect to have the remaining tooling complete in a few weeks.

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What still needs to be done:

  • Assemble units based on the final tooling: We have already done this based on CNC’d parts, so we don’t expect many surprises here, but the devil is always in the details, and there are a lot of details.
  • More testing: To date, we have been limited in the number of units we could test, due to the high cost of prototypes and shortages of key components. We plan to do a hell of a lot of flying over the next two months with tooled parts in order to uncover as many corner-case issues as we possibly can.
  • Fix bugs: We expect to have some small modifications to software, minor changes to the electronics if needed, and a few tooling modifications based on the results of our testing.
  • Camera tuning: Our video quality is quite good, but we need to do the additional work to make it spectacular. We partnered with the best camera tuning shop in the world to get rid of the last bits of fringing, chromatic aberration, imperfect focus, and an occasional gimbal jitter.
  • Beta testing: Work with our Beta testers to uncover those really tricky issues that we might never uncover ourselves. Do our adhesives have a weakness for hamster pee? That sort of thing.
  • Build more units and get them to you.

The biggest risk in this program will be the time required to fix bugs discovered during Beta testing. Based on the work we’ve done to date, we have good reason to be optimistic. However, given that the purpose of these stages is to discover what we don’t know, it is hard to say with certainty how long it will take to fix yet-to-be-discovered challenges. We will make sure to keep you abreast of any serious issues that arise during this period that could impact delivery timing.

So what does “Voluntary Beta” mean, you ask?

If you were one of the first people to order Snap, we will be reaching out to see if you would like to participate in the Voluntary Beta program. You will need to meet a few criteria:

  • You must be among the first 5% of pre-order customers.
  • You must reside in the United States.
  • You must be an iPhone / iOS owner and user.

We will not be able to ship to Android customers or international customers in the first beta shipment in July. We are sorry for that delay.

As a Voluntary Beta tester, you will be one of the very first to receive Snap. We will do everything we can to make sure the product is ready, but you should expect that Snap will not be perfect. However, you will have a direct line of contact with the Vantage Robotics engineering team and we’ll want to hear about every last detail of your experience and how we can make it more awesome.

Your complete satisfaction will be guaranteed. You will be able to return Snap for a complete refund if you are not satisfied. If anything requiring a hardware change is found during the Voluntary Beta test period, we will replace your hardware at our expense. Firmware and app updates are almost certain, so your patience during this period will be required.

And we’ll give you a Vantage Robotics Beta Program hat so you can let everyone know you were one of the first!

*******

Once again, we know you’ve had a long wait to get your hands on Snap, and we hate to make you wait longer. Thank you for your patience as we work through getting these last details right. We have a lot to accomplish, but both our manufacturing partners and the internal team have committed to the challenge. We are working full bore to make it happen.

As always, we couldn’t be more grateful for your ongoing support to help bring Snap to market. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions, comments or concerns. We will also be releasing some exciting new footage from Snap early next week, so be on the lookout!

Our best,

Tobin, Joe and the Vantage Robotics Team

156 Comments

  • Jeremy says:

    Hello Vantage Robotics Team,

    I would like to be the first to say thank you for the update and for informing us all about where Snap currently stands and I truly appreciate how you have taken the time to include us on the progress instead of just leaving us in the dark.

    I am sure there will be some people who will be upset about the delay, and for those of you who are I hope you can all see that they are trying hard to get us the best product they can, and not some subpar product that so many other businesses are putting out there.

    So I would just like to say thank you Vantage Robotics. I know you guys don’t like to push back the shipping dates, but I appreciate and admire your honesty. I would much rather wait a few more months to get the best product I can. Also the free spare battery makes the wait even better! 🙂

    Thank you again.

  • Kenneth S says:

    I live in the U.S., and own a iPhone 6s+. I’m looking for an easily transportable aerial camera platform for a documentary I’m filming later this summer. So, if I placed a pre order today, would I be invited to the voluntary beta program? My project has been put off for two years now, waiting for the right tech. I don’t want to wait another year, if I don’t have to.

    • Charlie - Vantage Robotics says:

      Thanks Kenneth – Priority is going to go to the pre-order customers who placed orders on September 2nd and 3rd. If you place a pre-order today, you should expect to receive Snap in September. Thank you for your interest. We really appreciate it.

  • iLloydski says:

    Exactly same sentiments, and i concur with Jeremy – i admire the dedication, the attention to details and honesty you guys are putting into this project. With all that, I don’t mind the delays especially with the spare battery! =P

    If in any case, i’m not included in the first 5% pre-order customers and you didn’t get enough voluntary beta participation – i’d be more that willing to help out with testing, troubleshooting and providing feedback for this product.

    All the best, keep up the good work! More power!

    • Charlie - Vantage Robotics says:

      Thanks so much, iLloydski. Can’t wait to get it in your hands. And thank you for the offer to help us test.

  • Dennis W Smith says:

    Thank you for the update. I have be a pre-order customer of other products before, Vantage has by far the best job of keeping its pre-order patrons informed.
    It sounds like the Snap will arrive just in time to take in the beautiful mid western fall colors.

    • James Squires says:

      Thanks Dennis. We can’t wait to see what you can shoot with our camera!

  • Steve Harryman says:

    You guys are too hard on yourself. Trust me, we all want a product that first and foremost—you are happy with. Because then we will be happy with. You are completely right for giving an honest update. Please take as much time as you need to perfect the product to the standards you have set and thought of for more hours that we probably want to know. 🙂 You are building something very special and we all know that. Keep up the good work and please don’t feel pressure from your customer base. It will be worth it to everyone to have it when that glorious day comes for us and that the dream you’ve had for so long becomes a reality.

  • Craig says:

    Thanks for the update. I was really looking forward to flying in June but, I understand and appreciate that you want to provide the best possible product you can from day one. Please keep us updated with the process and photos of the progress.

  • Mike says:

    Hi Vantage Robitics Team,

    Thanks for the update, the transparency of reasons behind the delay are appreciated.

    I have waited far longer for pre-ordered items far less technologically advanced than Snap so fully understand your position.

    The efforts to refine and tune Snap reassure me that I will be receiving a product worth the wait.

    Thanks Team.

  • I have to admit that this is pretty crushing news because I’ve been SO SO excited to get this camera and take it on adventures that I have planned for the Summer months. That said, having just wrapped up 2 years of product development on something much simpler than a flying camera I totally feel your pain on the difficulty of the task, so I can’t quite bring myself to throw a tantrum.

    That said, I did order really really early last year, September 2nd to be exact, so I’m hopeful that I made it into the beta group. I have a soft spot for betas and would love to put this thing through it’s paces and help dial it in.

    Best of luck on the home stretch

    • Charlie - Vantage Robotics says:

      Thanks Stephen – There is a good chance you will be in the Voluntary Beta program if you ordered on 9/2/15. Are you an iOS/iPhone user and living in the US? If so, we will be in touch. Thank you for your support!

  • John Manson says:

    I am with Steve, take the time to do it right, and don’t let a minority of customers that ‘want it now’ change your apporach. Cheers, looking forward to a September delivery as I ordered past Jan 1st.

  • Tim Snyder says:

    I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your honesty. It’s obvious that you are most concerned with your customers having a good, well working product. It is hard waiting, but if all works as planned, I’m sure the wait will be worth it. Hopefully the Beta testing will go well–good luck with that!

    • James Squires says:

      Thanks Tim. We really want to get this out ASAP, and no one likes delays. It will be worth it once you are flying though!

  • Looking forward. Personally, I am more concerned about future upgrades such as 60mph and the ability to control remotely with ample range.

  • Looking forward. Personally, I am more concerned about future upgrades such as 60mph and the ability to control remotely with ample range.

  • Definitely iOS. Cheers!

  • And definitely USA.

  • And definitely USA.

  • Randy Durham says:

    I ordered mine on September 10th, 2105 and I am an iOS/iPhone user as well. I am a video producer with 37 years of production experience in over 30 countries and I’m looking forward to putting it thru its paces and evaluating the 4k quality. Keep up the good work! 🙂

    • James Squires says:

      Thanks Randy. Sept 10 is a bit outside the first 5%, but you do sound like a good candidate. Let’s see how things go. Either way, we will get you flying soon!

  • Randy Durham says:

    I ordered mine on September 10th, 2105 and I am an iOS/iPhone user as well. I am a video producer with 37 years of production experience in over 30 countries and I’m looking forward to putting it thru its paces and evaluating the 4k quality. Keep up the good work! 🙂

    • James Squires says:

      Thanks Randy. Sept 10 is a bit outside the first 5%, but you do sound like a good candidate. Let’s see how things go. Either way, we will get you flying soon!

  • Randy Durham says:

    Oops! Make that September 10th, 2015. 🙂

  • Randy Durham says:

    Oops! Make that September 10th, 2015. 🙂

  • Philip says:

    Great product update!

  • Philip says:

    Great product update!

  • Henrik Dahnsjo says:

    Hi,

    I placed My order on sep 3 but I live in Sweden.
    Why should I be excluded for beeing an early bird buyer and don’t live in The U.S? It doesn’ t make any sense at all. 🙁

    A dissapointed early bird buyer.

    • James Squires says:

      Sorry to disappoint you Henrik. We decided that the Beta program would be most efficient if we kept it to US customers. The cost and complexity of international shipping can cause a lot of strain, and we wanted to utilize our energy on the product. Also, we plan on giving out a direct line to our engineering team, which is based in California. Despite how much caffeine we are drinking and how many late hours in the office there have been, it seemed more reasonable to keep our first beta testers in a similar time zone.

  • Hey Vantage, i pre-order it at the beginning of Jan. Since i pre-order i have not once recived any email or anything giving me updates about any of this. You guys must certently took my money as soon i put my credit card numbers in. Its been a really long await. I am really hoping im in this 5% to get in the beta selecteds

    • celine says:

      Hi Harold- I apologize that you haven’t been getting emails! We email our entire mailing list with product updates regularly, so I apologize if there was a mistake with our system. I will add your email to our mailing list, and please email support@vantagerobotics.com with additional concerns. Thanks!

  • Hey Vantage, i pre-order it at the beginning of Jan. Since i pre-order i have not once recived any email or anything giving me updates about any of this. You guys must certently took my money as soon i put my credit card numbers in. Its been a really long await. I am really hoping im in this 5% to get in the beta selecteds

    • celine says:

      Hi Harold- I apologize that you haven’t been getting emails! We email our entire mailing list with product updates regularly, so I apologize if there was a mistake with our system. I will add your email to our mailing list, and please email support@vantagerobotics.com with additional concerns. Thanks!

  • Reid Flinchum says:

    Thanks for the update, good information.

  • Reid Flinchum says:

    Thanks for the update, good information.

  • Reid Flinchum says:

    Thanks for update. Good info.

  • Reid Flinchum says:

    Thanks for update. Good info.

  • Kevin says:

    Even if there is a delay in delivery, this post is very reassuring, thank you for that! I agree with all the comments above, I appreciate the detailed update of the situation! I am personally going on a year long backpacking trip around the world starting end of November 2016 and could not imagine bringing any kind of other drone that Snap to film our travels!
    Thanks for all the effort being put into this!! It’s greatly apreciated!

    • James Squires says:

      Thanks Kevin! Can’t wait to see some of that footage once you get on the road.

  • Kevin says:

    Even if there is a delay in delivery, this post is very reassuring, thank you for that! I agree with all the comments above, I appreciate the detailed update of the situation! I am personally going on a year long backpacking trip around the world starting end of November 2016 and could not imagine bringing any kind of other drone that Snap to film our travels!
    Thanks for all the effort being put into this!! It’s greatly apreciated!

    • James Squires says:

      Thanks Kevin! Can’t wait to see some of that footage once you get on the road.

  • Fady says:

    Thank you guys for the hard work. I work in software development and I know when you rush a product to come out how that can affect the quality. so I definitely understand the delay, specially you guys missed the deal line with only 1 month (we usually miss it with more than that 🙂 ). I believe you did a good Job so far and I am looking forward to get my snap.
    One thing I would like to ask, based on the qualification that you wrote about volunteer BETA tester, I may be one of them (not sure tho) which is my honor. So the BETA testers will have a BETA model not the final one? or they will have the same as everyone else will get but they will have direct connection with you for the testing results, debugging…?
    Again, thank you.

    • James Squires says:

      Thanks Fady. Beta testers will get the final product, though there will most likely be some software updates and stuff like that.

  • Fady says:

    Thank you guys for the hard work. I work in software development and I know when you rush a product to come out how that can affect the quality. so I definitely understand the delay, specially you guys missed the deal line with only 1 month (we usually miss it with more than that 🙂 ). I believe you did a good Job so far and I am looking forward to get my snap.
    One thing I would like to ask, based on the qualification that you wrote about volunteer BETA tester, I may be one of them (not sure tho) which is my honor. So the BETA testers will have a BETA model not the final one? or they will have the same as everyone else will get but they will have direct connection with you for the testing results, debugging…?
    Again, thank you.

    • James Squires says:

      Thanks Fady. Beta testers will get the final product, though there will most likely be some software updates and stuff like that.

  • Scott says:

    Thanks for the update, though they are a bit too far and few in between. Anyway you can do a brief weekly one as to what you guys have accomplished in the last week?
    Also, it was stated that a carrying case would be included with Snap… Is that still true, and, if so, what will it be like (hardshell/backpack/styrofoam)?

    • James Squires says:

      Thanks Scott. We will try to get more updates out there moving forward. We are planning on sending a semi-hard case out to our pre-sale customers.

  • Erik says:

    Thank you for the detailed update. I have no problem waiting….its for all the right reasons. And thank you for the extra battery!!!

  • Erik says:

    Thank you for the detailed update. I have no problem waiting….its for all the right reasons. And thank you for the extra battery!!!

  • Jesty Karl Salvatierra says:

    Hi, thanks for the update
    Not sure how can I update my delivery address?
    Please advise.
    Thanks,
    Jesty

    • Charlie - Vantage Robotics says:

      Hi Jesty – Please send an email in to our customer support email and we will take care of you. Thank you for your support! Charlie

  • Jesty Karl Salvatierra says:

    Hi, thanks for the update
    Not sure how can I update my delivery address?
    Please advise.
    Thanks,
    Jesty

    • Charlie - Vantage Robotics says:

      Hi Jesty – Please send an email in to our customer support email and we will take care of you. Thank you for your support! Charlie

  • Blayn says:

    Thank you for the detail update and really appreciate it. I understand when it comes to design and all then testing it takes. Can’t wait until I receive mine. I know I fall under the first 1% that purchase this. Keep up the status updates.

  • Blayn says:

    Thank you for the detail update and really appreciate it. I understand when it comes to design and all then testing it takes. Can’t wait until I receive mine. I know I fall under the first 1% that purchase this. Keep up the status updates.

  • Anton says:

    A delay can happen but please keep us informed on a more regular base.

  • Anton says:

    A delay can happen but please keep us informed on a more regular base.

  • Nick says:

    Yes! I absolutely approve your decision to delay shipping, but have to say I agree with Anton, would love to see some more (and more regular) updates, and if not updates at least videos of snap working and video quality you know?. I think it would be nice to be reminded and impressed of the awesome product we all pre-ordered. Who cares if the video shows a failure/glitch, that precisely shows us you are conscious of flaws and will work to improve them. Saying it outloud I realized that maybe wont be so good to attract new customers, but you could always send those videos/updates via email to those who have preordered already. Keep up the hard work, will be anxiously waiting!

    • Charlie - Vantage Robotics says:

      Hi Nick – Stay tuned. We have a video from a mountain biking test shoot we did in Auburn with Specialized rider Dustin Schaad. The video is not quite perfect, and we are working on the issues we saw during that test session. We will be pushing it out next week. Thanks for your support!

  • Nick says:

    Yes! I absolutely approve your decision to delay shipping, but have to say I agree with Anton, would love to see some more (and more regular) updates, and if not updates at least videos of snap working and video quality you know?. I think it would be nice to be reminded and impressed of the awesome product we all pre-ordered. Who cares if the video shows a failure/glitch, that precisely shows us you are conscious of flaws and will work to improve them. Saying it outloud I realized that maybe wont be so good to attract new customers, but you could always send those videos/updates via email to those who have preordered already. Keep up the hard work, will be anxiously waiting!

    • Charlie - Vantage Robotics says:

      Hi Nick – Stay tuned. We have a video from a mountain biking test shoot we did in Auburn with Specialized rider Dustin Schaad. The video is not quite perfect, and we are working on the issues we saw during that test session. We will be pushing it out next week. Thanks for your support!

  • Jason Hatfield says:

    Thanks for the update, although I wish we had these a little more frequently. I understand the reasons and the work that goes into this, but putting down money for something definitely increases my interest in knowing the production progress. I was really excited to have this for the summer, especially long adventure runs and backpacking. I’m currently in-between drones and made the hard/financial decision to avoid buying another for a recent trip based on the still listed delivery date of June. Please continue to work on making a great and well-developed product (unlike so many of the Kickstarter/IndieGoGo failures out there), but it is disappointing and places me in the hard spot of deciding whether to spend the money on another one or not in the meantime. It does look like it will be amazing once I have my hands on it though, please keep us up-to-date with sample videos and images!

    • James Squires says:

      Thanks Jason. We will certainly try to keep you more updated moving forward. Please let us know how your summer goes.

  • Jason Hatfield says:

    Thanks for the update, although I wish we had these a little more frequently. I understand the reasons and the work that goes into this, but putting down money for something definitely increases my interest in knowing the production progress. I was really excited to have this for the summer, especially long adventure runs and backpacking. I’m currently in-between drones and made the hard/financial decision to avoid buying another for a recent trip based on the still listed delivery date of June. Please continue to work on making a great and well-developed product (unlike so many of the Kickstarter/IndieGoGo failures out there), but it is disappointing and places me in the hard spot of deciding whether to spend the money on another one or not in the meantime. It does look like it will be amazing once I have my hands on it though, please keep us up-to-date with sample videos and images!

    • James Squires says:

      Thanks Jason. We will certainly try to keep you more updated moving forward. Please let us know how your summer goes.

  • Kevin Wickens says:

    Nice to see all of the support and patience coming from long-time backers. Like everyone else who’s already commented on here. I truly truly believe that the wait is absolutely worth it as SNAP is unlike any other aerial photography / videography camera that is currently available. I also think a lot of us aren’t surprised with the slight delay as it is more than understandable and all in all is no where near as long of a delay compared to what we’ve seen from other much less innovative companies. I think a few of us were even anticipating a slight delay and we’re all happy at the great communication.

    Now for the hard question that I don’t see anyone having asked yet. HOW reliable is this new date and can we expect a future update and or personal e-mails going out to pre-order customers as the anticipated shipping date approaches. In other words, we currently have a rough approximation which at this point in the game. i.e.: “As a rough approximation, we expect orders placed before Jan 1 to ship in August and those placed after Jan 1 to ship in September.”

    I think is fantastic and thank you so much for providing it. However say come July or early August. Can we get another update on the shipping status either through blog post or personal individual e-mail? I’m thinking specifically for the fall Mountain biking season and how many of us pre-order customers are looking at fall trips and will be looking to purchase airfare tickets and would more than likely rather delay their vacation by a week or 2 if it meant having their brand spaking new Snap in their backpack for the trip. 😉

    Thanks so much. Keep it up! The best things in life are worth waiting for!

    Kevin

    • James Squires says:

      Thanks for the support Kevin. As mentioned, there are several factors that are out of our hands, so no schedule is 100%. That being said, please know that there are a handful of people who have dedicated an enormous amount of time and energy into getting these out the door as soon as possible, and we aren’t letting up in doing everything we can. As things progress, we will be getting a clearer idea of when to expect shipments, and will certainly pass that info to you when we get it.

  • Anton says:

    @potential beta tester. Please share some footage once u get the snap ;-).

  • Anton says:

    @potential beta tester. Please share some footage once u get the snap ;-).

  • alan says:

    Alan
    I pre ordered on Sept 2, 2015 and have an i-phone 5. I am about to upgrade my i-phone due to some speaker
    problems and want to know which i-phone you would suggest as the best for flying snap?

    • James Squires says:

      Hi Alan,

      Snap will work with any iphone that is an upgrade from your iphone 5. It is all based on preference. The larger iphones have a bigger screen, but we mostly use our iphone 6s in the office, and are happy with them.

  • Toby says:

    I’m super excited to get hold of mine. Happy it’s getting the time to refine before launch, delay is far better than rushing it out. I ordered last September, I live in the UK, so hoping I may get mine sometime in August?
    I’ve got a big trip planned to South East Asia starting last week of August and into September, it would be great if I’m able to take Snap with me for that, likely to get some stunning footage 🙂
    Good luck with the next few months!

  • Toby says:

    I’m super excited to get hold of mine. Happy it’s getting the time to refine before launch, delay is far better than rushing it out. I ordered last September, I live in the UK, so hoping I may get mine sometime in August?
    I’ve got a big trip planned to South East Asia starting last week of August and into September, it would be great if I’m able to take Snap with me for that, likely to get some stunning footage 🙂
    Good luck with the next few months!

  • Nick says:

    I´ll be changing my phone in the next month or so, the one im using is quite broken. My question is: what sensors or whatever is needed for your app to work properly? must the phone have gyroscope, barometer, accelerometer..? would like to avoid having to buy a tablet or ipod just for flying after i realize my new phone doesnt work properly with snap.. you know??

  • Nick says:

    I´ll be changing my phone in the next month or so, the one im using is quite broken. My question is: what sensors or whatever is needed for your app to work properly? must the phone have gyroscope, barometer, accelerometer..? would like to avoid having to buy a tablet or ipod just for flying after i realize my new phone doesnt work properly with snap.. you know??

  • Nick says:

    i was looking into sony´s M5, a great phone for a low price, my sony z3 broke down after 3 months and it felt horrible paying so much for a broken phone, this one i wouldnt mind SO much.. but it only has accelerometer and compass.. anyway, I havent decided yet, hence my question, which sensors/specs does your app require? maybe good RAM? memory? processor..?

    • James Squires says:

      Hi Nick,

      Snap will certainly need a gyroscope, and its interesting to find that this phone doesn’t have one. Snap will also require an accelerometer. Having a magnetometer or compass will enable the SmartTilt. You CAN fly without it, but not as smoothly. Same with the barometer. It helps with the tracking. So while not needed, you will have a better experience with it.

      Content will be stored on a memory card, so all you need for your phone is enough space for the app. Pretty much all new phones will have enough processing powers. As far as RAM is concerned, we are developing computer vision tracking, which does require RAM. Other Snap features don’t though.

  • Nick says:

    i was looking into sony´s M5, a great phone for a low price, my sony z3 broke down after 3 months and it felt horrible paying so much for a broken phone, this one i wouldnt mind SO much.. but it only has accelerometer and compass.. anyway, I havent decided yet, hence my question, which sensors/specs does your app require? maybe good RAM? memory? processor..?

    • James Squires says:

      Hi Nick,

      Snap will certainly need a gyroscope, and its interesting to find that this phone doesn’t have one. Snap will also require an accelerometer. Having a magnetometer or compass will enable the SmartTilt. You CAN fly without it, but not as smoothly. Same with the barometer. It helps with the tracking. So while not needed, you will have a better experience with it.

      Content will be stored on a memory card, so all you need for your phone is enough space for the app. Pretty much all new phones will have enough processing powers. As far as RAM is concerned, we are developing computer vision tracking, which does require RAM. Other Snap features don’t though.

  • Thor says:

    Once the snap is in full production and in the hands of users will there be parts available to fix/repair the Snap in the event a crash happens? Are these units user repairable? I am thinking mostly about the prop shrouds, etc.
    Thanks,
    Thor

    • James Squires says:

      We will certainly sell replacement parts. Some will be user repairable, but most will be user replaceable. The modularity of Snap makes it easy to replace one broke part without having to replace the whole unit!

  • Thor says:

    Once the snap is in full production and in the hands of users will there be parts available to fix/repair the Snap in the event a crash happens? Are these units user repairable? I am thinking mostly about the prop shrouds, etc.
    Thanks,
    Thor

    • James Squires says:

      We will certainly sell replacement parts. Some will be user repairable, but most will be user replaceable. The modularity of Snap makes it easy to replace one broke part without having to replace the whole unit!

  • paddy says:

    Will there be NTSC / PAL mode? for 29.97fps (ntsc) and 25fps (pal). I desperately need 25fps here in germany. Can you guys post a quick replay regarding this? thanks ALOT!!!

    • James Squires says:

      Hi Paddy,

      We have gotten this request before, and plan on adding pal soon. However, we are also a bit curious about why this is so important for you. With HDTV, it seems like the only issue is frame rate. And since Snap also allows for 24fps, what is so desperate about 25? Please shoot us an email at contact@vantagerobotics.com if you have any input. We have a lot on our plate right now. If you can help us understand why it is so important, then we might make it a higher priority.

  • paddy says:

    Will there be NTSC / PAL mode? for 29.97fps (ntsc) and 25fps (pal). I desperately need 25fps here in germany. Can you guys post a quick replay regarding this? thanks ALOT!!!

    • James Squires says:

      Hi Paddy,

      We have gotten this request before, and plan on adding pal soon. However, we are also a bit curious about why this is so important for you. With HDTV, it seems like the only issue is frame rate. And since Snap also allows for 24fps, what is so desperate about 25? Please shoot us an email at contact@vantagerobotics.com if you have any input. We have a lot on our plate right now. If you can help us understand why it is so important, then we might make it a higher priority.

  • Ken says:

    I hope to have the option of beta testing. Will be heading to Iceland in early August and would love to take snap with me!

    • James Squires says:

      Hi Ken,

      We certainly want to do whatever we can to get you flying when you are in Iceland. Shoot us an email with your travel dates and your transaction number (from the confirmation email we sent you when you ordered). While we can’t promise anything, we will do the best we can!

  • Ken says:

    I hope to have the option of beta testing. Will be heading to Iceland in early August and would love to take snap with me!

    • James Squires says:

      Hi Ken,

      We certainly want to do whatever we can to get you flying when you are in Iceland. Shoot us an email with your travel dates and your transaction number (from the confirmation email we sent you when you ordered). While we can’t promise anything, we will do the best we can!

  • bimboy says:

    if i place an order now, do i also get the extra battery? the extra battery will certainly come in handy to shoot more videos on a trip.

  • bimboy says:

    if i place an order now, do i also get the extra battery? the extra battery will certainly come in handy to shoot more videos on a trip.

  • Larry says:

    I’m in completely! I’ll gladly wait until SNAP is ready for the real world because I plan to fly the heck out of this thing when I get it! You guys are awesome in your ingenuity and design and dedication to accuracy in production. Thx for the update and if it takes any longer to get the perfect drone, I for one will gladly wait.

  • Larry says:

    I’m in completely! I’ll gladly wait until SNAP is ready for the real world because I plan to fly the heck out of this thing when I get it! You guys are awesome in your ingenuity and design and dedication to accuracy in production. Thx for the update and if it takes any longer to get the perfect drone, I for one will gladly wait.

  • Brian says:

    September!!! I wish I can cancel my pr-order. Its too long to wait.

  • Brian says:

    September!!! I wish I can cancel my pr-order. Its too long to wait.

  • Dennis H. says:

    Worth the wait in my opinion. Going to be the best drone on the market. Just wish I could afford to order one. Consider yourselves lucky who can get in on this early!!!!

  • Dennis H. says:

    Worth the wait in my opinion. Going to be the best drone on the market. Just wish I could afford to order one. Consider yourselves lucky who can get in on this early!!!!

  • Ehud says:

    Even though I came to the party late I am very excited about the Snap. Since I hope to use it with my students I appreciate the emphasis you are putting on quality – thanks.

  • Ehud says:

    Even though I came to the party late I am very excited about the Snap. Since I hope to use it with my students I appreciate the emphasis you are putting on quality – thanks.

  • Stephen says:

    Howdy,
    Can I get an update on the July shipping for early adopters? I was definitely among the earliest pre-order customers having ordered September 2nd but I still haven’t heard any news and July is almost over.

    -Stephen

    • James Squires says:

      Sorry for the radio silence recently Stephen. We have been super busy, and haven’t had much bandwidth for sending updates. We will get another update out super soon!

  • Stephen says:

    James,
    If you say “July for early adopters” and July is about to end, it’s time to make room for an update even if it’s just a small one to let people know that you haven’t forgotten that you made a commitment.
    -SF

  • Stephen says:

    James,
    If you say “July for early adopters” and July is about to end, it’s time to make room for an update even if it’s just a small one to let people know that you haven’t forgotten that you made a commitment.
    -SF

  • kevin says:

    Hi Team Vantage! I know that you guys are extremely busy but it’s been a while since you gave us an update on delivery times 🙂
    We would really appreciate feedback on your side! Good or bad!
    I think it’s safe to say every single customer would love it! 🙂
    Thanks for make our dreams come true!

  • kevin says:

    Hi Team Vantage! I know that you guys are extremely busy but it’s been a while since you gave us an update on delivery times 🙂
    We would really appreciate feedback on your side! Good or bad!
    I think it’s safe to say every single customer would love it! 🙂
    Thanks for make our dreams come true!

  • Bruce B. says:

    Just curious when your next update will be. Unfortunately, I have to wait to launch my new website(s) and services. The SnapDrone is a major component to my next company verticle(s) and any information you can provide is helpful and appreciated. I haven’t recieved anything in the form of an update (via email or something outside of my own research and persistence). Thank you for the earliest future update you may provide, as http://www.brucebreton.com, the relaunch of that brand and associated subsidiaries are somewhat at a standstill until then. Thank you for your time and consideration. I have been looking forward to the launch of my new brand for about a year now and am quite excited to see how Snap can help us grow!

    Warmest Regards,
    Bruce
    Entrepreneur of sorts

    • Charlie - Vantage Robotics says:

      Hi Bruce – We will publishing a new manufacturing update today or tomorrow. Thank you, Charlie

  • Bruce B. says:

    Just curious when your next update will be. Unfortunately, I have to wait to launch my new website(s) and services. The SnapDrone is a major component to my next company verticle(s) and any information you can provide is helpful and appreciated. I haven’t recieved anything in the form of an update (via email or something outside of my own research and persistence). Thank you for the earliest future update you may provide, as http://www.brucebreton.com, the relaunch of that brand and associated subsidiaries are somewhat at a standstill until then. Thank you for your time and consideration. I have been looking forward to the launch of my new brand for about a year now and am quite excited to see how Snap can help us grow!

    Warmest Regards,
    Bruce
    Entrepreneur of sorts

    • Charlie - Vantage Robotics says:

      Hi Bruce – We will publishing a new manufacturing update today or tomorrow. Thank you, Charlie

  • Bill says:

    I was preparing to move my preorder for my Lily cameras over to you guys, but it appears you’re giving your customers even less info on your status than they are. I was hoping for a July shipment as well from them, or at least an honest and logical forecast on when and no this run around you guys keep giving everyone…..

    • James Squires says:

      Sorry for any disappointment here Billy. We are trying to be as honest, logical, and transparent as we can. We are not intentionally giving you the run around by any means. The fact is that this is an incredibly complex process and, despite how much we would like to, cannot know any exact dates.

  • Bill says:

    I was preparing to move my preorder for my Lily cameras over to you guys, but it appears you’re giving your customers even less info on your status than they are. I was hoping for a July shipment as well from them, or at least an honest and logical forecast on when and no this run around you guys keep giving everyone…..

    • James Squires says:

      Sorry for any disappointment here Billy. We are trying to be as honest, logical, and transparent as we can. We are not intentionally giving you the run around by any means. The fact is that this is an incredibly complex process and, despite how much we would like to, cannot know any exact dates.

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