Holy Drone Attack, Batman! Griffin Unveils New iPhone-Controlled Chopper
Somewhere, as Wagner’s Flight of the Valkyries is playing n the background, squadrons of Parrot AR Drones face off against Griffin’s new Helo TC somewhere over the Atlantic (since Parrot is based in France and Griffin in Tennessee, I figured that’s where they’d probably meet up).
Unlike the AR’s alien, four-rotor design, the Helo TC is more like a standard helicopter, with a main rotor (actually, two) and a tail stabilizer. It’s controlled via IR hardware that attaches and interfaces with the Helo TC app. It can either be piloted just like any other remote-controlled toy, with soft versions of stick and throttle controls — or via tilt control, which uses the iPhone’s accelerometers.
Also cool is the app’s ability to store up to three repeatable flight patterns. It doesn’t have the camera of the AR Drone, but at $50, it’s a heck of a lot less expensive.
When he was eight, Eli Milchman came home from frolicking in the Veld one day and was given an Atari 400. Since then, his fascination with technology has made him an intrepid early adopter of whatever charming new contraption crosses his path — which explains why he's Cult of Mac's test editor-at-large. He calls San Francisco home, where he works as a journalist and photographer. Eli has contributed to the pages of 
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