DRONES

Drones have been military and surveillance tools for decades, but they have only become readily available to consumers recently. Ten years ago, if you could buy them at all, drones cost thousands of dollars and were challenging to operate. They are now available for loose change, and even simple models are fairly easy to control. While commercial drones are being used for everything from shark spotting in Western Australia to delivering medicine in Rwanda and pizza in New Zealand, the ever-expanding range of consumer models are focused on photography, videography and aerial stunts. They're also handy for checking roofs and gutters, and drone racing is an emerging sport. I tested the Navig8r Air-20, made by Australia's Laser, and the Mavic Pro Platinum from China's DJI. These quiet quadcopters have photo and video capabilities, and can be operated with app-enabled mobile phones connected to the joystick controllers for live view and advanced operations. They are at opposite ends of the price scale, so the Mavic is superior in almost every way. The exception is stunts, which it's not built for, whereas the little Navig8r neatly executes 360-degree forward flips (it's supposed to do 360-degree sideways rolls too – more on that below).

NAVIG8R AIR-20
$99.95

Flying for about 10 minutes with a sub-100-metre range and 640x480 pixel camera resolution, it's strictly playtime fun. This resilient 60 grams of plastic drifts in light breezes, and response can be jittery. Some trial and error is required beyond basic operation, as the brief manual's English is poor, and guidance on the website and app is rudimentary. So while flips were flawless, I couldn't effect rolls, either with the controller or one-touch mobile option.