Daily Authority: 🚁 Drone-tastic DJI

Good morning! I was up pretty late last night watching Shining Girls on Apple TV Plus. Can’t wait for the next episode!

Google I/O kicks off later today, and if you were up early enough you probably caught the Sony Xperia 1 IV launch (if not, we’ll fill you in on what you missed in just a moment…)

Mini but mighty: DJI Mini 3 Pro

DJI announced its new DJI Mini 3 Pro this week, and Android Authority‘s own Jonathan Feist talked us through what’s on offer:

• This is a compact, folding drone that’s easily the best camera drone under 250g on the market today.
• You get a 4K camera and powerful flight modes, but it’s the design that makes it stand out.
• The Mini 3 Pro has some of the biggest design changes we’ve seen in a long time, with forward-tilted propellers that give the drone a nose-up attitude, improving aerodynamics when in forward flight.
• The craft’s nose has been cut back, so there’s more room for the camera to tilt upwards, and the camera can rotate a full 90 degrees so you can shoot in portrait orientation.
• The camera gimbal’s mounted from two side mounts, rather than hanging from the nose of the craft.
• What else? This time around, the landing gear’s been moved to the fuselage and battery, meaning the propeller arms can operate in any order without contacting each other.
• There are other changes too — you might think many of these seem inconsequential, but they’re a welcome update for experienced Mavic pilots.

What else is new?

Good news: Weighing in at just 249, you can avoid many drone laws and restrictions worldwide!

Take a look under the hood and you’ll find:

• A 48MP 1/1.3-inch camera sensor, up to 4 x zoom, and 34 minutes of flight time with standard batteries, and a whopping 47 minutes with the Battery Plus.
• The Mini 3 Pro shoots 4K video up to 60fps (4K 30fps in HDR), travels at up to 35mph, and has a 12KM (7.5 mile) connectivity.
• DJI’s also introducing a new remote control, the DJI RC, with a 5.5-inch built-in display.

You can pre-order the DJI Mini 3 Pro now, with deliveries expected late June, and choose from three packages:

• DJI Mini 3 Pro with standard RC-N1 controller: $759
• DJI Mini 3 Pro with DJI RC controller: $909
• DJI Mini 3 Pro with no controller: $669

To find out more about the DJI Mini 3 Pro and other drone-tastic goodness, head over to our partner site Drone Rush.

Sony Xperia 1 IV

The Sony Xperia 1 IV launch event didn’t bring any great surprises and was pretty light on details, with a heavy focus on interviewing creatives across image and audio. Sony also spoke about its commitment to using 50% less packaging than before, and zero plastic in its packaging.

• We didn’t hear about the display, software, charging speed, or camera sensors, likely because nothing’s changed since the Xperia 1 III.
• What’s different: The Xperia 1 IV will pack a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, 256GB storage, 5,000mAh battery, 3.5mm headphone jack, 4K 120fps video recording, a new front-facing camera with a bigger sensor for better low-light performance, and a new mode for audio recording.
• Sony also revealed that you’ll be able to livestream mobile games from the built-in game enhancer app, remap controls, and send video directly to streaming apps.
• Gaming peripherals for the phone are also apparently in the works, launching later this year.
• While Sony didn’t announce any availability or pricing at its launch, we’ve got the details: Pre-orders open today at 11 AM EDT, with the phone on general sale September 1, but it’ll set you back $1,600. Pre-order now and you’ll get Sony’s WF-1000XM4 true wireless noise-cancelling earbuds for free.

We also saw the Sony Xperia 10 IV, supposedly the lightest 5G phone ever, with a 6-inch display and 5,000mAh battery. Surprisingly, we didn’t see the Xperia 5 IV — maybe Sony isn’t doing it, or perhaps it’s just delayed.

Roundup

⌚ Here’s how to watch the Google I/O 2022 keynote event at 10 AM PT today, where we could see the Pixel 6a and Pixel Watch.

🚆 Something extra: What’s so special about this train station video? We won’t spoil it for you (Tech Radar).

Weirdness Wednesday

After falling into a deep hole of all things Japanese, started by watching Tokyo Vice and continued with a week of cooking solely Japanese food (I highly recommend Onigiri and Oyakodon, if you’ve never tried either), I thought I’d introduce you to the Oto Hime today…

Japanese culture is filled with lots of quirks and peculiarities, but none so strange as the Oto Hime. Also known as a “Japanese Sound Princess,” it’s a standalone device or a feature built into a Japanese toilet that emits a sound when activated, to camouflage the sounds of activity inside the toilet, protecting one’s modesty. The sound ranges from a song to a calming melody or even the sounds of a continuous toilet flushing.

See you tomorrow for a Google I/O update!

Paula Beaton, Copy Editor.