Recommended controller device

[Clint Miller]

Hi there -

I'm about to pull the trigger on the purchase of a solo and am in the position of also needing to select a device to run the solo app. I've read that there's some question as to whether the android version will continue to be developed and that there are functional differences between the android and iOS versions. Consequently, I'm wondering which platform and devices seem to have more functionality / stability / support so I might select a device that I won't regret.

Thanks very much for any insight y'all can provide!

 

[User Name]

There's two parts to this answer:

Part 1 - It seems pretty apparent that 3DR won't be taking the Android version of the app any further. If we're really, really, REALLY lucky, we'll get one more update to address some relatively minor bugs, but no more features are in the works. While it doesn't seem likely that they'll be adding any more Smart Shots to the iOS version either, it has the augmented reality and geofence features, I assume working and stable. If you're looking to use the official 3DR app, iOS is the way to go.

Part 2 - The independent Solex app from Kelly Schrock has picked up where 3DR left off, added most of the features of 3DR's official app, and others that 3DR never thought of. He's open to feedback and feature suggestions and updates the app regularly. At some point, if not already, it'll be more advanced than 3DR's app, and probably the go-to app for use with Solo. At the present time, it's only available on Android. If you're ok not having the AR and geofence features, and are interested in Solex, Android is the way to go.

 

[Clint Miller]

There's two parts to this answer:

Part 1 - It seems pretty apparent that 3DR won't be taking the Android version of the app any further. If we're really, really, REALLY lucky, we'll get one more update to address some relatively minor bugs, but no more features are in the works. While it doesn't seem likely that they'll be adding any more Smart Shots to the iOS version either, it has the augmented reality and geofence features, I assume working and stable. If you're looking to use the official 3DR app, iOS is the way to go.

Part 2 - The independent Solex app from Kelly Schrock has picked up where 3DR left off, added most of the features of 3DR's official app, and others that 3DR never thought of. He's open to feedback and feature suggestions and updates the app regularly. At some point, if not already, it'll be more advanced than 3DR's app, and probably the go-to app for use with Solo. At the present time, it's only available on Android. If you're ok not having the AR and geofence features, and are interested in Solex, Android is the way to go.

Awesome answer, thank you. So I take it the "official line" of 3DR, regarding support of solo, is not to be believed?

 

[User Name]

I'm not sure what the official line is, they're still using the Solo platform for their enterprise services, so presumably as long as that's working out for them, they'll support Solo for those ends. One would hope that means basic maintenance parts like motor pods and batteries, but it's anyone's guess.

But if they're claiming they'll be supporting Solo as a consumer photography platform with further app updates (on iOS), I wouldn't believe it. Pretty much everyone behind Solo for that purpose has left the company. It's still a great product though, I'm not criticizing that.

 

[Clint Miller]

Good to hear though it's strange such a burgeoning market sector has been abandoned. It would be interesting to understand more about the genesis of that decision... oh well.

Solo has the features I need and a price point that's hard to ignore right now so I'm in.

Thanks very much for your input!

 

[User Name]

It would be interesting to understand more about the genesis of that decision...

My money would be on investors telling them to drop the consumer market and pursue a more lucrative industry. When you build a company with other people's money, you no longer really control things.

Water under the bridge at this point. Like you said, Solo has the features and the price is crazy cheap for the capabilities. There's a lot of support still from the community, many of the people who actually designed the Solo and the open source community in general, so the support picture isn't as dire as it might look.