Obviously what those naughty drone operators are doing is despicable. Imagine cheating bookmakers out of their hard-won profits by using technology! Awful!

But it reminded me of an earlier story. Much earlier!

Tom Standage wrote a brilliant book called "The Victorian Internet". It talks about how the invention of the telegraph upended all sorts of social conventions - in much the same way as the popularity of the Web did at the end of the last century.

Provincial bookmakers used to accept bets long after the race was over. They would wait until the information was transmitted to them via telegraph. To prevent regular punters sending the winning horse's name back to their accomplices, the telegraph companies simply banned unauthorised people from transmitting racing results. But there was plenty of cunning to be had…

Here's an excerpt from Tom's book:

One story from the 1840s tells of a man who went into the telegraph office at Shoreditch station in London on the day of the Derby, an annual horse race, and explained that he had left his luggage and a shawl in the care of a friend at another station—the station that just happened to be nearest the racetrack. He sent a perfectly innocent-sounding message asking his friend to send the luggage and the shawl down to London on the next train, and the reply came back: "YOUR LUGGAGE AND TARTAN WILL BE SAFE BY THE NEXT TRAIN." The apparently harmless reference to "TARTAN" revealed the colours of the winning horse and enabled the man to place a bet and make a hefty profit.

You can read more about this in "The London Anecdotes for All Readers" published in 1848.

I wonder what the next innovation will be which exploits information asymmetry?

Let it be so with drones.

About a decade ago, I wrote about Smuggling USB Sticks. You can load an incredible amount of data onto flash memory and carry it just about anywhere.

Nowadays, drones mean that people don't need to physically carry drives themselves. And drones can carry a lot more than data.

Drones deliver abortion pills to women in Poland

Drones have been used to deliver abortion drugs to women in Poland in a protest against Poland's pregnancy termination laws. CNet

The same is also happening in South Korea, where propaganda is delivered to the North via drone.

The drones don't have to physically drop goods. Consider how a swarm like this could be used to broadcast a message:

There is a vast commercial opportunity for cross border trade using drones. That's all legitimate traffic. But with swarms of drones cluttering the skies, how easy will it be to spot a couple of rogue ones flying in formation?

Drones can be used for 3D mapping - quickly capturing a scene and then scurrying off:

Skydio

@SkydioHQ

This is not a #drone video.
This is not animated #virtualreality.
This is a #3D model captured autonomously by #Skydio 2.

This is sneak peak #4 of Skydio's upcoming software product: Skydio 3D Scan™. More details in this blog post from Marc Flamm: skydio.com/blog/3d-scan-s… pic.x.com/acyffgmjvw

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Skydio

@SkydioHQ

Replying to @SkydioHQIf you liked this, you'll LOVE #Skydio 3D Scan™ Sneak Peak #3. Make sure to check out the blog linked in each video we post for all the juicy details. 🚀 skydio.com/blog/3d-scan-h… pic.x.com/qh5u9vvgx5

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The law is clear about drone flights - and how responsible owners should behave. But with the cost of drones plummeting, and their ability to carry heavy payloads over longer distances increasing, we should expect a surge in "interesting" uses.

This is the Linxtech IN1601 Mini Drone and it is crazy small! Fits in the palm of your hand, sends 720p video, is USB rechargeable, and costs under £30.

Let's get straight on and give it a whirl!

What's in the box?

Drone! Tiny!

It comes with a battery which is 3.7V 200mAh - good for several minutes of flight. There's a USB cable for the battery as well.

There are replacement propeller blades, and propeller guards.

If you don't want to use an app to control it, you can use this remote control game-pad.

It takes two AA batteries (not included) and has loads of buttons. The manual explains what they all do, mostly. The manual's English is idiosyncratic at best. Still, gives you something to experiment with.

The gamepad has a holster for your phone - you can view video from the drone on the phone, while you control it with the joysticks. Nifty!

App

*sigh* The app is really hard to use. In fact, it is hard to install given that the Google Play Store description is entirely in Chinese!

The app is poorly translated and pretty confusing to use.

Lots of unlabelled buttons, weird controls, and it beeps all the time.

Security

There is none. Anyone with a phone or laptop can connect to your drone without a password. Make sure you turn the drone off as soon as you're done with it. Connect to it as quickly as possible once it is turned on.

Flight Test!

An attempt was made!

Verdict

Like most mini-drones, it doesn't cope well in the wind. If you can fly it indoors, you'll get a lot more control out of it.

The app, predictably, is typical of low cost manufacturers. It works - but isn't exactly pleasant to use. Dozens of buttons and options crowd the screen.

But... it's only £28! It's great fun to whiz it about. Camera quality is good for the size and price. Remember to obey the relevant laws.

Discount

Readers of this blog can use code XT87 to get $7 off. Which is nice.

A tiny, hand held drone, with blinkenlights, and SELFIE MODE! The 720p camera can record video as it flies, or turn around and snap a photo of you. It also has a range of SnapChat-style filters. Not bad for something costing £40.

The motors and propellers fold away into the body of the drone - making it less prone to damage in transit.

Black Box

It all comes wrapped up in a portable padded box.

Bundled in with the drone, you get:

• Wii style remote - with joystick and motion detection.
• USB cable (proprietary, unfortunately).
• Repair kit - screwdriver, four replacement propellers, and some foam pads.
• Instruction manual - for once, this is well translated and comprehensive.

The Power of Love

The big issue with drones is how power hungry they are. This is one is no different. There are no LEDs on the battery, so it is impossible to tell when it has fully charged. The flight time is about 5 minutes. Not bad for a small drone - but you'll probably want to get a couple of spare batteries.

One cool thing - there's a charging LED in the USB end of the cable:

A few other power niggles:

• Uses a non-standard USB cable. If you lose it, you'll need to find another one with a barrel connector.
• The remote uses AA batteries. Might have been helpful if it was also rechargeable. But it isn't a big deal

Control

The controller remote looks - and functions - like a Nintendo Wii remote. It has motion controllers built in to it - so you can fly the drone by moving your hand.

The joystick can also be used to control it. The four buttons are unlabelled, and activate various functions. You'll want to keep the manual close at hand while you learn what they do.

App

sigh The Android app isn't great. That's similar to most drones on the market. It is poorly translated and tricky to use.

For forty-quid I don't expect a perfect app, but this is barely capable. The reviews make very clear that it doesn't work for a lot of people.

It didn't work for me. I tried a couple of Android phones and tablets, but I couldn't get it to connect. That meant I wasn't able to use the camera, or test the other features.

Flight Tests

Like all drones, it takes practice to fly. The motion controller makes things fairly easy - once you've worked out how to make it take off!

Verdict

It is ridiculous how cheap these drones are now. You get around 5 - 7 minutes flight time and then need a recharge, that's a little disappointing. The app is woeful - which is a real shame. I was looking forward to taking selfies and seeing where it was flying.

The physical remote is great for controlling the drone's flight. It responds really quickly to the accelerometer and is easy to learn.

Buy it

You can buy this drone - and many, many variants - direct from RC Moment

Discount! Readers of this blog get a US$10 discount with coupon code GOOL.

This video has no sound.

Good enough quality to make sure the panels aren't covered in bird-mess, leaves, or anything else which might block their efficiency.

Thanks to Jack Franklin for the drone.