Landscape orientation on phone?
- Thread starter Chrislaf
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All the videos I watched with those using controllers they are in landscape mode
I realize that you can use landscape mode and the normal Fly app when using a phone attached to a controller but I am inquiring about phone only - no external controller.
Chris
Then the answer is no.
Spark, Mavic Air, and IIRC the original Mavic Pro all supported wifi connection to the phone and direct flight with Virtual Joysticks. However this was with GO4, not Fly.
So probably was a ground-up coding effort to add this to fly, and given the primary target audience for the Neo, my guess is simplicity was the driving design goal. Portrait provides the screen real-estate to separate video feed from controls, which is less cluttered and confusing than trying to manipulate semi-transparent sticks over the top of the video feed, thumbs obscuring their friend they're trying to get a shot of.
I've got a Z Fold 4, which is really nice running Fly unfolded. I'm curious how the Neo personality will lay out on the more tablet-like screen.
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Anzacjack
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i just had a play and look through all the menus. Couldnt find any way to get it out of portrait mode, nor a way to change the mode of the control scheme. I guess its just a basic way to move the drone into position to make use of autonomous features
While I understand DJIs goal for simplicity, I have a hard time understanding why they couldn’t give users an option - landscape or portrait.
Other features of the NEO have options for more advanced users - googles, motion controller, FPV controller, so why not the app on the phone?
Chris
^^This. From what everyone's saying in all the reviews the wifi control method limits drone speed significantly, is very range limited, and can have a noticeable latency. Flying it this way would wear off very quickly, it would seem to me.
Possibly for some people but the Spark was limited as well with phone only control. Never had the Mavic Air or original Mavic Pro so can’t comment about those.
I am considering a NEO and don’t really want another drone with a bunch of support accessories (ie., FMC), so the phone control even though limited would be important to me.
Chris
Anzacjack
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Not an ideal way for general flying unfortunately. Limited range and as said already, speed etc all slow. Plus in portrait mode the size of the video feed is tiny. Your right though, that fully controls overlaid on a landscape mode screen would be reasonable to fly. Maybe it will come?
I totally get you, Chris. I have a Mavic Air, and for many years it has served as a "selfie drone" because Gesture Control and direct control with wifi.
I just think the primary target user of the Neo doesn't care much about direct control, so we're not likely to see DJI invest much in making that a featured, robust control method.
Engineering costs. We've already got the RC-N3 for the more serious pilot, and hey, they made it cheaper for the Neo ecosystem.
That's how I bet DJI sees it.
BUT BUT BUT... Zero Zero Robotics may be your savior. If they beef up their app to something slick and usable DJI may feel pressure to respond.
Especially if Kaden, Crystil, and Meringue start complaining on their YT channels in-between lip gloss reviews
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Yeah phone only is portrait only and it's pretty annoying. I have a device that is shaped for landscape use and has a "force landscape" mode, there the interface displays in landscape but "stretched out" which just makes it unusable since the controls are now off the bottom of the screen.
NEO 317
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Thanks all for the feedback on Portrait vs Landscape on the phone only set-up.
My primary purpose for a possible future NEO purchase would be for documenting hikes and in winter Nordic skiing, that’s why I am leaning more toward the drone only option. Also, the wide FOV equivalent to 14mm also makes it very appealing for this purpose. The FMC would be more of a consideration if I didn’t already have a Mini 3 Pro.
I am assuming that the phone only option still uses Fly for control so if they can add that option to Fly, I see no reason why landscape mode could not be included. As @Anzacjack said maybe it will come in a future firmware update.
One further consideration for me - FPV. I have always wanted to try FPV and this seems like a low cost way of trying it out BUT the high cost of the accessories needed is at this moment cancelling that idea out.
Chris
My primary purpose for a possible future NEO purchase would be for documenting hikes and in winter Nordic skiing, that’s why I am leaning more toward the drone only option. Also, the wide FOV equivalent to 14mm also makes it very appealing for this purpose. The FMC would be more of a consideration if I didn’t already have a Mini 3 Pro.
I am assuming that the phone only option still uses Fly for control so if they can add that option to Fly, I see no reason why landscape mode could not be included. As @Anzacjack said maybe it will come in a future firmware update.
One further consideration for me - FPV. I have always wanted to try FPV and this seems like a low cost way of trying it out BUT the high cost of the accessories needed is at this moment cancelling that idea out.
Chris
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sarahb
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The ones I have saw just using their phones it was in portrait mode
I went to the DJI YT channel to find a clip of the phone control method and interface, and couldn't! Sure seems like, to DJI, it's a distant afterthought. They're definitely not promoting it at all. In the following two official DJI Neo videos they even show voice control, but no direct phone control with virtual Joysticks.
These two videos are really fun to watch. Very slick marketing, well put together, as always. Also as always there's some questionable footage that violates DJI's own warnings in the manual, and some I just don't think the Neo really is capable of, like around the water skiier. Regardless, fun fun fun video!
These two videos are really fun to watch. Very slick marketing, well put together, as always. Also as always there's some questionable footage that violates DJI's own warnings in the manual, and some I just don't think the Neo really is capable of, like around the water skiier. Regardless, fun fun fun video!
