Foldable drones that shoot selfie images and videos are the new design boom in the field of mini drones and quadcopters these days. The big two 900 pound gorillas are the GoPro Karma are and the DJI Mavic. Both companies released their own version of a foldable selfie drone back in September 2016.

GoPro was the first to release their Karma drone, a sports foldable mini quadcopter that is designed like an action camera and build to be taken with you on your trips. One week later DJI brought their Mavic foldable drone into the game. What they actually did was squeezing their DJI Phantom 4 into a smaller size package and making it a foldable version.

Besides these two pioneering drones with foldable design, there were others to follow. In this article, we present you some of the coolest foldable selfie drones that you definitely NEED to know about this year!

# 1: the DJI Mavic Foldable Drone – full reviews summary right here:

We will start with the big boy in the gang. The DJI Mavic is the most interesting drone we have seen from DJI by now. The maker is making its drones friendlier thus pushing those more and more into the mainstream area, but what makes the Mavic such a special drone?

Going small normally means having to sacrifice many things, mostly the camera quality and extra features.

However, the DJI Mavic changes all of that. Despite being relatively small and quite portable it is capable of delivering excellent selfie images, battery life, and autonomous intelligence matching drones twice as big. Using the drone feels like when you first used a laptop and later compared it to a desktop computer.

This drone by DJI has been built with a lot of innovation. Namely, this is the company’s first foldable drone and also their first that can be flown without the use of a controller.

In this mode, the owner switches to WiFi mode and connects his smartphone or tablet to the Mavic. This will certainly take away some of the fine-grained control that comes with the controller but it will surely enable beginners easier to manage.

Another third option is the combination of the two aforementioned modes, that is, simultaneously using the controller and the smartphone. You see, the DJI Mavic controller has a built-in holder for a smartphone so the owner can connect the two with the built-in wire within the controller, providing a live feed to the smartphone and more complex camera settings and autonomous modes. On the other hand, the remote will display more fine-grained control.

While the exterior of the drone is largely different from other drones by the company, its underlying software and components have a lot in common. For starters, they both have the downward facing optical sensors allowing the drone to hold in place and hover even when it’s a bit windy outside. This also makes the Mavic able to hold its position indoors where there is no GPS signal.

The gimbal and the camera specs resemble a lot to those of Mavic’s big brother, the Phantom 4, except in a smaller form. The two cameras record amazing 4K selfie videos and 12 megapixel still videos. The only downside of its camera is that it’s not as wide angle as the one in the Phantom 4.

The DJI Mavic also has forward faced sensors that make it able to see what’s in front of it allowing it to avoid obstacles and thus prevent crashes. Together with the camera, the sensors can also be used for gesture control, just wave your arms to the Mavic and the drone will lock on to the user then frame his face with his hands and shoot a selfie of you…This sounds so military tech!

Since this is the first real consumer drone from DJI the logic of the camera software differs from other drones built by this company. While the auto focus in all other DJI drones allows the user to concentrate on flying, the Mavic requires him to choose his subject first. This is because the idea behind the DJI Mavic is for it to be more of a selfie drone rather than a more general drone.

Although its small size gives it advantages, it also makes the Mavic have some disadvantages as well. Firstly, the legs of the drone are short resulting in little ground clearance. Also when compared to say, the DJI Phantom 4, the wind resistance of the Mavic drone is a bit uncertain, meaning it can get a bit harder to navigate the drone in stronger winds.

Despite its small size, this amazing little drone has the longest claimed range among consumer drones of more than 4 miles. It also has a terrific top speed of 40 mph.

For its intended target, the average consumers, this drone is just about perfect. Except for one small detail, that is the price. Namely, for its features, it has a quite reasonable price, but when we consider this to be a selfie drone for the average consumers, the Mavic is quite an expensive drone with the price at 999 dollars.

So maybe the Mavic is not for the “average” users but more likely for a less demanding professional which can use this great little drone to record pro level videos without spending too much money on its bigger brother the DJI Phantom 4.

Pros:

• Small light weight and easy to carry foldable design
• Has a great camera producing excellent quality selfie images and videos
• Has all the bells and whistles of its bigger brother the DJI Phantom 4 at a cheaper price

Cons:

• A bit too high price for its targeted market
• Small legs makes it harder to land on grass and soft surfaces
• Smaller body and motors makes flying in windy conditions harder

# 2: ZEROTECH Dobby Selfie Drone

ZeroTech’s Dobby is the first foldable drone for selfie to actually start selling on the market. At first look, the Dobby mini drone feels like you’re in a futuristic movie thanks to its foldable design and small size. When packed and folded this drone resembles a tiny pill and weighs less than half a pound. The Dobby is small enough to fit in a pocket. Certainly, this is hardly the smallest drone ever, but when compared to micro and nano drones this is not a toy.

Being spec-wise the Dobby Selfie has very nice features considering the price. Firstly, there is a HD camera shooting at 4K resolution and recording 1080p HD videos with a 13 MP camera. This camera shoots some great quality selfie pictures and videos, although not as much as the one in DJI Mavic but still way better than front facing cameras in smartphones. Dobby runs by a 2.3 GHz quad core Snapdragon 801 chipset with 2 GB of RAM, which is better than most drones out there.

Being made for the average consumers, the control of the Dobby isn’t very hard. For this, the owner can use an application (fortunately available in English) installed on his smartphone and is also responsive to hand gestures. Getting it up in the air in the first place is so high tech and cool, that you can either tap it three times or use your voice to command it to fly. I bet you love that!

Interestingly during the first set up of this drone, the user isn’t allowed to fly it indoors! The first several flights with the Dobby are locked into novice mode which means that the drone needs to be used outdoors with a GPS signal lock. After a 20-minute flight, the more advanced indoor mode is activated, which also allows the Dobby to land on the user’s palm as well to take off on voice command.

Despite its somewhat moderate price, this drone even comes with a built-in GPS. So with the help of the installed app on a smartphone, the user can draw flight path for the drone to follow, allowing him to shoot some sweeping selfie videos or of other objects. It is also equipped with downward facing sensors allowing the drone to maintain its position and hover while recording that great selfie footage.

The Dobby can take up to 9 minutes of flight time, which is quite good for this type of drones, and of course, the user can always get another battery, which is easy to replace allowing for additional flight time.

With the latest software updates, the Dobby mini quadcopter now comes with more advanced features, which weren’t available during its initial launch and there are target tracking and face tracking as well.

One negative point of the Dobby is that the camera doesn’t really have a gimbal. The only control the owner does have over the camera is when he chooses one of the four preset positions, and he needs to do this prior the flight as he cannot control the camera. Also, the absence of gimbal means no physical stabilization built in so the Dobby depends on electronic image stabilization just like a standard smartphone, which is mostly fine for the purpose of this device.

Another downside of the Dobby is that it lacks an obstacle avoidance system. This means when flying in object tracking mode the Dobby may crash into a building or tree so the user needs to keep an eye on it and use it carefully.

ZeroTech’s Dobby is one quite interesting and fun drone to have. It comes with a good build quality that can withstand some bumps and bruises here and there, and despite not having an English manual the application is indeed in English and the controls, in general, are not very hard to comprehend. The good thing about this amazing little selfie device is the support and continued development of the ZeroTech in the form of added features with each new firmware release.

All in all this is an excellent mini drone to have!

Pros:

• Incredibly small and easy to transport
• Easy to control with many functions for both novice and more advanced users
• Good price considering the features and the specs

Cons:

• Without gimbals, it makes a bit shaky videos
• The complete absence of an obstacle avoidance system.

# 3: Hover Camera Passport – a mini drone that fits everywhere

Another foldable selfie drone that caused a rumble recently is the Hover Camera Passport. Now this device is very uniquely designed. Not only do the arms fold inside like the Dobby or the DJI Mavic, but the whole body of this drone folds in half just like a passport. Quite a catchy and suitable name, don’t you think?

Another awesome design feature of this mini drone is that its screws are fully enclosed within the body making this selfie device very safe to handle even with its flying you can simply grab it midair without fearing for your fingers to get hurt. This also makes the Hover Camera Passport tough enough to occasionally take some beating and crashes.

And since the Hover Camera Passport is meant to be used by regular folks with no interest in learning all technical information about flying a drone, the Hover Camera Passport doesn’t come with a controller, but same as the Dobby it’s completely controlled by an App installed on the user’s smartphone.

Now let’s talk about the technical aspects of this mini quadcopter. The specifications of the Hover Camera Passport resemble those of the Dobby; they both have a 13 MP camera that records 4K selfie videos. However, this drone’s camera is meant for taking a selfie or a close-up picture more than the one of the Dobby, because of the quite limited control range of 60 feet. Another similarity in both drones is that they are both based on the Snapdragon chipset giving them excellent processing capacity to handle all of their advanced features.

Another advantage of this drone in comparison to the Dobby is that it does have obstacle avoidance system in the form of built-in sonars. This system detects close by objects to prevent the Hover Camera Passport from crashing into them. It also comes with a downward facing camera that captures 100 FPS allowing this drone to know exactly where it should hover even when it‘s indoors without GPS signal.

Another plus is that the camera on this selfie quadcopter comes with a gimbal, but it’s an entry-level one-axis gimbal. It even has a built-in flash, which is the first time we’ve ever seen a drone for selfie with one.

The Hover Camera Passport also has the usual advanced flying modes, like a Follow Me, Orbit and 360 Degrees Spin modes. The Follow Me mode displays a yellow square over the person in its view and with a double tap it switches to green color meaning that the Hover Camera Passport has locked on that person and will follow him. Of course, sudden changes in movement and fast runs will confuse this drone but it’s good enough. Orbit is a very cool feature during which the drone circles around the user even while he is moving.

Pros:

• Small unique design, safe enough to be held and handled
• Anyone can control it quite easily and take excellent selfie recordings
• Great camera for the price

Cons:

• Very limited control range
• Limited image stabilizer

#4: 7 Hawk 4k Folding Drone

We have a new entry of a selfie quadcopter from a company called Seventh Sense Technologies Limited. The basic principle of the 7 Hawk 4k is the same as other drones for selfie in today’s round-up; foldable arms, small shape, easy transportation and a fair 4K camera which is mounted with the use of a 3D brushless gimbal giving the user excellent and stable selfie photos and videos.

The 7 Hawk 4k also comes with the usual Follow Me mode found in all other models of selfie quadcopters. So by now you should pretty much get the idea of what you get when purchasing this mini selfie quadcopter.

The unique thing about this mini drone is that it includes a watch that can be used to control the 7 Hawk 4K Folding. The watch is cool, in principle at least, the user would feel like James Bond when controlling a camera drone with his watch. However, in reality, things are a rather different. This watch has 11 buttons in total, some of which have dual functions along with the fact that the small buttons are not very responsive.

Pros:

• Decent camera mounted on a 3D gimbal
• Comes with every necessary flight mode

Cons:

• The wristband controller is so bad that the control becomes annoying.

# 5: AirDog – The Autonomous Action Sports Drone

We are back to the big boys now. Here is the AirDog that is built to record selfie videos of action sports. This is quite noticeable when you consider the fact it allows five dedicated flight modes each customized for a specific action sport, such as bicycle riding, surfing, windsurfing, etc.

The AirDog is equipped with AirLeash, which is similar to the smart watch that comes with the 7 Hawk4K.  This feature along with the smart calculations done by AirDog, enable this selfie device to predict the user’s moves, and to stay on course while he has fun taking a great selfie.

While still with the same features as the other selfie drones in this review, it has a foldable body and the essential Follow Me mode. Yet, after several examinations, we can conclude that the AirDog is actually a member of a different league than the other selfie models on this list, except maybe for the DJI Mavic. First of all, it doesn’t have a built-in camera, the user will need to supply their own action camera. Second, this selfie device receives commands from its own tracker instead of a smartphone, and it’s neither small nor lightweight like the other selfie quadcopters here. Finally, the price of this drone reflects a whole “pro grade” direction.

Pros:

• Excellent build quality
• Many dedicated sports modes
• Smart drone and knows what it does to take a great selfie shot

Cons:

• Limited crash avoidance detection
• High price for a selfie device
• Doesn’t come with a controller or a camera

So there you have it friends, these are the top 5 foldable drones for taking selfie worthy of your purchase in 2017.

Now it’s back to you to make your choice. Do you agree with our recommendations or did we miss an excellent drone for selfie shots that deserves to be on this list? Please give us your thoughts in the comments below and be sure to share this article with all your drone loving friends on the social media.

Every year, a growing number of families turn to home education as an alternative to the public-school system. Just how many homeschoolers are in the United States? The Department of Education’s most recently released data shows that homeschooling has grown by 61.8% over the last 10 years. At present, there are over 2 million homeschooled kids.

Here are 5 reasons why homeschooling is the most intelligent way to educate children.

1. It is a Myth that Homeschoolers Miss Out on Socialization

In fact, you’ve probably heard a lot of myths about homeschooling, not just that “they aren’t socialized.” Although the socialization myth is the most popular and widespread, most stereotypes you know are likely to be wildly incorrect.

Some homeschoolers are anti-social. And so are some public school students and some private school kids. The common belief is that homeschoolers are anti-social is nothing more than a myth the general public refuses to relinquish.

Some of the highest achievers among our youth are well-adjusted homeschoolers who complete their homework in their living room instead of a classroom.

You may think that school children are primarily “socialized” at school, but this is only partially the case. Just look at the research.

A Pew survey demonstrated that 45% of U.S. teenagers spend time with their best friends during extracurricular activities like sports, afterschool clubs, and hobbies.

An even larger number of students, 55% of all U.S. teens, claim they regularly socialize with friends online and through social media.

Classrooms are not the only way to make friends.

2. Avoiding the Toxic Elements of Public School

What are homeschoolers really missing out on by skipping the public-school process? They are actually avoiding incredibly toxic aspects of the school’s environment that aren’t as present in other social environments.

For instance, there are fewer cliques, bullying, peer pressure, drug abuse, and gang violence outside of the public schools. Children that attend public school are also more likely to stop engaging in academics for fun. They have a decreased interest in creative arts and learn to procrastinate.

In some cases, your child may be incorrectly diagnosed with a disorder like ADD/ADHD because your child doesn’t fit into the public school mold. These are just a few of the warning signs.

3. Schools Kill Creativity, Homeschooling’s Personalized Education Lets Kids Thrive

Ground-breaking pedagogical studies show that tailored instruction and personalized education are the most important aspects of education. In the 21st century, experts not only agree this is the most efficient method, but they say it is the most responsible approach.

When it comes to personalized learning, homeschooling fits the mold better than any alternative.

This is the message that Ken Robinson gave in his famous 2006 TED.com talk, Do schools kill creativity? Over ten years later, Ken has reached millions of ears, but very few of his suggestions have been implemented.

P.S. Just in case you don’t have time to watch it–Yes, public schools do, in fact, kill creativity.

4. Elon Musk Is Doing It

When is Elon Musk (founder of SpaceX, PayPal, and Tesla) not receiving praise for being one of the most brilliant innovators of the present day? In fact, Elon isn’t just homeschooling his kids. He is unschooling them.

What is unschooling? If you thought homeschooling was radical, it pales in comparison to unschooling. Unschooling is a sub-form of homeschooling that advocates child-led learning. Essentially, students engage in pure, self-directed learning.

Nevertheless, when you look at the aim of unschooling, it makes complete sense. Unschooling focuses on equipping children with real world skills. After all, isn’t that the point of education?

Why is Musk unschooling his kids? He said that traditional schooling was “neither valuable nor interesting to him as a child.” Wow. That’s coming from one of the greatest minds of the millennium.

5. Homeschooling Curriculum Isn’t Required to Follow Common Core State Standards

Why do so many parents and teachers despise Common Core? The math makes no sense, and it is downright infuriating. Some parents believe it turns children into corporate cogs because the full focus of Common Core is to create a workforce-prep mentality. It was not designed with the goal of producing citizens capable of self-government.

Within days of retiring from office, well-known former Texas Representative Ron Paul released his very own curriculum, aptly dubbed the Ron Paul curriculum.

Ron Paul’s curriculum was designed to combat the Common Core mentality by focusing on critical and analytical thinking skills. His curriculum is just one of many options available to independent educators.

Even if you support the Common Core State Standards, homeschooling allows students to use a curriculum that is tailored to their individual needs and preferences.

You know those “do not do this at home videos”? Well this is something like that. These three guys are throwing dry ice into a poll just to watch and videotape what is going to happen.

Although the name itself tells you, let us say a few words about dry ice. Dry ice or as some people call it “cardice” is carbon dioxide frozen at-109.3 degrees Fahrenheit (-78.5 degrees C), at normal pressure or atmospheric pressure.

What’s the difference between dry ice and the regular kind of ice? You can guess it by the name. While regular ice turns into water, dry ice leaves nothing behind. Therefore dry ice is useful for cooling things which are sensitive to water.

Dry ice can be very dangerous in fact. It can cause frostbite at low temperatures and hypercapnia – which is serious increasing of the levels of carbon dioxide in the blood. Therefore when dry ice is used in closed areas, should be treated as toxic.

This is an explanation based on facts and science, but the men in this video are not doing any scientific experiments.

They are throwing 1000 pounds of dry ice into a pool, just for fun. They are entertaining themselves while creating an amazing smoking pool.

It’s maybe fun until the moment when they start throwing a new PS4 and Xbox into the pool. I really don’t understand what’s the point in that?

You’ll wanna watch the video and witness this craziness yourself. What do you think of this? Is it pointless destruction of number one electronics or what?

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I am sure that every mom can agree that being a mom is not a piece of cake. Motherhood is indeed a tough undertaking for all moms. You can do everything by the book, you can buy all baby stuff out there, and baby proof your whole house and still not be prepared. There will always be some things that you are not prepared for.

Anastasia Aligiannis is a mom who no matter how much has prepared for the motherhood, was not prepared to feel invisible after she gave birth to her children.

This may look like a small unimportant thing, not worthy to worry about. But, is it?

If you think about it, every mom has felt like this at some point. It is like she has become invisible, unexciting. Everyone seems to care only about the baby. She doesn’t like to be considered as someone who just stays at home and takes care of the baby.

She had a life before the baby, and now she honestly opens up about how becoming a mother changed her life fundamentally. And yet again, moms are not allowed to complain, right? However consuming motherhood is, they can’t say anything because if they do they are ‘martyrs’.

Only moms can relate when I say that it is easy to lose yourself in the motherhood because you are trying to get everything done while at the same time finding yourself overwhelmed at your completely new role.

She has felt like if everyone around her (her children and her husband) were okay then she must be okay too.

Moms, you’ve all been there, am I right?

I want to tell you that it is perfectly okay to want to feel noticed. And it is most certainly okay to want to be seen as a woman not just like a mother. Our existence and our essence are very important and we should try to not give up that part of ourselves.

Moms, you are important. You matter. Let this post of a fellow mother serve you as an example to never lose yourself while fighting your everyday battles.

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