Get some news about Olympus PEN E-PL8

HANDS-ON WITH THE LATEST ENTRY INTO OLYMPUS' THE E-PL RANGE

Among all the hype of the OM-D E-M1 II launch at Photokina, it would have been easy to miss the fact that Olympus also announced a new PEN camera – for the first time in two years the E-PL range has been updated.

The E-PL8 features a redesigned shape, including a flip-down screen that’s ideal for taking selfies. Internally, many of the specifications remain the same as its predecessor – including a 16.1-megapixel Four Thirds sensor, 3-axis image stabilisation technology and 8fps shooting.

Olympus PEN E-PL8 – Handling

It’s outwardly that the biggest differences between the E-PL8 and its predecessor become apparent. The body is now far more rounded, and a leather finish adds a touch of class. This camera is being specifically targeted at bloggers – and I can see the logic behind the design intentions there.

The new flip-down LCD screen is perhaps the highlight for anybody who wants to take quick selfies. Many other cameras feature flip-forward selfie screens, but the advantage of the flip-down version is that the view is completely unhindered by any other part of the camera.

Not only that, but if you flip down the LCD screen to face forwards, you’ll notice that selfie mode is activated. You can use the screen to fire off the shutter release, adjust exposure compensation and apply creative art filters – of the like that Instagram is famed for.

Additionally, if you’ve mounted a zoom lens that’s electronically controlled, it will automatically zoom out to fit your face in the scene. The screen also tilts upwards, making it useful when you want to shoot from a slightly awkward angle.

Buttons and dials are kept to a minimum – it’s clear that this camera is designed with simplicity in mind. A mode dial on the top of the camera enables you to quickly switch between the various modes on offer. Around the shutter release is a rotating dial that can be used to alter shutter speed or aperture, depending on the shooting mode you’re in.

There isn’t a large grip on the front of the camera, but there is a raised strip, along with a thumb rest on the rear. These work well together to make the camera feel reasonably secure in the hand.

Press the central OK button on the rear of the E-PL8 provides access to the quick menu; for the more extensive main menu, press the Menu button. For most every-day shooting requirements, the quick menu is likely to suffice.

Unfortunately, there’s no viewfinder with the E-PL8 as standard. Again, this is a clear indication that Olympus is targeting this camera at those more familiar taking photos with their smartphone. If you really feel you’re missing one, however, then there is an optional external EVF that can be bought separately.

As standard, the E-PL8 comes with a collapsible 14-42mm lens. This is a decent lens with which to get started, and balances well with the small size of the camera. However, if you’re thinking about portraits and so on, you may want to consider upgrading to a prime lens at some point in the future. The Olympus 17mm f/1.8 would fit particularly nicely on the front of this camera; some of the longer Olympus lenses are likely to result in a bit of an unbalanced feel for every day operation.

OLYMPUS PEN E-PL8 HANDS-ON – IMAGE QUALITY

I’ve not yet been able to test the E-PL8 to get an indication of image quality. However, considering that many of the changes have been to the exterior of the camera, and to the tilting screen, image quality is likely to match the previous generation of camera.

As such, it should be possible to achieve high-quality results, especially in good light. Image quality won’t be on a par with some of the higher-end Olympus cameras, such as the Olympus PEN F, but then the E-PL8 is available at a much cheaper price.

OPENING IMPRESSIONS

Considering that Olympus didn’t even mention the E-PL8 during its press conference at Photokina, it isn’t clear how much importance the company is placing upon this camera. However, considering the growing market of bloggers, the E-PL8 could prove a very important camera for the company.

While this camera may not be that exciting to enthusiasts, those at the entry level will no doubt enjoy its retro styling and the ability to take easy, high-quality selfies.

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Reviews About The Game: Top Eleven 2016

PROS

Easy to pick up

Doesn't require masses of football knowledge

Slots into a nice routine

CONS

Mourinho's appearance only token

Match simulation non-existent

Available in iOS and Android

You have to wonder whether, during the depths of Chelsea's catastrophic season this year, Jose Mourinho worried around his Top Eleven contract with Nordeus. Top Eleven 2016, like all recent versions of the game, comes emblazoned with Jose's face and is littered with pictures of the 'Special One' throughout, but all at a time when the man himself is out of a job. Suffice to say, Mourinho's lack of employment serves as more of an embarrassment for Top Eleven than the great man himself.

Luckily, Top Eleven has always had very little to do with Mourinho beyond the superficial, meaning that its approach to football management – which intentionally strays from the 'traditional' Championship Manager model – remains entirely intact. In fact, as fans of the franchise are well aware, developer Nordeus simply updates the existing Top Eleven app on iOS and Android each year rather than pushing out a new version.

It's an admirable decision which means that, from the world go, the Top Eleven universe is populated with millions of players to take on, and chances are a fair few of your Facebook contacts will already be on its books.

That's important because Top Eleven, both now and before, is built around multiplayer. Setting up a fictitious club based in the country and city of your choosing, career matches are scheduled in for set times of the day, taking place with or without your involvement.

Indeed, your main job in Top Eleven – aside from choosing a formation and just which players will take to the field – is training your squad and making sure they're in the best shape possible for the match ahead.

Training is crucial in Top Eleven, with each run adding ability both to your players and helping you level up as a coach, the latter unlocking new abilities you can then put into force with your players. There's no real limit to just how much you train your players (and, indeed, if you want to be fully prepared for your next match, you'll need to squeeze in a good few), but overdoing it will tire them out – a gauge you'll need to use in-game credit to fill back up.

This is the heartbeat of Top Eleven; the entire game is governed by a collection of different in-game currencies that need to be topped up, either by paying, waiting for time to tick over, or watching adverts, in order to be successful.

Let your players take on a match untrained, for instance, or on the flip side so knackered from your last set of training sessions that they haven't had a chance to recover, then the likelihood is they'll lose.

There is a certain simplicity to this approach that appeals to casual football fans, however. Though it's important you set up your team with a formation and an approach to the game when in and out of possession, Nordeus' continued decision to set this in a fictitious football world means Top Eleven isn't about signing real up-and-coming players you've seen in some obscure Korean league no one but the most dedicated football aficionado has heard of, but keeping to a daily routine of training your players and then fully resting them before each scheduled match.

The longer you play and the more you engage, the better your team will get and the more matches you'll end up winning. Like all the best free-to-play games, Top Eleven asks that you play little and often, keeping your team ticking over in between the matches, but never requiring you to devote any more than a few minutes to the cause. It's this contemporary approach that means that, for hardcore football fans, Top Eleven will remain as unappealing a prospect as it ever was.

For anyone who wants to dip their toe into the world of football management without getting all too wrapped up in the statistics, Nordeus continues to offer them their best port of call, delivering a take on the beautiful game that manages to be welcoming to the more casual fans amongst us without being a complete pushover. Ironically for Mr. Mourinho, chances are you'll be taking it on for considerably longer than he stays in his next job.

VERDICT

As casual as ever, Nordeus continues to stand Top Eleven apart from the competition by fully embracing the free-to-play world and delivering a game you can take on in small nuggets. Not one for dedicated football aficionados, then, but a route in for anyone else who wants a hand in the beautiful game.

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Reviews About the Game on mobile: All is Lost

PROS

Tense and tight action

Simple swipe based controls

Perfectly succinct stages

CONS

Overly steep learning curve

Arguably a little repetitive

Available on iOS

When is an endless runner not an endless runner? Well, probably when the play has a very definite end, I guess. In almost every element, from the way All is Lost presents itself through to the last minute swipes it makes its signature, this is a game that looks and feels like an endless runner. Its trick, however, is that the runs you engage on are short and sharp in nature and, crucially, finite. Yes, All is Lost's levels have an end, and not always brought about by your untimely demise, either – though it's fair to say you will die a hell of a lot.

That's because you're in charge of not just one character's life, but several. In All is Lost you answer a series of distress calls from spaceships across the galaxy, each one on the verge of destruction but populated with folks looking to make it to an escape pod and fly out into the depths of space. You take charge of each one as they dash for the exit, with swiping both clearing the path ahead and enabling you to leap over gaps in the track and duck under obstacles in your way.

Running from left to right automatically, the game signposts almost all hazards in your way to let you know just what's required and when. All Is Lost employs a simple system where swipes on the left hand side of the screen control jumps and rolls (up for the former, down for the latter) while swipes on the right close down any threats to your progress, such as fire blazing beneath the track of doors stuck only halfway open. The key to success is managing to combine inputs on both sides of the screen at the same time, with making sure you don't make your swipe too early or too late serving as the game's biggest challenge.

Early levels, all of which are relatively short in nature, keep the swipes spaced out, but the last few escapees from each ship are designed to push your reactions to the limit, throwing in multiple moves all at once and penalising you without a flinch should you mess any of them up. With only a limited number of runs available for each character before they are left trapped on the ship forever (typically less and less as you move from one escapee to the next), the pressure to make sure they make it to the exit builds throughout play.

Some characters, for instance, have only one crack at escaping, while All Is Lost also fits some with special items that are lost, albeit temporarily, if you don't make it off the ship in your first run. It all leads to the kind of frantic action that could easily give you a headache if you play it too long, which perhaps is why developer Foursaken Media opted to partition play into short and sharp stages rather than throwing a never-ending run in your direction. By actually enabling players to complete levels, there's a sense of accomplishment you just don't get with endless runners of old, and the knowledge that there is in fact a finish line actually encourages repeated play.

Indeed, as we've stated numerous times on these pages in recent months, the randomly generated endless runner appears to have run its course and there appears to be far more value in games that build their play upon pre-defined courses that benefit from the expertise of a design team. All Is Lost is the product of such thinking and feels a lot fresher than the now ageing band of endless runners as a result, despite what initially appears to a more traditional, pre-determined approach to its action.

As such, All Is Lost feels little like the empty vessels it puts at the centre of play and instead is bursting with life. The one criticism that could be fairly levelled at developer Foursaken Media is that the difficulty curve is rather steep and unforgiving almost out of nowhere but, on the whole, this is an addictive little runner that looks like it'll have some serious legs.

Verdict

An endless runner in spirit, but a prime example of short and sharp design in practice, All Is Lost's space tragedy is an addictive little adventure that fits perfectly into a spare 30 seconds, but demands your full attention and concentration in the process. Expect to die many, many times, but have a whole lot of fun doing so.

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The next-gen PlayStation VR is already being designed by Sony

PlayStation VR goes on sale next week, but for Sony this isn’t the culmination of its journey to bring virtual reality to console gamers, it is just the beginning.

Speaking to IGN, SIE Worldwide Studios chairman Shawn Layden suggested there’ll be future generations of the PS VR headset to follow.

Layden called the imminent release “step one in a very long journey," and said Sony was “all in” on VR.

“We've put it all on the table and I like our chances,” he said.

Layden cited the PlayStation team’s 20+ years of iteration and innovation and hinted the next version of PlayStation VR is already in design.

He said: "When you deliver unit 'A,' you know 'A Prime' is already in design.

”You can look at the first generation of the product and see the future about where you want to go.”

He continued to say "there are certain technologies that we need to incorporate" and "certain technologies that don't exist yet."

So if you’re a fence-sitter when it comes to first-generation products then you can probably rest assured a new and improved headset will arrive at some point.

Meanwhile Sony has detailed almost the near-80 apps and games scheduled to arrive on PlayStation VR within the first six months of the headset going on sale.

The virtual reality headset arrives with a disc featuring 17 VR experiences (only 8 in the UK!) right out of the box on October 13. Another 40 will be available on launch day, the blog post explains.

Beyond that, 24 experiences are expected before the end of 2016, including the Star Wars: Battlefront Rogue One X-Wing experience.

Headlined by Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, eight more titles are currently scheduled for release within the first three months of 2017.

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Quantum Break: Groundbreaking yet flawed

A grand narrative experiment but Quantum Break's gameplay is too linear and too limited

Quantum Break is undoubtedly the oddest high-profile game of this generation. Developer Remedy has a history of making games that lean heavily on pop culture, movies and horror fiction, but with Quantum Break, it's leaped across the gap from borrowing to actually creating something new.

In Quantum Break, it takes the cutscene and pushes it to its logical extreme, with the five-act game being interspersed with four 22 minute TV episodes. Now we’ve sat through some long cutscenes before - just think of Metal Gear Solid 4, for example - but these are something else: well-budgeted, live action efforts, and starring actors you’ll recognise. Each episode changes depending on the choices you make in-game, too, showing different scenes and outcomes to make it a truly unique piece of interactive fiction.

As well as straddling the genres of TV and gaming, Quantum Break is also noteworthy as the first game to be published simultaneously across Xbox One and Windows 10. Today, that means you can simply buy Quantum Break straight from the Windows Store, but once Microsoft brings its two huge gaming platforms together as part of its Universal Windows Platforms (UWP) initiative, it could eventually break down the barriers between console and PC hardware altogether, changing the very nature of console hardware launches.

It all sounds like quite ground-breaking stuff, but in reality, it's clear that Remedy has rather overstepped its reach with Quantum Break, as the game itself isn't that far removed from titles like Uncharted or Rise of the Tomb Raider once you look past its lofty aims and ideals. Regardless of whether you choose to play Quantum Break on PC or Xbox One, this is a very familiar third-person shooter whose platforming elements are spiced up by its time-travelling narrative.

Broken bonds

Without giving away too much, the game revolves around childhood friends Jack Joyce and Paul Serene, played by Shawn Ashmore and Aidan Gillen respectively. Serene persuades Joyce to help him activate his time machine, which works but has terrible consequences. It's never quite explained properly, but this creates a fracture in time that spells the end of days for time itself, so it's up to Joyce to save the day. 

As with any time travel plot worth its salt, the actual plot is a lot more complicated and convoluted, and Remedy does a great job at keeping you guessing as to what’s really going on and how it all hangs together until the very end. While the game sections are centred around your actions as Jack, the TV elements deal with events occurring to characters elsewhere. This cleverly avoids the player having to watch Jack make decisions that would be counter to their own thinking.

You do get a modicum of control over what occurs in the TV sections, though. Before each one you get to make a single decision, one of two paths the story can take. You get to preview each choice to get an idea of how they might play out in the game, but I often found myself nonplussed about either option. It’s a shame that these decisions feel so divorced from the game itself, as they could have been integrated more into the gameplay, perhaps becoming unlocked by completing extra objectives, for example.

Remedy has always liked the schlocky side of things, and Quantum Break is no different. The TV-segment budget is decent enough, but this is still pretty hammy stuff - and all the better for it. In tone and theme, it’s closest to JJ Abram’s excellent Fringe, and it even counts the excellent Lance Reddick among its cast members. However, whereas Fringe has whole seasons to get into its stride, Quantum Break has just 88 minutes to play with in total, which simply isn't enough time or space to develop its characters properly. 

Timeshift TV

It may not be perfect, but I was intrigued and amused by the integration of the TV sections. Sadly, the actual gameplay, while reasonably engaging at its best, is simply far too slender for a title of this prominence. There’s just not enough of it, both in terms of sheer quantity of playing time or the variety of its mechanics.

The gunfights are great fun at first, and your time-bending abilities give you some great tricks. You can freeze time in a small area and then pound ammunition into it, resulting in a barrage of fire when time snaps back into place and one very dead bad guy, or you can perform a instant dash and create a brief window of slow-mo bullet-time. You can also throw time-ripping bombs, which act a bit like fancy grenades, and perform vicious melee takedowns in mid-dash. Combining these abilities, you're pretty much unstoppable.

Your later enemies are capable of some similar tricks, but I never felt under pressure to really make the most of Joyce's available toolset. The number and different types of enemies can be counted on one hand, and the areas you fight in are nearly always small arena-type areas where you have to defeat everyone before you can continue. After a while, it all starts to get a bit repetitive, and the new mechanics quickly dry up.

Likewise, the platforming sections are so simplistic that they make Tomb Raider and Uncharted look like complex puzzle platformers - and that’s saying something. Much of it takes place inside individual time fractures, too, which requires you to either freeze time or use your dash to dodge past obstacles. It’s an incredible effect, particularly when objects are looping back and forth around you, but when there's little to no puzzle element involved at all, it doesn't feel like they're being played out to the extent they could be. 

Temporal glitche

Admittedly, the presentation is pretty amazing, and Remedy’s graphical representation of the breakdown of time and your ability to bend it to your will is nothing short of brilliant. Everything ripples and glitches around you, and the sky itself is even smashed into shards. Levels are also highly detailed and packed with atmosphere - at least when you're not wandering through yet another stark and clinical corporate lab.

For all its visual glory, though, the entire game feels both very claustrophobic and rigorously signposted. It does fit with the theme of the story, where the unchangeable destiny of the characters’ futures looms large over their actions - but this doesn't necessarily make it fun.

It’s also worth pointing out that despite Microsoft’s massive server power and technical prowess, it’s no Netflix when it comes to streaming video. I suffered from glitchy frame rates and some horrendous video compression while I was reviewing the game even though I have a fast internet connection. This may change on launch, but if you can, I'd strongly recommend downloading the TV elements before playing, even if they do weigh in at 75GB on top of the 50GB game.

Conclusion

Quantum Break isn't a complete failure, but it never quite lives up to its media-spanning hype, being neither a great game or a great story. I’m glad I played it, but I simply can’t recommend you buy it today at full price unless you’re highly intrigued by its hybrid storytelling. For those looking for a great game or a great TV show, this probably won't satisfy neither of those needs.

For all its flaws, though, gaming does need titles like Quantum Break. It’s an insane attempt to do something different and ambitious, and there's no denying it pushes the envelope, making a break with the past and maybe even creating a whole new form of hybrid entertainment. I applaud it for that, even if it doesn't quite live up to those lofty expectations.

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Buddy Pokemon: How far to walk every single one

Each Buddy Pokemon in Pokemon Go has a different distance it must be walked before it will find a candy. Unfortunately, you have to swap them in and out as your buddy to see how far you need to walk them. If you're already in the process of walking a buddy, then swapping will make you lose your progress.

Don't do that.

I've rounded up the distances in this nice little reference guide. The Pokemon are listed in alphabetical order so they are easier to find:

• Abra- 3km
• Aerodactyl- 5km
• Alakazam- 3km
• Arbok- 3km
• Arcanine- 3km
• Articuno- Pokemon not released yet
• Beedrill- 1km
• Bellsprout- 3km
• Blastoise- 3km
• Bulbasaur- 3km
• Butterfree- 1km
• Caterpie- 1km
• Chansey- 5km
• Charizard- 3km
• Charmander-3km
• Charmeleon- 3km
• Clefable- 1km
• Clefairy- 1km
• Cloyster- 3km
• Cubone- 3km
• Dewgong- 3km
• Diglett- 3km
• Ditto- Pokemon not released yet
• Dodrio- 3km
• Doduo- 3km
• Dragonair- 5km
• Dragonite- 5km
• Dratini- 5km
• Drowzee- 3km
• Dugtrio- 3km
• Eevee- 5km
• Ekans- 3km
• Electabuzz- 5km
• Electrode- 3km
• Exeggcute- 3km
• Exeggutor- 3km
• Farfetch'd- 3km
• Fearow- 1km
• Flareon- 5km
• Gastly- 3km
• Gengar- 3km
• Geodude- 1km
• Gloom- 3km
• Golbat- 1km
• Goldeen- 3km
• Golduck- 3km
• Golem- 1km
• Graveler- 1km
• Grimer- 3km
• Growlithe- 3km
• Gyarados- 1km
• Haunter- 3km
• Hitmonchan- 5km
• Hitmonlee- 5km
• Horsea- 3km
• Hypno- 3km
• Ivysaur- 3km
• Jigglypuff- 1km
• Jolteon- 5km
• Jynx- 5km
• Kabuto- 5km
• Kabutops- 5km
• Kadabra- 3km
• Kakuna- 1km
• Kangaskhan- 3km
• Kingler- 3km
• Koffing- 3km
• Krabby- 3km
• Lapras- 5km
• Lickitung- 3km
• Machamp- 3km
• Machoke- 3km
• Machop- 3km
• Magikarp- 1km
• Magmar- 5km
• Magnemite- 3km
• Magneton- 3km
• Mankey- 3km
• Marowak- 3km
• Meowth- 3km
• Metapod- 1km
• Mew- Pokemon not released yet
• Mewtwo- Pokemon not released yet
• Moltres- Pokemon not released yet
• Mr. Mime- 5km
• Muk- 3km
• Nidoking- 3km
• Nidoqueen- 3km
• Nidoran (f)- 3km
• Nidoran (m)- 3km
• Nidorina- 3km
• Nidorino- 3km
• Ninetales- 3km
• Oddish- 3km
• 'Omanyte- 5km
• Omastar- 5km
• Onix- 5km
• Paras- 3km
• Parasect- 3km
• Persian- 3km
• Pidgeot- 1km
• Pidgeotto- 1km
• Pidgey- 1km
• Pikachu- 1km
• Pinsir- 5km
• Poliwag- 3km
• Poliwhirl- 3km
• Poliwrath- 3km
• Ponyta- 3km
• Porygon- 3km
• Primeape- 3km
• Psyduck- 3km
• Raichu- 1km
• Rapidash- 3km
• Raticate- 1km
• Rattata- 1km
• Rhydon- 3km
• Rhyhorn- 3km
• Sandshrew- 3km
• Sandslash- 3km
• Scyther- 5km
• Seadra- 3km
• Seaking - 3km
• Seel- 3km
• Shellder- 3km
• Slowbro- 3km
• Slowpoke- 3km
• Snorlax- 5km
• Spearow- 1km
• Squirtle- 3km
• Starmie- 3km
• Staryu- 3km
• Tangela- 3km
• Tauros- 3km
• Tentacool- 3km
• Tentacruel- 3km
• Vaporeon- 5km
• Venomoth- 3km
• Venonat- 3km
• Venusaur- 3km
• Victreebel- 3km
• Vileplume- 3km
• Voltorb- 3km
• Vulpix- 3km
• Wartortle- 3km
• Weedle- 1km
• Weepinbell- 3km
• Weezing- 3km
• Wigglytuff- 1km
• Zapdos- Pokemon not released yet
• Zubat- 1km

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Reviews About DJI Phantom 3 Advanced

DJI currently has three versions of its Phantom 3 drone: the Standard , Advanced andProfessional . While there are several important differences between the entry-level Phantom 3 Standard ($799, £649 or AU$1,299) and its two linemates, the feature gap between the Professional and Advanced amounts to two things.

The Phantom 3 Professional shoots video in 4K (3,820x2,160-pixel) resolution and has a 100-watt battery charger. It retails for $1,259, £1,159 or AU$1,950. The Advanced captures video in 1080p (1,920x1,080) and has a slower 57-watt charger, but costs $999, £899 or AU$1,550. That's it.

The 4K video from the Professional is a step up from the Advanced's full-HD results. But it's not a big step up, and unless you want or need the extra resolution and have a computer powerful enough to play and edit 4K video, the Advanced's 1080p video doesn't disappoint. And since the drones' features and controllers are the same, the Phantom 3 Advanced is as easy to recommended as it is to fly. Which is to say it's really easy.

Design and features

The quadcopter itself is, for the most part, unchanged from its predecessor, the Phantom 2 Vision+. You'll find all the same convenience features like color-coded, self-tightening propellers for easy installation and replacement, and a slot-loading battery pack, though it's a newly designed battery making the Phantom 2's batteries incompatible with the 3.

The three-axis gimbal on its belly stabilizes the camera in roll, pitch and yaw directions keeping the video looking smooth even with sudden stick movements or wind gusts. Plus, the camera can do a 90-degree tilt, letting you shoot straight down, straight ahead and anywhere in between. The camera is permanently attached to the gimbal, so if you irreparably damage one or the other, you'll have to replace the entire gimbal-and-camera assembly. It also means you don't have the option of using the camera for anything else, unlike models that use GoPro or other small cameras such as3D Robotic's Solo or EHang's Ghost.

The Advanced's camera features a Sony-made 12-megapixel 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor behind a new f2.8 20mm lens (35mm equivalent), which gives you a 94-degree field of view. That's much narrower than the Vision+ camera's 140-degree field of view resulting in far less distortion.

Sitting to the back of the gimbal is the new Vision Positioning System, a set of sensors to help the Phantom 3 hover while indoors when GPS isn't available. There are many caveats for it to work properly, however, such as not flying over sound-absorbing materials, water or highly reflective surfaces. It's also only effective up to about 10 feet (3 meters). If you're thinking of getting the Advanced to fly above crowds in an arena or auditorium, you better up your piloting skills first.

When you're outside, GPS is used to help the drone determine its position and yours and is what makes it possible for the drone to stop and hover in place when you release the controller's sticks as well as delivering accurate location data for safety features like automatically returning to a home position. The more satellites it can lock onto, the better off you are, so DJI added the Russian navigational system, GLONASS, which lets it tap into more satellites than GPS alone.

Satellite acquisition speeds are noticeably faster compared to the Phantom 2 Vision+, so you can lock on and start flying more quickly. Also, with the Vision+ there were times I would struggle to get a solid lock on six satellites (the minimum for GPS-assisted flight). The Advanced never had a problem grabbing onto 10 satellites or more in a matter of seconds and regularly had upward of 15 in my testing. This makes a huge difference when it comes to putting the drone in the exact position you want for photos and video.

The controller and DJI Go mobile app (formerly called Pilot) are important, too, of course. The Advanced and its controller have DJI's Lightbridge technology for better image transmission between the sky and ground. Lightbridge allows for a continuous connection back and forth between the two and increases flight range over the wireless range extender used for the Phantom 2 and the entry-level Phantom 3 Standard. This does mean you'll need your iOS or Android device's charging cable to use it, but the performance improvement is well worth it.

On each of the top corners you'll find discrete camera controls for starting and stopping recordings, taking pictures, reviewing your shots and two wheels, one for adjusting exposure compensation, ISO and shutter speed and the other for the gimbal's tilt. Two customizable buttons are on the bottom as well that can be used for a handful of gimbal or camera functions. Overall it's a great setup, but more than a few times I accidentally switched to playback mode while trying to snap a photo.

DJI also included a Return-to-Home button for those times when panic starts to set in and you just want to bring it on back. The controller's battery is built in and will last through several flights before you'll need to recharge it. DJI simplified charging, too, using one power supply with two cables attached: one for the controller's battery and one for the drone's.

Connecting your iOS or Android smartphone or tablet is as simple as plugging in your device's charging cable into the USB port on the Advanced's controller. (It'll keep your device charged while you use it for flying, too.) Then, with the controller and drone turned on, you just open the DJI Go app and tap to get the camera view.

The controller's device mount can handle phones and tablets big and small, however the app is optimized for use with the iPhone 5S, 6 and 6 Plus. Android device support is thin, with just the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Note 3, Sony Xperia Z3, Google Nexus 7 II, Google Nexus 9, Xiaomi Mi 3 and ZTE Nubia Z7 Mini listed. I tested with both a 6 Plus and a Galaxy S5 and the app performance was clearly stronger on the iOS device with the S5 occasionally freezing up forcing me midflight to restart the app.

In addition to a first-person view from the camera, you get complete camera controls, meters for signal strengths, GPS and battery life and access to settings for the whole system. It will also notify you if a firmware update is necessary (which occur with some regularity) and, eventually, you'll be able to do the updates through the app; currently they're done by downloading a file to a microSD card and popping the card into the drone's camera.

The app can also be used for automated take-offs and landings, if you don't want to handle them with stick commands, and triggering the Return-to-Home safety function. Another new safety feature of sorts is the Beginner Mode. This sets up virtual barriers called a geofence with a maximum altitude and flight distance of 30 meters (98 feet), giving you a safe way to limit where the drone can travel. It's pretty amazing to see in action as you send the Phantom full throttle toward its limit and the drone stops as if it's been snagged in an invisible net.

As for the camera settings, video recording options include full HD (1,920x1,080-pixel) and HD (1,280x720-pixel) resolutions at 24, 25, 30, 48, 50, 60 frames per second and you can choose between MOV or MP4 formats. Thanks to the Lightbridge technology, you can even use it to live-stream video straight to YouTube and uses your mobile device's mic for capturing audio.

For photos, you can capture in JPEG, DNG raw format or both simultaneously. Shooting modes include single shots or bursts of three, five or seven; HDR and auto exposure bracketing (0.7EV bias) of three or five pictures; and time-lapse continuous shooting at 5-, 7-, 10-, 20- and 30-second intervals. You can also control ISO, exposure compensation and white balance.

At the time of this review the Phantom 3 Advanced (and Professional) didn't have DJI's Intelligent Flight features including waypoint navigation, point of interest (POI) flight planning or Follow Me function, but these are now available.

Waypoint navigation lets you set up a multipoint path for the drone to follow while you control the camera, while POI flight planning allows you to autonomously fly a circle around a subject, keeping it centered. Follow Me sets the drone to track your movement based on your orientation. Support for SDK apps already created by third-party DJI developers is available as well, giving the Advanced more features and future potential.

Flying

If you're reading this review, you probably already know that DJI's Phantom quadcopters have a reputation of being extremely easy to fly (and fly away, but it's something I've never experienced). With the Phantom 3 the experience has only improved.

DJI has added a flight simulator to the mobile app (iOS only) that you can use to learn your way around the app and controls. I found it to be a little frustrating because the actual drone performs so much better in real life. Regardless of safety features and how stable the Phantom 3 is, I highly recommend taking your first flights out in an open area where there are no people or distractions.

Again, if you don't want to use stick commands, you can takeoff and land with a tap and a swipe on your screen. With GPS, the drone will just sit and hover wherever you leave it. Start flying a bit too close to a tree and you can just let go of the sticks and it will stop while you regroup and steer away. You can fly without GPS, but if you release the sticks the Phantom won't stop but instead continues to drift in the direction it was last headed. It's a gut-wrenching experience watching $1,000 float away seemingly uncontrollably, so it's best to fly with GPS until you fully understand the controls.

The app is well laid out and at a glance you can see all the information you need. There's even a battery timeline meter giving you estimates on everything from remaining flight time to the power required to return home or land.

Speaking of battery life, DJI says you'll be able to get up to 23 minutes of flight time. I was able to get to just under 21 minutes of flying -- nothing too aggressive, mostly hovering in place and in light wind -- before it took over and landed itself. That flight time is very good when you factor in all that it's doing to stay in the air while recording video. It does feel short, though, especially if you're trying to get out some distance for a picture and still make it back. And extras are pricey at around $149, £125 or AU$205 each.

Closely examining the 4K video of the Phantom 3 Professional or DJI's higher-end Inspire 1 straight from the camera against the 1080p clips from the Advanced, there are noticeable differences, mainly in the level of fine detail and sharpness of subjects. There is better detail from the 4K and it's especially visible if you're viewing on a large TV or monitor. So, if it's necessary for you to capture the highest quality video without ponying up a ton more cash, the Phantom 3 Professional is the better choice.

Frankly, though, the full-HD clips from the Advanced look pretty great as do its photos, and they're more than suitable for sharing online and/or viewing on a phone, tablet or laptop. It's also a huge jump in quality from the Phantom 2 Vision+. For those considering an upgrade from that model to the Professional, your needs might be met with the less expensive Advanced.

The live-streaming quality to YouTube is just OK. You have to have a pretty strong wireless connection to keep the video moving smoothly and even then the results were a bit glitchy and compressed. Still, it's sort of amazing it can do it at all and could be helpful for professional uses.

Lastly, whenever you record a video, a compressed 720p version is stored to your mobile device. To help make the most of these clips, DJI built in a basic video editor to the Go app. You can use it to cut up your clips, gather them up and then combine them into one movie. DJI also included some style templates with music you can apply before you save. Then you can just share away.

Conclusion

The DJI Phantom 3 Advanced is a great little aerial photo and video machine, however it's the whole system -- the drone, the controller and the app -- that make it so easy to pick up and just start flying. It's not inexpensive, but compared with the $900 Parrot Bebop with its Skycontroller , you won't regret spending the extra money. And if you don't need the Professional's 4K video, you can put your money toward a spare battery or two so the good times don't come to an end after 20 minutes.

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