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+The original Parrot AR drones help kick start the ubiquitousness of the personal drone today. Unfortunately for Parrot, defining a genre of quadcopter does not automatically translate to fame and fortune. Today DJI holds the drone crown, but Parrot continues to turn out interesting, sleek, if somewhat flawed drones.
+
+The latest is the Parrot Bebop 2, the sequel to the [original Bebop](http://www.wired.com/2015/06/review-parrot-bebop/). Like its predecessor, the Bebop 2 features a slender design, no moving parts besides the propellers, and the very same 180 fisheye camera.
+
+In fact the Bebop 2 is in nearly every meaningful way exactly like the Bebop 1. The camera is still 14 MP and still attempts to compensate for its lack of a gimbal with the software based 3-axis video stabilization. It also still has 8GB of internal storage and it's still controlled with an iOS/Android flight control app or sold-separately "SkyContoller". The flight control app now offers a "flight plan" feature if you'd like to plot out your route ahead of time, but it'll set you back another $20 as an in-app purchase.
+
+The primary difference between the Parrot Bebop 2 and its predecessor is the flight time. The first generation could manage only about 11 minutes of flying time. Thankfully that's more than doubled in the second generation. Parrot claims 25 minutes of flight time, though beware that that's a very idealized number. I consistently got more like 20 minutes when filming continuously, which is on par or just slightly less than what you'll find in competitors like the [Phantom 3](http://www.wired.com/2015/06/review-dji-phantom-3-professional-drone/) or [Typhoon](http://www.wired.com/2015/10/review-yuneec-typhoon-q500-4k/).
+
+The physically larger battery does make the Bebop a bit heavier (100 grams heavier to be precise), but it's still very compact and lightweight. In fact one of its more appealing aspects is the fact that it easily fits into a backpack -- especially if you're flying with just a phone.
+
+Now comes the part of the article I didn't want to write. See, I wanted to love the Bebop 2. A quadcopter that's small enough to fit in a backpack and doesn't even need a dedicated controller? What's not to love about that? Indeed, on paper the Bebop 2 is amazing.
+
+Flying the Bebop on the other hand is, well, it depends. 
+
+Like corporate rock, the software based controller still sucks. Which is to say that while it works, it lacks the tactile feedback and potential for muscle memory that you get with the joystick controller. It's also nearly impossible to maintain situational awareness and keep your eyes on the Bebop when you're continually glancing down at your thumbs to make sure they're where they should be. And trust me, they never will be. Suffice to say that using the digital controller is not, at the end of day, fun. And that is massively disappointing.
+
+Worse, the app itself is incredibly ill-conceived. The layout on both Android and iOS is reminiscent of Windows 8, with big colored squares as menu items, which looks out of place on, well, every mobile platform save the one where it doesn't actually run. That's perhaps a minor complaint, but there are some more serious ones. For example, you've connected your device to the Bebop's wifi network as you need to to control it. But then you decide to look something up in the help menu... Nope, sorry, that's only available online and you're currently connected to a network that is not online. And why is the largest item in the menu by default a space hogging video preview of a drone you already own? It's almost like the app was completely designed by the marketing department and no one at Parrot has ever even used it.
+
+The range is also pretty pathetic. I was routinely dropped from the Bebop's network and had to go chasing after it to avoid having it start its auto return feature (which, it's worth noting, works very well). The Bebop proudly claims a 37mph top speed, but in my experience you'll lose contact long before it gets anywhere near that speed.
+
+However, this is where the real potential of the Bebop lies -- lightweight with a controller that's already in your pocket. As it stands the implementation is well behind the concept, but if Parrot can eventually bring reality closer to its conception of the ideal software controller the Bebop 3 (or whatever) might return the company to its former standing at the top of drone innovation.
+
+In the mean time there's the other means of flying the Bebop -- the [SkyController](http://www.parrot.com/usa/products/skycontroller/), which will set you back $400. Here things get considerably better. It's big and awkward, but it greatly increases the range and of course has all the advantages of tactile feedback and a very nice, comfortable design. In fact I liked it much better than the controllers I've used with DJI or Yuneec craft. But big and awkward ruin much of the appeal of the Bebop. In fact the controller is considerably larger than the actual craft and while it will fit in a backpack, you won't be fitting much else with it. Still, it does eliminate all the flight problems I experienced using the software controller.
+
+Finally there's Bebop's biggest disappointment -- the camera. It's the same camera as the first model, which means 14 MP and 1080p video. There's no 4K video, but I can live with that, what's disappointing is the quality of video: colors are washed out and there's very obvious tearing and artifacts. There's also still no option for removable storage, you're stuck with 8GB of memory, which fills up pretty quickly when you you're shooting 1080 video. You can store footage directly from the Bebop to your phone via wifi, but that will cost you in battery life.
+
+In the end the Bebop is a theoretically great drone that fails to live up to its lofty aspirations. It barely distinguishes itself from its predecessor. In fact there's so little here that's different from the original model I'm not sure why Parrot didn't just release a bigger battery pack for the first one. It feels rushed, like Parrot was trying to meet a deadline at any cost. 
+
+These shortcomings are frustrating because if the Bebop 2 were able to perform the way Parrot clearly wants it to it would be a fantastic drone. As it stands, this is, sadly, not the drone you're looking for.
+
+Wired: Small form factor and light weight makes it easy to carry, software controller cuts down on bulk and improved flight times are welcome
+
+Tired: Software controller is difficult to use, wifi drops consistently, 8GB of storage max, SkyController, while nice, ruins the "light and simple" appeal