What Does DJI’s $499 Spark Drone Offer? | Crunch Report

TL;DR

DJI’s $499 Spark is the company’s smallest drone, offering a 1080p camera, 12-megapixel stills, a 16-minute battery, and speeds up to 31 mph. This Crunch Report also covers Unity’s $400 million funding, Serena Williams joining SurveyMonkey’s board, and SoftBank’s $4 billion Nvidia stake. Read on for the drone’s stabilization features and specific details behind each technology story.

Transcript

CGI releases its smallest drone yet unity raises 400 million dollars Serena Williams joins the board of SurveyMonkey and more it's Wednesday May 24th and this is crunch report brought to you by the high-performance highly intelligent BMW 5-series whatup TechCrunch land I'm back from traveling and disrupt and the goodness of life here's the news oh ... Read More

Key Insights

• 🛩️ DJI releases the DJI Spark, its smallest drone, targeting consumers with its compact size and advanced features.
• 🏂 Serena Williams joining SurveyMonkey's board is a strategic move for the company to leverage her influence and insights in shaping its future direction.
• 🛝 Unity's $400 million funding round highlights the continued growth and importance of the gaming industry.
• 🐿️ Softbank's $4 billion investment in Nvidia signifies the increasing interest in and potential of the chip-making company.

Questions & Answers

Q: What features does the $499 DJI Spark drone offer?

The DJI Spark supports 1080p video and 12-megapixel still images, but not 4K recording. Its batteries last about 16 minutes each, and it can reach speeds of up to 31 mph.

Q: How does the DJI Spark keep its flight and video stable?

A 3D-sensing camera, GPS/GLONASS, and an onboard vision positioning system help keep the Spark stable, even indoors. A two-axis gimbal stabilizes video while the drone is shooting.

Q: When was the DJI Spark available for preorder and shipping?

The $499 DJI Spark was available for preorder on Wednesday, May 24. The report said it would start shipping the following month in three different colors.

Q: How much funding did Unity raise from Silver Lake?

Unity raised $400 million in fresh funding from private equity firm Silver Lake. The new round reportedly increased Unity’s valuation from $1.5 billion the previous year to $2.6 billion.

Q: What was Unity’s $400 million investment intended to do?

The investment was mostly intended to let Unity’s early employees and investors sell their shares. Unity’s CEO said a large portion was secondary funding and described the primary capital as safety while the company invested in rapid growth.

Q: Why did Serena Williams join SurveyMonkey’s board?

SurveyMonkey announced that Serena Williams would join its board to advise the company’s future direction. The report noted that her appointment fits a broader pattern of corporate boards including members with eclectic professional backgrounds.

Q: How much did SoftBank invest in Nvidia?

Bloomberg reported that SoftBank held a $4 billion stake in Nvidia. The report said Nvidia’s stock had been soaring during the previous year.

Q: Which SoftBank fund was expected to acquire the Nvidia stake?

The report said SoftBank’s $93 billion Vision Fund would likely acquire the Nvidia stake. That would place Nvidia in the same portfolio as Didi Chuxing and Payoneer.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• DJI announces the release of the DJI Spark, its smallest drone yet, which comes with a 1080p camera, 16-minute battery life, and 31 mph top speed.

• Serena Williams joins SurveyMonkey's board as a board member, bringing her expertise and star power to advise the company's future direction.

• Unity, a game development tool company, raises $400 million in funding from Silverlake, allowing early employees and investors to sell their shares.

• Softbank invests $4 billion in Nvidia, as the chip maker's stock continues to soar and becomes a popular topic among tech professionals.