Aries Blackbird X10 quadcopter is OK, when it works

[MUSIC] Prices on quad copters for aerial and video and photos are still somewhat high if you want an all in one model with a camera, longer battery life and GPS and other sensors for easy safe stable flight. That's why the Aries Blackbird X10 is an attractive offer. At least on paper. I'm Josh Goldman with CNET. And the X10 sells for $600 but can go as high as 800. And is available from electronics retailer Adorama. And it will ship them worldwide. It can also be found in white, as the AEE AP10. The X10 has a 16 megapixel camera that shoots full HD video with 30 frames per second. It has a flight time of about 20 minutes, and gps. There are two flight modes, normal and gps. Unless you're an experienced pilot you'll wanna stay in gps mode, which the X10 needs to hover in place and keep from drifting And for its failsafe return to home feature to work. Unfortunately, even with the GPS lock and compass calibration, it would regularly do its own thing once off the ground, flying off in various directions. There were times this didn't happen though and it hovered in place and was really responsive and basically performed really well. When the X10 is flying right you can use the transmitter to control the camera, including tilting it up and down. But you can also connect a phone to its wireless repeater so you can use an app to get a first person view from the camera, as well as access to camera settings and controls. That's all the app is used for though, and the video and photo quality is actually pretty decent. But, because the camera is fixed to the body and the X10 is not the most stable quad-copter, you can get some fairly shaky video. And there is a significant delay between the camera and what's on your Screen, which isn't great if you're trying to set up a shot. Or worse, flying by that view alone. So while the X10 is ready to fly and simple in operation, it's not one I would recommend for those starting out in the hobby, looking for a great out of the box experience. For $600 or more you might be better off saving up for one with more consistent performance. I'm Josh Goldman and that's a look at the Aries Blackbird X10 Quadcopter. [MUSIC]