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PanARMENIAN.Net - GoPro on Monday, September 19 took to the sky with a Karma drone with its first-person-action mini-cameras as part of a move to become a platform for modern-day storytelling, AFP says.
GoPro founder and chief executive Nick Woodman unveiled Karma while introducing new Hero5 cameras and a new cloud-based service for storing, editing and sharing video.
"We want to help you all become great storytellers," Woodman said after making a rock-star entrance at a media event in a tent at the Squaw Valley ski area wher the 1960 Winter Olympic Games were held.
"We transformed GoPro into an end-to-end storytelling solution."
Karma drones will be priced at $799 when they become available starting on October 23.
The drones boast simple joystick and touch-screen controls, and fold easily into a padded backpack that is provided, AFP says.
An image-stabilizing grip in the drone is designed to hold Hero cameras, which are not included in the backpack.
GoPro's much anticipated entry into the drone market comes as the California-based company strives to distinguish itself in an increasingly competitive market for mini-cameras that can be used to capture adventures or sports from personal perspectives.
The new Hero5 Black and Hero5 Session cameras, which boast features such as voice control and ultra-high-definition image quality, will be available on October 2 with pricing of $399 and $299, respectively.
Karma drones bundled with Hero5 cameras will be priced at $1,099 or $999, depending on whether a Black or Session model is seleced.
The company is setting out to build its adventure-oriented community, and create a steady revenue stream, with a GoPro Plus subscription service that uploads imagery to the internet cloud and provides simple tools for editing and sharing fro smartphones or desktop computers.
GoPro Plus will cost $4.99 per month after it becomes available to the public on October 2.