It's barely been a month since DJI unveiled a new drone, and the company already has another to show. Note the absence of the Mavic branding, indicating we might be seeing more of a shift in how the company pitches each level of quadcopter it offers. It's not clear if the "S" branding here is an Apple-style upgrade to the previous model, but the Air 2S certainly looks like someone gave the previous model a light facelift. The design seems near-identical bar a few smoother lines and an extra pair of front obstacle avoidance cameras. But what's important here is the camera it seems.

NEW YORK – China's SZ DJI Technology unveiled a small camera drone starting at $499 that can take off and land from the palm of a hand, seeking to appeal to the broader consumer market. The new Spark drone weighs about 300 grams, is equipped with a 1080-pixel video camera and can be controlled with a remote, a mobile device or using hand gestures alone, DJI said at an event in New York on Wednesday. The Shenzhen-based company will start shipping orders in mid-June. DJI is the world's leading maker of drones, but most of the gadgets in its existing lineup cost $1,000 or more and are used for surveying crops or industrial sites and in high-end filmmaking. The 11-year-old company is looking to expand its market to stay ahead as global revenue in the industry is projected to increase from more than $6 billion this year to $11.2 billion by 2020, according to researcher Gartner Inc. As the drone market becomes more mainstream, DJI is facing competition from cheaper rivals, especially in China, that have flooded the market with models from $10 mini toys to sub-$100 camera carriers.

Drone company DJI launched a $499 mini camera drone that lifts off from the palm of the hand. It captures and shares photos on the go, and can be controlled by hand gestures alone. It allows users to send the drone up and away, take a selfie and be called with a hand gesture – and weighs less than a can of soda. The drone, called Spark, weighs just 10.6 ounces (300 grams) and can be operated by a remote controller, a mobile device, or via hand gestures. The drone will be sold in five different colors: White, blue, green, red and yellow.