Parrot AR.Drones Land at All U.S. Brookstone Stores

MERRIMACK, N.H., Sept. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Brookstone today announced that all its 300+ mall and airport stores will have the Parrot AR.Drone quadricopter in-stock Tuesday morning, September 21.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100920/FL67264 )

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100920/FL67264 )

The first AR.Drone shipment to U.S.-based Brookstone stores occurred over the Labor Day holiday -- delivering the wildly popular quadricopter to select outlets in major markets across the country.

"Several Brookstone stores in key cities that received Labor Day shipments of the Parrot AR.Drone sold out quickly, underscoring the product's high demand and reaffirming that Brookstone is the only brick-and-mortar retailer in the U.S. where fans can see the quadricopter in action and buy it onsite," said Ron Boire, President and Chief Executive Officer, Brookstone. "Now that we've achieved national distribution and worked with Parrot to create a high level of excitement, we recommend that customers act quickly if they want to bring an AR.Drone home before we are sold out again."

Over the Labor Day holiday, fans of Brookstone on Facebook shared videos showing the first flights of their new AR.Drones. Fans have also been enjoying new Parrot videos showcasing the exciting flight and gaming experience of the AR.Drone on YouTube.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=927wLQ51GLg

"Large crowds gathered at our stores over the Labor Day holiday to watch this exciting AR.Drone in flight. Demand for the AR.Drone is very high and we hope to satisfy a large group of enthusiasts on Tuesday, when it is in all of our stores," commented Boire.

The Parrot AR.Drone is a one-of-a-kind quadricopter that features augmented reality and is piloted using an iPod® touch, iPhone® or iPad™ device. The AR.Drone combines real and virtual worlds and offers consumers an exciting new flight and gaming experience. A front camera broadcasts what the AR.Drone is seeing onto the iPod touch, iPhone or iPad screen, offering an opportunity for enhanced reality games.

To celebrate its in-store offering of the AR.Drone, Brookstone and Parrot are teaming up to stage events throughout the fall and holiday season in key cities across the U.S. The in-store activities will include, among other things, experienced AR.Drone pilots educating consumers on the smartest strategies for enjoying the AR.Drone flight experience.

Brookstone customers are also able to buy the AR.Drone online at Brookstone.com.

About the Parrot® AR.Drone quadricopter

The Parrot AR.Drone is a one-of-a-kind quadricopter, extremely easy to fly in both indoor and outdoor settings. The AR.Drone generates its own Wi-Fi network to which you simply connect an iPod touch or iPhone device. AR.FreeFlight is a free app in the App Stores (SM) and allows the AR.Drone to be piloted via the iPod touch/iPhone/iPad. Once in flight, the accelerometer of the iPod touch/iPhone/iPad device detects all of the user's movements, and the AR.Drone will mirror all movements made by the iPod touch/iPhone/iPad while the pilot's left thumb is on the control button.

The AR.Drone uses MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanicals Systems), three axes accelerometer, two gyrometers [one axis & two axes], one ultrasound sensor and one vertical camera to automatically stabilize once it takes off. This allows for very stable flights for even beginner pilots.

The AR.Drone combines the worlds of video gaming and radio-controlled models, enabling consumers to recreate a large number of single- and multi-player video games in the real world. One game, AR.FlyingAce will be available for download in the App Store.

The AR.Drone-Pilot Academy at www.ardrone.com provides multiple videos and instructions that prepare aspiring AR.Drone pilots for flight. It also connects AR.Drone fans from around the world. More information about the AR.Drone can be found at http://www.parrot.com/facebook or www.twitter.com/ardrone.

About Brookstone

Brookstone, Inc., is an innovative product development company and specialty retailer of unique gifts. Brookstone operates 310 stores nationwide and in Puerto Rico. Typically located in high-traffic regional shopping malls and airports, the stores feature unique and innovative consumer products. The Company also operates a Direct Marketing business that includes the Brookstone catalog and an e-commerce Web site at Brookstone.com. Consumers are encouraged to keep in touch by becoming Brookstone Facebook fans.

About Parrot

Parrot, a global leader in wireless devices for mobile phones, stands on the cutting edge of innovation. The company was founded in 1994 by Henri Seydoux as part of his determination to drive the inevitable breakthrough of mobile phones into everyday life by creating high-quality, user-friendly wireless devices for easy living. Parrot has developed the most extensive range of hands-free systems on the market for cars, motorbikes and scooters, including wireless multimedia products geared towards audiovisual applications. In 2008, Parrot launched a new prestige line of high-end products bearing the hallmark of renowned artists. Parrot, headquartered in Paris, currently employs 450 people worldwide and generates 85% of its sales overseas. www.parrot.com

Euronext Paris – FR0004038263 – PARRO

iPhone and iPod touch are registered trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. iPad is a trademark of Apple Inc. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc. YouTube is a registered trademark of Google, Inc. Facebook is a registered  trademark of Facebook, Inc.

SOURCE Brookstone, Inc.