Review: Griffin Helo TC Assault touch controlled helicopter for Android and iOS

It’s not often you get Android accessories in that are just plain fun to have around.  Thankfully Griffin Technology has thrown a little something different into the mix to kick up the fun factor and was nice enough to send us one to review.

The Helo TC Assault is a remote controlled helicopter, but what sets it aside from anything you find in a toy store is it’s controlled via app on your Android or iOS device.  It’s includes an IR dock that fits onto the side of your phone, and you control everything via their app on your device.  The heli can be used indoors or outdoors, but you want to make sure to use it on a flat surface.  It doesn’t get a ton of elevation, so inclines may prove to be troublesome.

Setup is very easy.  The IR dock just clips onto your smartphone, you plug in the headset jack to the phone, and open the app.  Make sure to turn on airplane mode before you start using it.  Once the app is open, just push the throttle up on the screen and take flight.  Simple!

One personal recommendation, if you have a tablet use that to control it.  The dock has 2 rubber arms that overlap the screen to keep it mounted.  On phones with larger screens, it can cover some controls.  With the tab, there is a lot more room to operate in general.

The controls do take some time to get used to, although they are responsive so there’s no issues there.  All things considered, it hovers, so this shouldn’t be a surprise on the learning curve.  Once you get the hang of it, it moves around fairly well.

I don’t know what the max charge time is on the battery.  We used it normally around 30-40 minutes each time and it ran solid.

Is this thing fun?  Absolutely.  Do my cats hate it?  You bet they do.  I took the liberty of chasing them around the house a while when I first got my hands on it.  After a few laps around the house chasing them, they refused to get off the back of the couch for the next 4 hours.   I also got a chance to test out the missile accuracy on it.  The cats can also confirm this to be good, as they both got popped a couple of times with them.

The Helo TC Assault is available from Griffin Technology for $59.99, and is worth every penny for the entertainment value.  You can grab it now from the Griffin online store.