Hi All. Here is today's roundup of prop tech news for real estate photographers and 3D virtual tour pros.

3D Capture Hardware and Software

Antigravity A1 Drone Gets U3 Firmware: Omnidirectional Obstacle Avoidance, Voice Control, and Smarter Auto Edit
Source: The Drone Girl, DroneDJ, and No Film School, May 11, 2026
Insta360's sub-250g 360-degree Antigravity A1 drone received its U3 firmware update, adding full six-direction obstacle avoidance (front, back, left, right, up, down) plus active obstacle bypass that flies around objects instead of just stopping. The update also adds voice control, timelapse capture, new third-person virtual cockpit skins, AI-generated sound effects in Auto Edit, and rewritten Auto Edit logic with 360 motion and FPV-style shot types. Users must install firmware V4.0.6.3 via the Antigravity app and update the app to v1.2.0. Antigravity also expanded availability to Mexico and Thailand.
Why it matters: The A1 is the drone real estate photographers have been quietly testing for invisible-drone exterior 360s and Gaussian splat captures. Six-direction obstacle avoidance closes the biggest safety gap holding pros back from putting it through tight residential interiors and around clients.

DJI Confirms Osmo Pocket 4P Global Launch for Cannes Film Festival May 14
Source: DroneXL, Geeky Gadgets, and Notebookcheck, May 8 to 11, 2026
DJI's coordinated teaser campaign confirmed an Osmo Pocket 4P reveal at Cannes on May 14. The 4P shifts the Pocket line into compact-cinema-camera territory with a dual-camera system: a 1-inch primary sensor plus a 3x telephoto (70mm equivalent), variable F1.7 to F2.8 aperture, 10-bit D-Log, ActiveTrack 7.0, and a redesigned 2.5-inch rotating touchscreen at 1000 nits. 4K up to 240fps and 14 stops of dynamic range. Pricing and US-market availability not yet confirmed (the Osmo Mobile 8P notably skipped the US in early May).
Why it matters: Real estate video shooters who use the Pocket line for handheld walk-throughs now have a clear shoot-this-week decision: wait for the 4P specs Thursday or buy the discounted Pocket 3 today. Telephoto plus variable aperture in a pocket form factor materially changes interior video workflows.

Domain (Australia) Rolls Out Nationwide 3D Property Tours With In-House Drone and Photographer Network
Source: Elite Agent, May 10, 2026
Domain announced 3D property tour capability across 1,700 plus suburbs in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, and the Gold Coast from July 1, 2026, available through participating agents on Domain's Platinum Edge subscription. The portal is building a national in-house network of photographers and licensed drone operators, and frames its 3D spatial data as the foundation for future AI tools like renovation modeling, furniture simulation, and personalized redesigns.
Why it matters: First major portal anywhere in the world to bring photography and drone capture in-house at national scale, a model US photographers should watch closely, since CoStar (Matterport plus Homes.com) and Zillow (Showcase, ShowingTime+) are circling similar plays.

Real Estate Tech and Platforms

Zillow Sues Compass and Chicago's MRED in Federal Court Over Private Listings Conspiracy
Source: Inman, RISMedia, The Real Deal, and Bloomberg Law, May 12, 2026
Zillow filed a federal antitrust lawsuit in the Northern District of Illinois alleging Compass International Holdings and Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) conspired to strong-arm Zillow into displaying Compass private listings nationally. Zillow says MRED demanded on May 6 that Zillow reinstate Compass private listings in states outside MRED's territory, and that two days later Compass terminated all of its direct listing feed agreements with Zillow nationwide. The suit lands as MRED and Compass expand their private listing network across the country.
Why it matters: The pre-market listing war just escalated from policy fights to federal court. Photographers shooting Compass listings (or any listings flowing into MRED's PLN) need to track where their imagery is and is not being syndicated, and what happens to licensing when feeds get pulled mid-cycle.

TurboHome Launches Markets, a Daily Sale-Price Prediction Game for San Francisco Listings
Source: Inman, May 11, 2026
Flat-fee brokerage TurboHome launched TurboHome Markets at 6 a.m. PT on May 11. The free daily game asks users to predict final sale prices of five active San Francisco listings before they close, with a leaderboard and prizes that include FIFA World Cup tickets at Levi's Stadium. The hook: 88.3% of SF homes that closed last month sold over asking. TurboHome says its customers have closed $350M in California and Texas and saved $8M in commissions since the NAR settlement.
Why it matters: Lightweight signal of how AI-forward discount brokerages are using gamification plus listing data to scrape consumer attention away from Zillow and Redfin, a category to watch for proptech-meets-entertainment plays photographers might end up partnering with.

Industry News, Funding, and M and A

MRI Software Cuts 200 Jobs and Blames AI as Private Equity Owners Prep for $10B Sale
Source: Crain's Cleveland Business and Propmodo, May 11, 2026
Real estate management software giant MRI Software laid off roughly 200 employees on May 11 and explicitly cited advancing AI adoption as the reason. Multiple managers and at least one senior director were among the cuts. The layoffs come as PE owners TA Associates, Harvest Partners, and GI Partners have engaged Goldman Sachs on a possible sale valuing MRI at up to $10 billion including debt.
Why it matters: First high-profile proptech AI-ate-my-job headline of 2026 from a household-name vendor, a signal that real estate software companies are now publicly trading staff for automation, and a reminder for solo photographers and small studios to keep watching where AI is and is not displacing humans in adjacent workflows.

eXp World Holdings Acquires NextHome, Changes Ticker From EXPI to AGNT
Source: Inman, RISMedia, HousingWire, and GlobeNewswire, May 7, 2026
eXp World Holdings acquired NextHome on May 7, bringing roughly 5,500 agents and 500 plus franchises under the eXp umbrella and giving the cloud brokerage its first traditional franchise model. NextHome co-CEOs James Dwiggins and Keith Robinson move into president and president-of-strategy roles. eXp simultaneously rebranded its Nasdaq ticker to AGNT effective May 8. Financial terms were undisclosed and the deal was funded with cash on hand.
Why it matters: Another consolidation domino after Compass plus Anywhere and Real plus RE/MAX. The field of brokerage clients buying photography is shrinking and concentrating, which has direct pricing and vendor-selection implications for media providers.

eXp Leadership: NextHome Deal Gives Us an Edge Amid Industry Consolidation, We're Off to the Races
Source: Inman and RISMedia, May 11, 2026
Four days after closing the NextHome deal, eXp leadership (now AGNT) walked Inman through Q1 2026 results and the consolidation thesis. Revenue topped $1B in the quarter (up 5% year over year), adjusted EBITDA was $4.1M (up 88%), and net loss narrowed to $5.1M. Executives Leo Pareja and James Dwiggins framed the NextHome integration as a deliberate counter to Compass-Anywhere and Real-RE/MAX, positioning eXp as the third multi-model platform.
Why it matters: Direct read on how the new big-three brokerage platforms (Compass International Holdings, Real-REMAX Group, AGNT / eXp) plan to compete, which informs who is buying media services nationally and how brokerage-owned media networks may evolve.

What caught your eye? Reply below with your take.

Tom