Are there any drone platforms with >1 hr flight time and >1 mile range available for non-defense use?
By the way, the TechCrunch article mentions a per-pass price for other services, but doesn't clarify whether Terravion's price is per-pass, so it actually makes it sound like you are more expensive by comparison.
However, they're still quite expensive and not really cheaper to operate than a Cessna, and then there are the legal issues. I personally think that once of the things that will drive the cost of drones down quite a bit will be when an autopilot maker comes out with a way to retrofit Cessnas and other proven, GA airframes into OPVs (optionally piloted vehicles).
Indeed!
Random example: http://www.uavfactory.com/product/46
Although you'll need to budget an additional ~$20k depending on autopilot system.