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Kno prices tablet textbooks: $599 for single-screen, $899 for double
Looks like Kno kept to its "under $1,000" MSRP promise, after all, and by more than just a penny. The company says its flagship tablet textbook is still on track for release by the end of this year -- with limited available, at least -- tagged at $899 for the original double-screen model and $599 for the single-screener. Speaking to All Things D, CEO Osman Rashid estimates first-run production "in the thousands" and also claims ten as-of-now unnamed universities will be the first targets for the device. Less than eight weeks to go -- just worry about getting through fall semester finals for now.
Kno single-screen tablet textbook hands-on: all the power in half the size
If you've been following tech news today, you'll know two tablets are coming down the pike -- RIM's BlackBerry Playbook, and a single-screen version of the Kno textbook tablet from the artist formerly known as Kakai. Running across San Francisco to a Kno meet-up, we got to see the new unit for ourselves, and discovered this interesting little tidbit: it's got all the same hardware inside. How? Find out after the break. %Gallery-103449%
Kno announces single-screen tablet textbook, plans to ship alongside dual-screen by end of 2010
Looks like Kno, whose dual-screen tablet textbook turned heads at D8 this year, is taking a cue from King Solomon himself. The company has announced a single-screen tablet textbook -- apparently the "world's first," if you don't consider the plethora of other tablets as educational in any way. Both devices are apparently on track for a late 2010 release, thanks in no small part, we suspect, to new funding. From the press pics, it really looks to be just one-half the original product: a single 14.1-inch capacitive IPS display with presumably 1440 x 900 resolution. Kno's taken some pride in its two-screen design, so why introduce a more standard form factor? Looks like price might be the big motivator; it's something CEO Osman Rashid seems to at least tacitly acknowledge: "Even though the Kno pays for itself in 13 months, the smaller up front investment of the single screen version will allow more students to use our learning platform." That said, we still don't know the price of either product. Last we heard, the double-display model would be priced at "under $1,000," but there's no indication as to how far under that might be. We'll keep investigating; in the meantime, don't throw away your army of highlighters just yet. Press release after the break.
Kno receives new funding for its humongous dual-screened tablet, still hoping to ship this year
If you need a tablet with presence you need the Kno. Its dual capacitive 14-inch IPS displays, each clocking in at 1,440 x 990, make this thing closer to a Surface than a Courier and surely present some unique challenges when it comes to pricing. Kno, the company, plans to sell it by the end of the year for an MSRP of under $1,000, and a new $46 million injection in financing should go a long way toward making that happen. Kno's primary market is education, offering partnerships with various textbook publishers and functionality that's focused more on research and less on quelling the rage of disgruntled birds. But, will the college kids want to make room in their organic hemp messenger bags for this monster? And, will their parents pay a grand for the thing?
Kno dual-screen tablet appears at D8, we go hands-on
Kno promised to launch a double-screened Linux-based e-reader designed for students at D8, and the undercover startup didn't disappoint -- believe us when we say it came out in a big way. That's big as in freaking big: the Kno reader features dual 14.1-inch capacitive IPS displays (1440 x 900 each), weighs 5.5 pounds, and offers six to eight hours of battery life, all in a package that's so comically large we thought it was a joke when we first saw the press shots. Kno says it'll offer both pen and touch support, and it'll come with a stylus out of the box. Under the hood, it's running a Tegra 2 chip with 16GB of storage, and the entire experience is essentially a WebKit instance. Yes, it's sort of like the Courier, but larger -- much, much larger. We had a chance to go hands-on with the device as well as speak to some members of the team developing the Kno, and while it's clear that there are major bumps in the UI and user experience, it seems like the company is aware of them. What we saw today was clearly unfinished, with a lot of laggy, stuttery behavior in the interface, a crash or two, and some very inaccurate finger tracking, but Kno says it's hard at work on eradicating those issues. Even with the UI fixes, it's a hard sell at "under $1000," but Kno is putting together partnerships with publishers to make that a little easier to swallow, as they say ultimately it will be less expensive than buying regular old text books. It's an audacious idea, for sure... and we're still completely confused by one of the company's press pics featuring a bunch of dudes running around in their underwear, but we digress. Check out some shots from the demo, PR pics, and our hands-on with the device below. %Gallery-94223% %Gallery-94217% %Gallery-94219%
Kakai morphs into Kno, aims to school you at D8 conference
We've already seen one prestigious institution reject the Kindle DX, but that's not to say there's no room for someone else's digital textbook in the classroom. Kakai, an undercover startup that we heard whispered about back in April, is slowly but surely removing their own veil. Now, the company has decided to go by Kno (short for knowledge, dude), and will make its public debut at the D8 conference next month. All we've heard so far is that the company's first product will be a Linux-based "foldable double-screened device, [which is] designed to feel like a mix of laptop and textbook." It'll be both portable and gesture-based, and as you'd likely imagine, will be aimed directly at the education market. We're also told that the endeavor will include "robust software and a seamless website to deliver course material, allowing for note-taking and offering other audio and video capabilities," and while that's all a bit difficult to simply envision without a stiff cup of java to stimulate the imagination, we'll be taking an up close and personal look in just a few days when we head out to California for Walt and Kara's annual shindig.
