Kano Ships 18,000 Learn-To-Code Computer Kits 53
drkim writes Kano Computing is a startup that plays in the learn-to-code space by adding a step-by-step, hand-holding layer atop the Raspberry Pi to make learning about computational thinking child's play. Kano has now shipped all the hardware kits in its first batch of crowdfunded orders and pre-orders. That's around 18,000 kits in all, co-founder Alex Klein confirmed to TechCrunch. The lion's share of the first batch of Kano kits — almost 13,000 kits — were ordered via its Kickstarter campaign last year, with a further 5,000 pre-orders taken via its website. The kits cost $99 (plus shipping) to crowdfunder backers, or around $160 (plus shipping) if pre-ordered on the Kano website. The company plans to focus on selling mainly via its own web channel from here on in, according to Alex.
Re:Electricity? What? (Score:4, Interesting)
Computers Shmomputers, when I was a kid this is what we used to learn programming http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D... [wikipedia.org]
I actually received one of those as a Christmas present back in 1966! It actually was a good learning experience and fun for a nerdy kid.
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You might be interested in a reproduction [mindsontoys.com].
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You might be interested in a reproduction [mindsontoys.com].
Yeah, I saw that, too. However, I'm not that nostalgic! Thanks! :)
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I bought one! I'm glad you and the AC mentioned it. Thank you.
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I had one of those, too. Right around the same year. I seem to recall blowing it up with M-80s because it wouldn't help me with my homework. I mean, what good is a computer if it can't help you with your homework? I did like the first three experiments in the booklet that came with the Digicomp and then thought, "I wonder how this thing would blow up?" And by the way, it didn't blow up nearly as well as my Revell model of a 1966 Ponti
Man, you guys were ***LUCKY*** ! (Score:1)
Computers Shmomputers, when I was a kid this is what we used to learn programming http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D [wikipedia.org]...
I actually received one of those as a Christmas present back in 1966! It actually was a good learning experience and fun for a nerdy kid
You guys were sure lucky !
I was from China, and back in the mid 1960's China was in really fucked up social turmoil, we could never ever imagine having _anything_ even approaching to what you guys got to enjoy !
The first time I encountered a computer (and I mean electronic one) I was already in my late teen, and I had to learn everything, from bit to byte, flip from flop, register, all the computer languages, everything, from scratch
That makes me wonder, though ... while you guys in the West have so many ye
Re: Man, you guys were ***LUCKY*** ! (Score:1)
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The US has no real industrial/education policy, just quarterly ROI targets, so we destroyed our space program, manufacturing capability, etc., because it was in the short-term ROI interests of various corporations.
On the flip side, we accidentally made the internet, so roughly half the people on the planet have access to virtually limitless knowledge, empowering anyone to do amazing things. That's good.
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There's a place for NASA as well - private industry isn't going to explore space or do research, just commercialize business opportunities. Those "PR stunts" are what enabled private industry to start commercializing space.
It's very similar to how airlines got started. At first it was "PR stunts" that laid the groundwork, followed by airplanes being almost 100% government funded, with military and mail delivery contracts that pushed private industry to build the airplanes and infrastructure to deliver on th
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I was from China
And you used a time machine to change that?
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With this kit, kids don't even have to know the whole thing runs on electricity.
It may as well run on water!
Good news for a change. (Score:4, Interesting)
Come to think of it; it's good to hear about any crowdsourcing project that delivered.
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Failed projects are unusual enough that that's why they make the news. Do you have some data to the contrary you'd like to share?
Contributor to three successful and delivered Kickstarter projects speaking (one late by a year, but for an awesome reason), and backer to another handful, all delivered or on schedule (so they tell me).
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Unfortunately, Kickstarter doesn't issue stats about how many projects have failed to deliver. This is a problematic area because a project can just linger on in limbo without having been declared dead for who knows how long?
You yourself admit that one project you funded was late by a year. Where do we set the deadline? 1 year? 2 years, 5 years?
What a scam (Score:1, Insightful)
€119 for a Raspberry Pi and a colorful keyboard, and then you still have to buy a screen for it. Oh, you already have a screen for your other computer? Why not just learn to program on the computer you already have then?
The premise that you need to buy this in order to learn how to program is nothing short of a scam, and the Raspberry Pi was sold very much on the same lie, that it was somehow easier to learn how to program on that, than on the computer you already owned.
Re:What a scam (Score:5, Interesting)
There was an HDMI cable that we were using in the kit and it was working fine but we cracked it open to see what was inside and we found that the number of cables inside the HDMI cable was like half what it should of been. So we switched that,” said Alex.
“The other one was to do with the Kano keyboard, which has an integrated touchpad and click and the Bluetooth connectivity and USB RS as well. Pretty complicated product. And we have one main supplier for it, who was relying on a couple of sub suppliers for a few components inside. And we did a full factory audit, just before shipping — to gauge social and environmental standards, working conditions. And everyone passed with flying colors But there was one component in the keyboard, the battery, when we went to the factory of the sub supplier it wasn’t up to our ethical standards of how we’d like to manufacture.
“This supplier was very much like China five years ago, so we ditched that supplier.”
Attention to detail - rejecting something that works because it isn't good enough, is impressive. Would I have thought to strip the cable to see if the wire count was up to standard provided it worked? Would I have forced the sub to change battery suppliers? I don't know.
They were two months late due to this, but this is a reasonable time/quality trade-off - especially on a launch product. This is the sort of thing that makes me want to see what they have up next, and the sort of thinking we need more of.
TV as monitor (Score:3)
and then you still have to buy a screen for it.
Or reuse your existing television.
The premise that you need to buy this in order to learn how to program is nothing short of a scam
You do if all you have is a phone or an iPad brand tablet or both. One of my coworkers has no computer at home.
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Or you can buy a Raspberry Pi and an SD card, download the software and books for free, and stop whining (parent poster).
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Pretty much all digital TV run Linux, so there already is a computer inside ! :-)
Tivoized (Score:3)
It's more than the H/W (Score:5, Insightful)
While the price for the hardware is not awful, they have also built a whole structured environment to help kids learn to code. It's all well and good to simply sit a kid down in front of a Linux box, but unless the parents themselves know how to code, how is one supposed to know where to start the learning process? A tightly restricted H/W platform makes the S/W package tons easier to deploy.
And the intent is that you'll use a TV as the screen, not a monitor (although you certainly could.)
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Um, I bought one of these, and read through the manual about the whole 'learn to code' thing. It is "code" only in the sense that both are done on a computer.
One is a some kind of game, with a graphical UI for "coding", where you have two blocks, one is the game, the other is using to set the color. You place one next to the other, then click on the 'color' block to select the color you want to UI.
Others are just starting apps from the command line, and you just give different options to the command line.
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The kit is for people who want a computer, keyboard, software pre-loaded on an SD card, book, etc.
You're expected to plug it into a TV that you already own, which is why they don't include a monitor.
You can also just use the software. It's a free download (http://www.kano.me/downloads) and all of the source code is on GitHub. Heck, they even let you download the content of the books for free.
So the premise is that if you want the physical stuff (Pi, keyboard, books, software on SD card) it's $129, and if al
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I think you missed the key point that the kids learn about computers, including building the computer that they then program, so the whole thing is less mysterious, and it's something that they own and control, not borrowing time on the "family PC". Note that the first part of the instructions is wiring up the Raspberry Pi, a speaker, etc., so they learn about electronics, not just computer programming. And they're targeting the Raspberry Pi, not a PC, because they're giving kids their own simple computer a
Kano? (Score:2)
Showing my age here, Kano was the name of the computer operator dude in Space: 1999.
MORTAL KOMBAAAAAAT! (Score:2)
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Great series, 'Space: 1999', season one. It shaped my taste for technology (an aesthetics!) back then.
A bit off-topic, there is a kind of reboot in the making: http://www.space2099theseries.com/
If it will be an epic win or an epic fail, it remains to be seen...
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If you mean turn from the 19th to the 20th, that's really showing your age!
Whoa, Deja Vu! (Score:2)
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Likewise I started with a KIM-1 !
Also a SYM-1 and then a Rockwell AIM-65.
Then built my own version with a 6502 and a MM57109.
Then the Apple II came along...
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The problem is: the memory is just big enough to install the facebook app on it.
After that, all is lost.
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Also, it can be very inappropriate in the office...
Hmmmm... (Score:1)
To buy or not to buy.
That is the question...
LK