Kano is currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter to bring a new PC kit to market. The kit is touted as a “computer and coding kit for all ages, all over the world,” and the campaign to fund it has already crossed $1 million in funding with over two weeks to go.
Over 9,000 backers from all over the world have pledged to the campaign. So what makes this kit different from similar Kickstarter plays like the Littlebox? The answer lies in the packaging, the functionality and the polish.
…And Alex is preparing the kits to go to Africa! pic.twitter.com/L3q3Q87kBq
— Kano (@TeamKano) December 4, 2013
This is a well put-together package of components with everything one would need to create a computer short of a monitor. The packaging is sleek and you can tell the team worked really hard to put forth a professional look for their “presumers.”
The functionality here is awesome and it should appeal to kids that find tech interesting and want to learn the programming ropes. The Kano team have created a Scratch-like language for interacting with games like Minecraft. The language makes it easy for kids to write their own programs on the computer they just built.
There are other device specific features including but not limited to Kano’s OS, which is based on Debian Linux. The OS includes an interface that looks and feels a bit like a gaming console.
A booklet is included that walks the user through building the computer, and it includes levels where kids can achieve milestones for beating levels.
With 15 days left to go and worldwide mass appeal, this campaign could eventually threaten to overtake the Emotiv Insight for #2 on Kickstarter’s all-time most funded design projects list. The Pebble smartwatch looks to be safe for now, though.
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