[NEWS] Kano, the kids-focused coding and hardware startup, inks deal with Microsoft, launches $300 Kano PC – Loganspace

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[NEWS] Kano, the kids-focused coding and hardware startup, inks deal with Microsoft, launches $300 Kano PC – Loganspace


Kano, the London-essentially essentially based startup that builds hardware designed to educate youthful of us about computing and coding, is taking a serious step ahead in its development technique this day. The startup has inked a partnership with Microsoft that sees Kano launching the Kano PC, a new 11.6-stride contact-enabled, Intel Atom-powered computer, its first to flee Windows —Windows 10 S namely. As fragment of the deal, Microsoft shall be investing of an undisclosed amount in Kano.

The Kano PC is up for pre-narrate now at $299.ninety 9 and £299.ninety 9 on Kano.me and the Microsoft Store, to ship in October. It would possibly probably doubtless doubtless also glide on sale at chosen retailers in the US, Canada, and the UK starting October 21, 2019.

The shift to building a Windows-powered system is a serious one for Kano.

The startup first made its establish with astandard Kickstarter campaignessentially essentially based around a system constructed the exhaust ofRaspberry Pi, talking to the DIY ethos that has fashioned it over the final several years.

Alex Klein, Kano’s founder and CEO, acknowledged that while Kano will continue to enhance its Raspberry Pi-powered devices, it has yet to select what its roadmap shall be by components of launching new hardware on this processor:

“The Raspberry Pi devices remain in the portfolio at correct mark aspects, but this machine is designed for a powerful wider age location. It’s an even Windows PC” — Klein acknowledged, pointing to the Intel Atom x5-Z8350 Quad core 1.44 GHz processor, the 4GB of memory, and 64GB of storage — “and a highly effective machine for the price point.”

While the Kano line to this point has largely been feeble and tracked by 6-13 Three hundred and sixty five days-olds, Klein describes the Kano PC as a “K-12 system,” acknowledging that “branding can also hold more time to unfold” to connect with the youthful and older ends of that differ.

It would possibly probably doubtless doubtless be doing so with an military of system now supplied by components of its Microsoft partnership:

Invent Artwork – Learn to code excessive-quality photography in Coffeescript
Kano App – Invent nearly one thing else, alongside with magic results and adventurous worlds, with straightforward steps and programming fundamentals
Paint 3D – Invent and part 3D items and send them out for printing
Minecraft: Training Edition – The award-winning artistic game-essentially essentially based studying platform
Microsoft Groups – To earn new tasks and instruct, and part your work (Yes, Slack, now children would possibly doubtless doubtless be the exhaust of Groups)
Are residing Tiles – Personalized tasks on coding and creativity delivered straight to your dashboard

To this point, Kano’s traction with a core group of customers — youthful children who are in computers and coding, as well to fogeys who’ve to encourage their children to be in these — has resulted in it launching a more than a few of otheraccessoriesto work with its normal computers. It’s also launched a suave tech toy that performs to its demographic: final Three hundred and sixty five days, it launched aHarry Potter magic wandthat you just would assemble yourself, program and exhaust. Alex Klein, the CEO and founder, hinted in an interview that we’re going to search more products of this kind coming quickly from Kano.

The Microsoft deal will direct it a increased profile among a wider location of possibilities previous early adopters, and certain a new entry point into promoting into academic environments, where Microsoft has been making a extensive push.

Right here’s the second facet of the deal that’s also attention-grabbing: Microsoft has alengthy historical previous of promoting system and hardware into academic environmentsand this — a various notice from the rest of the relief — will direct switch kind into the mix, with a notice designed namely for youthful of us, in preference to adult-focused manufacturers which win been downsized in efficiency (but doubtless no longer in mark) for children.

“We’re very infected to accomplice with Kano for the launch of the Kano PC. We align with Kano’s scheme of setting up learn room experiences more inclusive for lecturers and college students, empowering them to assemble the future, no longer correct imagine it’” acknowledged Anthony Salcito, VP of Training at Microsoft, in a commentary.

Kano’s scrappy success to this point has also resulted in it raisingsome $50 million in fundingfrom a checklist of backers that consist of Saul and Robin Klein (family of the founder Alex Klein), as well to Marc Benioff, Index Ventures, Breyer Capital, Troy Carter and a more than a few of other merchants. Klein acknowledged that it’s doubtless to be shopping for yet one more equity round in the conclude to future, but declined to comment further on that.

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