The Kno: Tablet Meets Textbook

The Kno is a multi-dimensional two-screen tablet that could lighten your bag -- and change the face of textbooks.

According to Tablet PC Review, the Kno was designed specifically for students and may be able to do for them what the Kindle, Nook and iPad have not. It has been in development for a year.

Its student-geared features include a durable clamshell design, a "smooth and effortless" writing stylus that lets you highlight and annotate text and the ability to display a full textbook at once, eliminating the need for scrolling.

Check it out in the video below -- and let us know what you think in the comments section.

WATCH:

Kno Movie from Kno, Inc. on Vimeo.

Comments

[NonPrawf]

01:37 AM on 06/15/2010

My job stipulates that I work outside of an office setting, so i am always on the move. It is cumbersome to use a laptop at times. My smart phone doesn't quite deliver the punch I need at times. I need something between a laptop and smartphone.

Forget the Ipad!

[IDIOTA]

07:47 PM on 06/14/2010

If I go back to college to complete my degree, then this is the type of device that I want. But, whatever content I buy, I want to keep. I don't want material to expire or disappear like with Kindle.

I like it, and I would use it.

[NeoStar9]

09:26 AM on 06/15/2010

Things don't expire on the Kindle. As for disappearing if something wasn't suppose to be sold for legal reasons in the first place and they give you a full refund back for the item what is the problem? People really need to stop blowing that event out of proportion.

[Dan eman]

11:14 AM on 06/20/2010

Current business models for eTextbooks are typically based subscriptions for periods which last 180 days for a single semester subject. Two or multiple semester subjects are limited to 360 days (this is true for both the Online or Downloadable format). Of the four top publishers, only one understand the need for long term ownership of eTextbooks, in which the owner can establish a library of the purchased media. Therefore typically, this stuff will go away, unless the business model changes, based upon the expressed needs of students. One reason for the expiration of eTextbook content, is the perceived risk of students to "mapster" (file sharing), out their eTextbooks for other students to share, therefore destroying the publication market. No sales, not revenue, either via the web or from the bookstores. The real value of this type of product is the ability to share notes, references between study groups-teams-partners to enhance the learning experience. In this case, more and more students will be willing to venture out and utilize the electronic media market. Value and ease of use are key; therefore it all must fit into a package. The Kno is an attempt to put it all together.

[suzy86]

04:54 PM on 06/14/2010

Things like that make me want to go back to college. LOL

[mckinley]

04:49 PM on 06/14/2010

If this has a way to lay one side down and give it a touch keyboard, and keep the other side cantered up, to create a laptop/netbook style set up, this looks like it would be multiple degrees better than an iPad.

As long as there were even the basic speakers, cam, usb ports, etc.

[maab76]

12:28 PM on 06/14/2010

This product is more applicable to the ages enrolled in the "public" schools. The ability to load all of the texts and perhaps even supplemental reading for all classes into a single unit would certainly help to protect the spines of our growing students. The weight of the back packs carried by even our primary age students is staggering!

I can see KNO being capable of rapid updating when current events or recent developments and discoveries deserve to be covered. The environmentalist will also appreciate the saving of many trees from the frequent updating of textbooks. As a practical matter, it could also be used to defeat the dreaded Texas Textbook Massacre. States and communities could both amend that monstrosity, particularly in history and science!

[colamonkey]

08:25 PM on 06/13/2010

It looks sexy. I'd like to know more.

[Lahonda]

08:13 PM on 06/13/2010

With virtual keyboards, gesture limitations, battery life, pricing and processing power all suspect, more is needed to be known before the "Kno" will be a winner.

[Nick Mroz]

03:28 PM on 06/13/2010

I wish i had this when I was in college, my GPA would have been MUCH higher. :P lol

[floodberg]

03:18 PM on 06/13/2010

I don't have a cellphone, Ipod, Ipad, blackberry...

BUT THIS I COULD USE!! Hope it has a camera and USB ports...

[DavidWyld]

02:56 PM on 06/13/2010

As a college prof, I can safely say that this will be huge! The device looks very user-friendly and combining the dual screens to achieve the "true book" look and feel, along with Tablet PC applications all in one - the Kno looks like a real winner. The downside though is the price of e-books from textbook publishers - if they can be persuaded to lower the price versus a traditional paper text, then more and more content will go to these devices and the market will flourish. Need a tester or a test class - I'm in!

David http://wyld-about-technology.blogspot.com/

[Dan eman]

02:20 AM on 06/14/2010

I have been evaluating eLearning and eTextbook platforms for the past two years. This solves many of the issues being faced by students in regards to usability. It merges together the need and desire for integrated note taking, similar to what OneNote from Microsoft has done with their Microsoft Office platform. The cost of eTextbooks has come down, but one problem remains in regards to the subscription lifespan of many eTextbooks, as they tend to expire within a 120 day period. For real learning experiences, a virtual bookshelf / library model would be a more advantages platform, wherein subjects already taken would/could be used for reference materials when more advanced course work. Many of the eTextbooks come in either an online or downloadable format. My preference is to have downloaded content, because of the limitations of campus Wi-Fi resources. .... I agree that this will be really huge.

[cichlid mom]

11:21 PM on 06/15/2010

I would have been skeptical of this - only because I am relatively old fashioned (tho not old by any means) when it comes to paper books. But since I have downloaded the ebook apps on my iphone I am sold. I agree, keep the price down and maybe my students will actually buy the books. If I am really lucky they will read them. It would also be nice to see cross brand compatibility as well. The etexts currently produced by Sage I believe are fantastic in our discipline. But you have to use a pc (not portable yet I believe).

I would love to see them go multi-platform as well - to Kindles, Ipads, etc. let the consumer chose the hardware and make the texts work on multiple platforms. Know this would require more $$ but I still think the publishers would benefit in the long run. I bet in my classes of 50 or so 10-12 students actually buy their texts. Some dont for financial reasons, most due to priorities. But still we have to adapt to changing norms - and books are not the "essentials" they used to be.

[Dan eman]

06:28 PM on 06/21/2010

If textbooks are required to succeed in a course, then the course content should be based upon the textbook. What format the student may select to use to actually read this required content isn't an issue, when it is reproduced in identical image fashion (a PDF image of the textbook, or something similar). Page numbers, image content and references must stay intact, otherwise it becomes a guessing game, and the student will lose out.

If the textbook document gets modified, to fit within the constraints of the reader, the published value, that the author went to a great deal of work to create and maintain with some level of consistence will be devalued and become ineffective.

If an instructor chooses to put content into an online learning management system (Angel or BlackBoard, or WebCT), they need to determine if they have the right to extract information from other sources, without violation of copyrights. Wiley Plus has a platform, which allows for the incorporation of textbook material into a learning management system.

In regards to getting students to actually read textbooks, that is entirely another issue. If students are to be successful in their learning experience, they should be directed to read and understand the course material. Quiz and practice exams should be a direct indication if the students are engaged in the course material. Depending on what teaching style is being used, an instructor may stray as needed. Financial issues are solved by library reserves of textbooks.

[3neuticals]

02:34 PM on 06/13/2010

OK. The 14" dual screens would be somewhat cumbersome IMO. That's a BIG device, whereas I get the impression that Apple put a lot of research into finding just the right size for the iPad. I gave up even considering the Nook, Kindle, etc. because most of the texts that I read have tables, formulas and related graphics.

BUT....the idea of having embedded video links and ability to hi-light, write notes and post stickies, etc. is pretty cool. And the wear and tear of traditional reference materials would become a non-issue as well. Now, if only we could get past this thing with the so-called "New Economy" that could rapidly render most everything that we deal with these days obsolete, including having to actually learn.

[kingoftheberry]

02:01 PM on 06/13/2010

Textbooks- particularly science books- usually cost upward of $70 a pop. If the kno meets expectations (or a least does not drastically fail them) and had a wide range of textbooks-this could be very cost effective. I could see one in my future.

[3neuticals]

02:41 PM on 06/13/2010

This is what confuses me somewhat about the current adherence to the traditional learning structure. This idea of mandating SPECIFIC textbooks and subsequent textbook-specific questions is antiquated. It is a racket that struggles to stay alive in the days of YouTube and other online reference that suit multiple learning styles across multiple languages- and more efficiently I might add.

[floodberg]

03:20 PM on 06/13/2010

My goddaughter is studying engineering at a private college, her texts were outrageous, and downloading onto a pc is not as good as a paper book. This however, would work for her very nicely. Guess I know what to get her for the next school year, if she likes it. Maybe I can get a 2/1 deal...I'd love it. Almost all her texts were downloadable at major savings.

[chrisrb]

01:11 PM on 06/13/2010

He's absolutely right ... today, Americans are idiots, generally.

Smarts aren't "cool," and cool is what matters in America. That's why our time is over. The fall of the American Empire is already in progress.

"I don't want to be an American Idiot."

Great song. Truer words were never sung.

[JWoode]

11:48 AM on 06/13/2010

This will be the year for an explosion in personal form factor computing devices and we can thank Apple for the consciousness raising of the masses.

Even though this article isn't about the Ipad.. it is. There is a flood of very innovative small devices emerging and with each one that I see, I measure it against the Ipad. Some pass, some fail, but many are looking and comparing and seeing past the initial marketing speak.

It is obvious that masses gravitate toward open, non proprietary, free form usage. Consider the statistics on installed pc's in home and business and ask.. will proprietary be the way of the future in personal computer devices that we carry in pockets, orifices, and briefcases?

[Steve Mahoney]

10:50 AM on 06/13/2010

In general, the tipping point for tablets and eBooks happened this year. The iPad will lead the way but there will be additional competition from HP and Dell towards Christmas. The economics, flexibility, and social weave benefits are tremendous and very compelling. With battery life above 8 hours and the Bluetooth enablement marketing emerging, there will be many options for students to immerse themselves in the online and offline experiences an make learning actually fun and enjoyable.