I bought this for my 8 year old son on a friend's recommendation. I'm not going to lie I was a bit intimidated when I opened the box, but the build instructions were very user friendly(a 10 year could probably do it alone) and my son and I had fun putting it together (took about 20-30min). As soon as I powered it on my so was in awe that we had actually successfully built a tablet/computer. He loves the different coding apps and games and will spend hours on it if I let him. I would highly recommend this and I'm so glad I have it a shot, it's definitely not like other kano toys but it is pretty awesome. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is I wish the keyboard attached some kind of way for easy storage.
My nephew loved this starter kit. As most kids nowadays, he is glued to technology. As opposed to giving him a phone or tablet to play on, surf YouTube, etc, it was much more rewarding to see him figure out how to build his own. The instructions were very easy to follow with lots of pictures, that he needed little guidance. He is almost 7, though very bright for his age. Once it was up and running we had a blast fiddling with the settings and games! There are plenty of fun and educational activities and functions to explore so there is no risk of your kid getting bored!
I'm going to leave the original review below, as I still hold that customer service is spotty and I'm dinging it a star for that. That said, the new device came and I had a better experience with the replacement.
It assembles easily enough, and it's simple to upgrade the memory if you ever need to, though they give you a generous 16 gig card. You want a micro SD card class 10. The class matters. Anything slower will give you a sluggish experience, and that's true of anything you do on a Pi. It's true of anything you do this intensive on an SD card. After that, they have software on their website to image the card easily.
The out of box OS is interesting. There's a lot there for kids to play with. Hacking Minecraft, a full office suite, Scratch, games. This will keep anyone busy for months. Codecademy is there, and I highly recommend that. I like that it's built in, because that teaches serious developers skills. The keyboard stores on the back magnetically, so it's hard to lose. I would recommend pairing this with a laptop case, and perhaps a larger keyboard down the road.
Eventually a kid might want a harder challenge and an experience closer to a real development environment. That's where this really shines. You can pick up an SD card as above and install NOOBS on it as a free download. It's a Pi. It runs it. So far I have not seen issues running Raspian. If it does weird stuff like cut off the edge during install, don't worry. It corrects itself once the OS is actually up and running. This will give you access to professional grade dev tools in languages like Perl, Java and Python. This will give you experience on a distribution of Linux, commonly used on servers, particularly web servers. Here I should point out that while the OOB OS is a sheltered playground for kids, for the most part, NOOBS is straight on Linux.
It's a simple process to shut down, open the back, pull out one microSD card and pop in the other, so you can just switch between environments at will in about a minute. There are quite a few images available on NOOBS, so there is a lot to explore. This device even provides three USB ports (four is you unplug, even temporarily, the microphone) so you can attach more peripherals, and even develop Arduino sketches on the Pi. How cool is that?
Overall, I'm pleased with the second one, but I had a hard time getting to the point where the thing would work, and I'm leaving my initial experience below. I will point out, after posting this, I did get rapid resolution from their team.
The thing seemed easy enough to assemble, after I turned it on it went about halfway through its startup routine. "Type cd rabbithole" etc, then the screen just went inexplicably black.
I checked all the wires, everything was seated, and then rebooted. It came back, got a little further along, then went black again. I tried swapping cables, looking for a short in one. Nothing. I reimaged the sd card with the software on their website. Nothing.
At that point I reached out to customer service, and neither rep really wanted to be bothered. With the first, the conversation went something like this.
Rep: Wipe everything and reinstall the OS. Here are the instructions.
Ivy: Already did, but I'll try again. (Tries again and the screen blanks five minutes in.) That didn't work.
Rep: I have no clue. I'll escalate it.
I mentioned to the second rep that I might pick up another microSD and put NOOBS on it, and without trying any diagnostics at all, without suggesting a single thing to try in the meanwhile (I told him the card would arrive in two days) he said to go do that and get back to him if it didn't work. This was exactly the amount of useful information I would have gotten had I explained it to a guppy.
It's likely a hardware failure and I'm getting no support in identifying and exchanging the defective part. I've got 30 years experience in IT, some of it in help desk, and if I ever brushed off a customer like that, I'd have lost my job on the spot.
As an update, they reached out to me. Logan was very helpful. There is a new one on the way, and I'll revisit this as soon as it comes.
I REALLY like this computer. The color and design make it very accessible and distinct, and I find the tablet concept actually more freeing than a laptop. The clear plastic case for the tablet is a little larger than I expected, but built to be sturdy.
The assembly instructions and the online guides are all very clear, easy to follow, and perfect for a novice to assemble independently. Most of the included apps are geared specifically to children; however, in my opinion, anyone can learn a lot from assembling and using this computer!
A few points: first, the processor is a raspberry pi, so it's not speedy, but it gets the job done. Second, older children may find the format too juvenile. I personally find it charming 😉. Third, I had an issue with a defective battery when it arrived. Amazon offered to exchange the entire unit. When I contacted Kano by email, they responded very promptly. While you apparently cannot buy individual parts, Kano gladly sent a replacement battery asap. I was very pleased with the customer service and follow-ups from both Amazon and Kano. Fourth, the keyboard may be small for some people. It's actually a great size for me.
This would have been an ultimate Christmas gift for me as a kid, to be used and recalled as a prominent memory. So far, it's fantastic. Thank you!
I bought this kit as birthday gift for my nephew (6), and he has been coding non-stop! The instruction manual was very clear, and he was able to assemble his computer completely on his own. He's already completed about 30 activities and my sister-in-law is very happy to see him getting screen time that engages him in a positive way. The touch screen has also been great. I bought an earlier kit for a friend's daughter, but there's a whole new set of activities related to the touch screen that I think he's really connecting with. Strong recommend!
Feature Product
- All in one box. Step-by-step book, 10.1'" Hd screen, Raspberry Pi 3, battery, DIY speaker, wireless keyboard, case and stand, memory, 3 USB ports, HDMI and power cables, sound sensor, stickers, Kano unique operating system.
- Learn to code with 100+ Creative challenges and stories
- Make art, games and music. Hack Minecraft to do something new
- Play with Google's song Maker. Browse the internet, watch YouTube, write stories, 100+ apps.
- Endless play with Kano world. Remix 500, 000+ creations Made by the Kano community.Wifi: 802.11n Wireless LAN
- For ages 6+. no technical knowledge required. Includes Lifetime care and 1 year Warranty.
Description
Learn to code on a touchscreen computer you build yourself. 100+ step-by-step creative challenges and stories show you how. Make art, music, and games. Create with exclusive voice, and sound projects. Don't just play Minecraft, hack it to do something new.
My younger one assemble this computer on her own. Instructions are easy for 11 years to assemble. She is excited and having fun with her new computer. Now we are talking in terms of technology. Good way to start conversation with kids about computers. Next stop will be on Python programming.
I bought 2 for the grandkids. I have worked with Raspberry Pis and built many things. I thought the price was finally at an acceptable range. The kit is easily built by a 6 year old. My 5 year old grandson is a lego whiz and had no problem follwing the instruction manual. The end result is a portable battery powered raspberry Pi computer with a tough screen. The web site has projects and there is a lot to do with it. Using Scratch is a great introduction to programming logic. This is a great educational product.
Caveat: If you are looking for a game platform, look elsewhere. That is not what this is about.
Easy to put togtjer with your kids and takes about 30 mintues. This will teach them how to code and program to get a head start on the future of technology.
The Kano Computer Kit was given as a Christmas gift. Our 11-year old was able to put the components together by following the instruction guide much the same as putting together a Lego kit. Once assembled, the tablet computer worked just fine. He loves to browse within the selected parental restrictions and most of the programming modules are fun to create and run. The only issue is how the projects he creates are saved. There is no readily identifiable "save" button. Bottom line: Kano has a product that a kid build and enjoy.
My 7 yr old son loves coding. Hated paying this price but it’s a great tablet/computer. He bent the charging chord and I emailed Kano..with no problems we are being send a new one. Awesome buy!
0 comments:
Post a Comment