Kno announced today that the company plans to make a single screen version of its tablet textbook. The company received a $46 million round of funding in August for its then dual-screen tablet textbook, which came with a strong endorsement from investor Marc Andreessen who said that the device was “the most powerful tablet anyone has ever made.”
Kno, short for knowledge, is a touch-screen tablet that focuses on providing digital textbooks, course materials, note-taking, web access, and educational applications. The device boasts a stylus so that students can take notes directly onto the screen.
Despite the current dominance of the iPad, more companies are poised to enter the tablet market soon. But what differentiates Kno, according to CEO and co-founder Osman Rashid, is that the product is specifically designed for the education market. He contends that the iPad is primarily an entertainment device, whereas Kno will be an “integrated experience for learning.” Students will be able to get port their textbooks and their course materials to the device and collaborate – share notes, chat via Skype – as they study.
Wooing Students, Wooing Developers
But it remains to be seen if the Kno will win over the student market. While students may rejoice at the thought of replacing their heavy textbooks with an education-oriented e-reader, the price for the dual-screen tablet, while not confirmed by the company, is supposed to be just under $1,000. Rashid does say the single screen version will be cheaper and will be competitive with other tablet options. The price of the Kno will be revealed “soon,” he says.
Rashid also says that Kno is working to build a strong developer community, something that it – along with any competitor – will have to do in order to build a robust set of app offerings to make it a viable alternative to the iPad.
While Kno may have a rough road ahead of it to win the tablet and e-reader market, it’s hard to deny that Rashid, as the co-founder of the textbook rental company Chegg – which Boomtown reported over the weekend recently raised a $75 million Series E round of funding – isn’t working to disrupt the ways in which college textbooks are distributed.
Kno says that both the single- and dual-screen tablets should be available later this year.
