FAQ

What did you announce on June 2nd
On June 2nd, we announced the public launch of Kno, previously known as Kakai. Kno is the company behind a next generation digital textbook created specifically for college students to help them learn and engage with their textbooks, notes, the Internet and their digital media. There is no other product on the market today that addresses the specific needs of college students.
What is the mission of this company?
We aim to fundamentally change the way students learn by offering new ways to digitally consume, organize, create and share knowledge. We want to help create the new ecosystem that changes the way students learn in the 21st century.
What kind of product are you offering?
Kno is the digital textbook of tomorrow: a transformative two-panel eReader that artfully blends the intuitive experience of the conventional textbook with a rich digital world of video, note-taking, sharing and more.
Do you have research validating the need for this type of device in the education market?
Yes, the Kno was developed in close collaboration with students, teachers and publishers to build something specifically for this market. We have spent thousands of hours studying how students study, understanding their natural behavior when it comes to consuming, creating, organizing and sharing knowledge, and study related gestures that students use today. We did all this to better understand the core components of a complete educational experience. All this insight has been integrated into the Kno - from the size of the screen to the speed of highlighting.
Why are you announcing the Kno now if it's not available yet?
The eReader/tablet market and education policy are hot topics today in the media, and Kno wants to be part of the discussion and create awareness for its upcoming product. We want students, parents, publishers and teachers to know that a real educational solution is on the way, and they don't have to settle for products that are focused on entertainment rather than education.
How will I write on the Kno?
The Kno comes with an ergonomic stylus. Students will be able to write directly on their digital textbooks or in their notebook with the stylus, just as they would with any pen.
When will the product be available?
We will offer a beta version to a number of students this fall, and we expect the device to be available for purchase on our website by late fall.
How much will it cost?
We are not disclosing the cost at this time. However, given the price of textbooks, the Kno will pay for itself when compared with buying traditional textbooks.
Will the Kno be available outside of the United States?
At this point in time, we are focusing on initially releasing the Kno in the United States in English. However, we are building an advisory panel that will have significant impact on our plans and strategy. The advisory panel will be made up of students, teachers, parents, developers, etc. and will allow you to comment, see product earlier than others and provide input into our design process and even the company focus. For more information, click on the link provided: http://www.kno.com/jointhepanel.html
Are you using any green technologies to build the device?
One of our biggest contributions is helping to reduce the number of physical textbooks created each year. Each year the textbooks used by college students are approximately equal to 27,000,000 trees. Our goal is to always use greener alternatives when building the tablet. We also intend to offset our footprint in a variety of ways.
Will you offer customer/technical service?
Yes, a great customer experience is core and central to how we do business. We will provide customer service on campus for our beta customers. We will provide online support, call and mail-in device technical support as well as a crowd-sourcing knowledge platform.
What does the name Kno mean?
Kno is short for knowledge or know. We feel Kno is rebellious much like our company, our product and most importantly students that are breaking free from the old way of doing things. Kno is also the new way of saying 'know' and is used everyday by our core customers when it comes to texting and twitter.
Can I write applications for the Kno?
Yes, our platform is very developer-friendly. Our Software Development Kit (SDK) supports web technologies such as JavaScript, HTML5, and CSS, so the large community of web developers will find it to be a seamless transition.

The Kno platform offers a variety of unique APIs that are ideal for education, including programming support for pen, dual touchscreens, and contextual menus for content sharing. You won't find these kinds of APIs on other platforms. We believe this type of innovation will attract and inspire developers to create and build applications that will amaze and delight students, teachers, and the broader education community.
When will the SDK for the Kno be available?
We are planning to have a beta version available for a select number of developers before the end of the year. Please sign up for the Panel to learn more.
Do you have publishers signed on for launch? If so, which ones?
Kno is in discussions with all the major higher education textbook publishers, representing more than 90% of the market. We have also announced joint beta programs with those publishers for the fall. We have established deep relationships with content owners to secure access to most popular textbooks and materials required for students.
Can I buy any eBook, or does it only work with textbooks?
Regular eBooks will be available in addition to eTextbooks. We will continue to work to make our catalog as comprehensive as possible.
How will students purchase and download textbooks?
The Kno will support a full Kno Store, enabling students to access digital content directly from the device (e.g. eTextbooks, homework and assessment systems). Content will be downloaded within minutes to the device.
What's the battery life of the Kno?
The Kno has been designed with dual batteries to last a student as they study during the day. Most universities are highly connected, so students are able to charge their laptops and other devices during the academic day.
What if the device breaks or crashes? Will I lose all my stuff?
The Kno will back itself up to the cloud at frequent intervals, and students will be able to access their textbooks, notes, etc. from a normal browser using a web portal. So if a Kno breaks, the student can freely access their data while the Kno is being replaced - and the data will be as fresh as the latest sync up to the cloud.
Have you tested the product with students? What was their reaction?
Yes, the development of the Kno has been a collaborative effort with students throughout the entire process. Students have been closely involved in design, feature development, usability research, discussion of study habits and much more. We are proud of our interaction with these students, since they have essentially built the Kno with us.

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Students, parents, educators and developers have helped us get where we are.

We created Kno with their ongoing feedback about every aspect – creating a textbook experience, taking notes, combining studying and the web.

As cool as Kno is, it’s going to get even cooler. Join our Advisory Panel and help.

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