Raspberry Pi provides an inexpensive way for aspiring computer scientists to start hacking, but its bare-bones offering can be intimidating to a newcomer. Kano is a forthcoming open-source computer kit designed to make coding as easy as assembling Lego bricks.
A Kickstarter for the project has attracted more than six times its $100,000 goal with 25 days left to go. It is expected to be available next summer for $99, though to preorder one now will cost you $119. (The price includes global shipping.)
Among other projects, Kano can be used to build simple games, like Pong or Snake, or create music, sounds, and HD video. The kit runs a variation of Linux and includes visual coding software called Kano Blocks that outputs Python and Javascript. A Kano keyboard costs $49 more; you’ll need to bring your own monitor. Among the project’s supporters: Eben Upton, founder and CEO of Raspberry Pi, who says Kano is “doing great work making the Pi more accessible to younger and less technical audiences.”
Here’s a video showing how Kano is assembled:
Source: TheVerge
