14 DAY TRIAL // Mechanics are awesome things, especially when you're trying to work the brain of the young, but LEGO can only last so long without losing its appeal. Fortunately, electronics have been catching on with the younger generation, and Kano is pure evidence of that.
Well, technically, it's still debatable whether or not it's a good idea to expose children to electronics devices from an early age. It was already bad enough when they were raised as “mindless drones” that watched TV all the time and didn't socialize.
Now, there are smartphones and tablets made specifically for children. And we don't just mean pre-teens, but toddlers as well. Truly, man has dared to go where no man has gone before.
Given all this, it's hardly a shock to learn of a “modular” computer system that can be put together by childish hands.
Called Kano, it is a computing and coding kit that lets young ones build a PC based on a Raspberry Pi credit card-sized device.
You've heard about it by now, the mini PC that started out as a means to teach students software coding but skyrocketed in popularity once it came out that it could turn any display into a smart TV.
Made doubly hilarious by how very few people actually use the PC for that particular purpose. It really does see more use in its original role really. Kano is just a much more sophisticated example.
So far, children as young as six have managed to assemble a working computer from the kit, while the maximum age of participants was 81 years old. So we suppose the Kano is a way to pass the time fitting for all ages.
The first step in making it all work is to take the brain, then a color case in which to hold everything. Making a speaker is the next stage, after which interconnects are all that remain.
The performance of the Kano is laughable at best, but you should still have enough computing power and memory for basic web browsing and the playback of video.
You can even code via drag-and-drop blocks, or make some low-resource games, or just allow you child genius to surface earlier than anyone could have planned. Or later, as the case may be. It's almost a shame that the Kano isn't up for sale yet. Well, it is, but only for pre-order at $129 / €95 - €129. Shipments will only begin later this summer.