Kno

Last updated

Kno, Inc.
Company typeSubsidiary of Intel
Industry E-learning
Defunct2013
Headquarters,
Key people
Osman Rashid
Babur Habib
Marc Andreessen
ProductseTextbooks and eBooks
Services Education software
Website kno.com   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Kno, Inc. was a software company that worked with publishers to offer digital textbooks and other educational materials. [1] In November 2013, after raising nearly $100 million in venture capital, the company was acquired by Intel. The website was stopped and the service renamed to Intel Education Study later on. [2]

Contents

History

Founded in May 2009, Kno was headed by CEO Osman Rashid, [3] the co-founder of Chegg, and CTO Babur Habib, a consumer electronics veteran. The firm received funding from Andreessen Horowitz, [4] Intel Capital, Goldman Sachs, FLOODGATE and GSV Capital, and was based in Santa Clara, California.

The company initially announced, in June 2010, a line of tablet computers. [5] Its goal was to offer a "digital textbook/student platform" aimed at the academic market. [4] The textbook tablet was available either with a single panel 14.1" touchscreen or with dual 14.1" touchscreens. [6] The operating system was based on Linux and Webkit. [7]

In April 2011, the company announced that it had licensed its hardware design to Intel and would instead focus on developing software. [8] Two months later, the company released an iPad application, [9] followed by versions for the Galaxy Note 10.1, [10] Android Jelly Bean, [11] Windows 7 & 8, [12] and Web platforms and devices. [13]

In August 2012, the company expanded its catalog of titles from college textbooks to include the K-12 market. [14]

The company was acquired by Intel the following year. [15]

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References

  1. "Kno Partners With State University of New York Press to Bring Digital Content to Students - Digital Book World". February 4, 2013. Archived from the original on April 11, 2016. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
  2. Carrie Mihalcik (November 9, 2013). "Intel stuffs its backpack with high-tech textbooks in Kno deal". CNET News . Retrieved November 9, 2013.
  3. "Kno: Andreessen Horowitz, others invest $46M in digital textbook startup". San Jose Mercury News. September 8, 2010. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
  4. 1 2 "Kno Wants a Slice of Apple". Time Magazine. November 11, 2010. Archived from the original on November 15, 2010. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
  5. Helft, Miguel (June 10, 2010). "A Tablet to Let Students Replace Notebooks and Textbooks". New York Times. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
  6. Helft, Miguel (September 27, 2010). "Kno Offers a Second, Lighter Tablet Computer For Students". New York Times. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
  7. "Kno dual-screen tablet appears at D8, we go hands-on". Engadget. June 2, 2010. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
  8. "Intel Capital, Advance Publications, Andreessen Horowitz, First Round Capital, FLOODGATE and SV Angels Invest $30 Million in Kno". Press release. April 8, 2011. Retrieved April 8, 2011.
  9. "Kno Unveils Beta Textbook App for iPad with World's Largest eTextbook Catalog". www.businesswire.com. June 6, 2011.
  10. "Kno Education App and Samsung GALAXY Note 10.1 Bring Interactive Textbook Experience to Android". www.businesswire.com. August 15, 2012.
  11. "Intel® Education Study App - Android Apps on Google Play". play.google.com.
  12. "Buy Kno Textbooks - Microsoft Store". Microsoft Store.
  13. "Same textbooks, WAY smarter | eTextbooks | 15-day money back guarantee | Available on iPad, Android, Windows 7, Windows 8 and Web". Archived from the original on April 29, 2015. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  14. "Kno Launches K-12 Digital Textbooks, Empowering Parents to Go Digital at Home". www.businesswire.com. August 7, 2012.
  15. "Intel Education Welcomes Kno to the Family - CSR@Intel". blogs.intel.com. November 8, 2013.