Screen
dreams.
When
we reviewed the Kano last year, a kit that includes a Raspberry Pi
and everything you need to get coding, we were very impressed. The
Kano has been something heavily used and tinkered with at Test Pit
Towers, even long after the review went live. However, read the
review and you'll see that the one thing the Kano doesn't come with
is a screen, requiring you to hook it up to an external monitor or
TV. Well, not any more, as we discovered when we reviewed the Kano
Screen Kit.
What
is it? Well, the Kano Screen Kit allows you to build your own 10.1
inch HD screen, in the same way you would have constructed your Kano
microcomputer. The set includes everything you need to put the screen
together, including the circuit board, buttons, wires, and power
cable. All you then have to do is add your Kano and you're away.
The
idea behind this is to give kids their own personal screen to let
them use the Kano coding programmes and games wherever they like –
no more borrowing dad's PC monitor or hogging the living room TV.
Also, the Kano Screen Kit can be used to store the whole Kano
package, because as well as accommodating the Raspberry Pi there is
also a slot for the orange wireless keyboard to slide into.
Putting
the screen together was slightly simpler than building the Kano
itself, but still very fun and interesting. The control board is
pre-soldered and attached to the back of the screen unit, so all you
have to do is plug in the connectors for the buttons, then attach the
Micro USB power wire (which is a splitter cable, allowing you to also
power your Kano from it), and then the HDMI cable. A shorter HDMI is
included with the screen, so there's no need to coil up the huge one
you got with the original Kano kit to make it fit. You then protect the board with a clip-on cover, as below.
You
attach the power/brightness buttons by way of a small piece of
Velcro, then clip your Kano into the space on the back. Once
completed the instructions (which lay everything out like a LEGO
instruction book) then prompt you to use the included magnifying
glass to peer at the screen as it comes to life, pointing out the
many pixels and what makes them work. It's all very fascinating, even
for a thirty-something technology journalist.
Fired
up, the 10.1 inch Kano screen is LCD and features a resolution of
1280 x 800p, which is very good considering this is just a tad more
than £100, and that it is made from tough Gorilla Glass. Connected
to the Kano, and running their special Linux-based operating system,
it is a pleasure to use, and doing so with the Kano's wireless
keyboard (with integrated trackpad) feels very natural. Everything
looks bright, crisp and clear on the screen, from the basic coding
software, to running heavier things like Minecraft and playing
videos.
The
screen can either be set upright or angled downwards. There is no
accelerometer in either the screen or the Kano, so changing between
the two requires a quick settings change. We discovered that kids
preferred to use it upright, as they tend to be lower down in a
chair, (being smaller, as they are. Bless) whereas our adult testers
preferred the laid back position to get a better view of the screen.
No matter which way you choose to place it, there is still a gap for
the power cable to trail out, and the Kano stays locked in and
secure.
Just
as with the Kano itself, the screen kit offers other uses outside of
the coding world. You basically have a very good screen here with an
available HDMI port, meaning anything could be connected to it. We've
experimented using it as a second screen for a laptop (which it did
so very well), as well as hooking up a couple of games consoles
(although doing so required additional speakers). When the Kano
Screen isn't being used in conjunction with a Kano, it still has many
uses, both for kids and adults.
A
great addition to your existing Kano kit, the Kano Screen Kit is well
worth it if your little coder is hogging other screens too much, or
if they are looking for a fun and challenging gadget to use with
their other computers.
£119.99