Galaxy Note 10.1 explores its educational side, comes with pre-loaded Kno textbook app

It’s not every day we see a mainstream Android device take an interest in educational software, but then again Samsung’s newly unveiled Galaxy Note 10.1 is not your usual run-of-the-mill tablet, is it?

Sammy’s 10-incher comes pre-loaded with the Kno textbook app, according to an official press release from the Korean manufacturer, which is a newsworthy topic from two points of view. On one side, it’s nice to see Samsung thinking a little outside of the box and trying to draw the attention of customers in an original way, while on the other we can finally welcome Kno’s educational software on Android.

Silicon Valley-based Kno tried the impossible last year, when it unveiled a dual-screen tablet for students to support the company’s pretty popular software. Unfortunately, though, that proved a major and painful failure. After that, Kno’s textbooks have only been available on Apple’s iPads and on PCs, with Android tech users/students being completely left out of the mix.

Well, we’re certainly not left out now, with the Galaxy Note 10.1 being only the road-opener. That means Android will soon get its own “Textbooks by Kno” app, though we don’t have an official release date yet. In the meantime, let’s concentrate on what the Note 10.1’s pre-loaded Kno software brings to the table, especially considering that the future full-fledged Android app should most likely look identical.

Kno supplies electronic textbooks for both K-12 and college students, with more than 200,000 titles from 65 publishers in its digital portfolio. Aside from being able to read your school books on a friendlier format with more reduced costs, the Kno app also comes with over 70 features to make learning fun.

Social Sharing is by far the highlight of Kno’s feature list, allowing teachers and students to share the content they add to a digital book with their peers. This can be anything from simple notes to “SmartLinks” to external websites, drawings, pictures or videos. The app will of course be much more functional and interactive on the Galaxy Note 10.1 than on other future Android tablets, as Sammy’s new slate comes with the advanced S Pen technology enabling handwriting recognition.

“Studies have shown that students who hand-write their notes retain information more effectively. The Galaxy Note 10.1’s advanced S Pen technology makes it the perfect complement to the interactive digital textbook experience we’ve created at Kno,” said Don Morisson, VP of Business Development at Kno, Inc., explaining the company’s relationship with Samsung.

Other Kno functions and features that should allow students to “engage with the content better and study more efficiently” include a digital Journal, automatic Flash Cards of key terms in books, 3D models making abstract chemistry concepts easier to understand, a Quiz Me feature, and a supposedly very powerful advanced search engine.

Anyone thinking of getting the Note 10.1 because of the pre-loaded Kno software? Does it at least make the tablet a little bit more desirable, or is studying on a 10-inch slab cool no more?