Kno mulling tablet hardware business split

Kno is reportedly considering selling off its education tablet hardware business and instead concentrating on offering software and services across the iPad and Android based slates. According to AllThingsD's sources, Kno is in talks with two major consumer electronics manufacturers, after having decided that the sudden bloom of the tablet market means the company's own end-to-end solution is no longer so important.

Kno has declined to comment on the speculation, but other sources have suggested that the company stands a better chance of success by scything off the expensive hardware side of the business. It has already established various partnerships with colleges and universities, and would no longer be responsible for hardware development, manufacturing and support.

The identity of the two companies apparently interested in the Kno tablets – both the single- and dual-screen versions that have shipped in limited numbers described as "several hundred" – is unknown, though Kno has signed an NDA with at least one. Shipments were subsequently halted again. More on Kno in our hands-on.

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