Review on 🦉 ELECROW Crowpi2 Raspberry Pi 4 Programming Kit - Basic Learning Kit with Sensors (Gray, RPI Not Included) by Josh Akin

I own the original Crowpi and really enjoyed using it; When I saw that a newer model was available I decided pretty quickly to buy Crowpi2. Some of the "flaws" of the original model have been eliminated and the new model has been updated accordingly. You'll notice that I put the word "weaknesses" in single quotes to emphasize that I don't consider them real weaknesses. First I bought the Crowpi2 Deluxe Kit; However, this review covers all three kits with all differences noted. The original Crowpi is housed in a clamshell briefcase, which I think looks really nice; However, my first impression of Crowpi2 was that Elecrow was successful with the design of their laptop. With a detachable keyboard, it looks like any other compact laptop you've seen; and unlike the Linux operating system, it works pretty much the same, especially if you're using Libre Office. The keyboard is generally comfortable to type on, but there is a slight crease in the middle of the keyboard that can bother typists. The keyboard is detachable, which can lead to some interesting things. I still find it quite handy to put it on a table in a public place and watch people's expressions when I remove the keyboard and open the breadboard underneath. The keyboard comes with a battery that appears to be permanently sealed inside the device. I think if I had a choice I would prefer a removable battery even if it wasn't rechargeable. The keyboard works pretty well so far with one small anomaly: when I turn on the keyboard's power button and use the keyboard and then stop using it for a few minutes, the touchpad goes to sleep. I can't wake it up using the touchpad, so I have to cycle the keyboard power button to use the touchpad again. I've learned to work around this by using the touchpad every few seconds, even if I'm just drawing circles with my finger. A wireless mouse is included, and I've found myself using it over the touchpad in most situations where a flat surface is available. The mouse isn't going to sleep, at least not yet. The screen with the original Crowpi has a rather small diagonal of 7 inches. However, it offers a bright, colorful display and is easy to read. Touch screen. The Crowpi2 uses an 11.6-inch, 1920 x 1080p display, which also produces a bright and colorful image, but it's not a touchscreen. I think the touchpad on the Crowpi2 keyboard eliminates the need for the touchscreen. If, like me, you're overhauling yourself (I'm turning 69 this fall) and your eyesight is far from optimal, the default color scheme used on Crowpi2 may not seem ideal to you. The text below the icons on the desktop is light gray, which combined with the small text and light blue background color of the screen, makes it difficult to read. Of course, you can change the colors however you like, and you probably will. Crowpi2 has more learning modules than the original Crowpi and this helps it fulfill its mission as a STEM learning tool. If you have kids who are in high school or college, this could be the perfect tool to add to their arsenal. Of course, you may need to hide the game controllers so they're thinking about homework and not Pac Man, but some kids will be motivated enough to avoid this temptation without your intervention. The folks at Elecrow provided a laptop carrying case for the Crowpi2, but upon inspection I decided to use one of my leftover laptop cases instead. My overall opinion of Crowpi2 (and the original Crowpi) is five stars. Crowpi2 is more convenient as a portable device as it doesn't require a separate keyboard, but both are great! I'm really impressed with the idea and execution of these two devices. The quality is superb and I'm almost proud to own it.