The Nabi Jr.: A Tablet for Kids

Coming next month, Nabi Jr. is a 5-inch, 8 GB $99 Android tablet that can do double duty as a baby monitor or a karaoke machine. Educational apps, games and videos are pre-loaded. It has a single rotating front and back camera.

The maker of the device, Fuhu, brags: No cartridges; no AA batteries and includes Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. If the tablet is successful, it could mean serious competition for toy-based options from Leapfrog and VTech.

The Nabi Jr. has its own app store, with the promise of being able to side-load the Amazon app store. If so, this could be a major advantage; previous Nabi tablets have made it very hard to download mainstream apps that don't go through the Fuhu toll booth.

Fuhu is also selling add-ons, an d this is where things get interesting. The add-ons include an infrared night vision camera with a remote zoom for use as a baby monitor. When synced to Fuhu's cloud server, you can use a second Android phone to have your own video baby monitor on steroids - with two-way communication abilities, a room temperature display, sound level meter and a low-battery alert. Other add-ons include a Karaoke Machine that plugs into your big screen through the HDMI cable, and a cash register simulator will be available in toy stores mid-December. Add $30 for the 16GB model. Accessories will be available in February 2013.

Turn Your Photos into E-Holiday Cards

Over lets you add text to your photos and share them.

From Christmas trees to Christmas cards, December is a pretty deadly season for trees. There's not a lot you can do about the Christmas trees (aluminum tinsel tree anyone?), but you can cut down on the cards.

An iPhone app, Over, lets you put type on top of your own photos. Although it wasn't intended with holidays in mind â€" more like a chance to make your own memes â€" it's an easy way to make cards the way photo studios used to ages ago.

There are other similar apps, but few if any are as simple to use and as versatile as Over.

To get started, open the app and tap on “take a photo,” or “camera ro ll,” to take a photo or choose an existing shot.

Sample text tells you to double tap to edit. Once you do that, type in your message and then choose the color you would like your type to be. A yellow triangle on the right-hand side of the photo lets you pick a font and size it. You can move the writing around by dragging it with your finger.

When you are happy with your choices, you can save the photo or go directly to “share” and post your work on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or Instagram, or send by email.

If you really want to be a traditionalist, you can still kill trees by having your work turned into a 4 by 6 inch postcard, at $2 for a single card. You buy through the service Sincerely, which gets points off for making people go through sign up and set up without revealing the cost until the last step.

Over is a $2 app, but there is a version for use on Instagram only; it's Overgram, and it's free.

Q&A: Locking Up the Mac

Q.

I'm new to Macs. What is FileVault and do I need to use it?

A.

FileVault is a data-security feature built into the Mac's OS X operating system. With FileVault, you can encrypt the Mac's hard drive to keep its contents locked up with a password, even if someone gets access to your computer. FileVault can also encrypt the data on external drives and can be used to completely erase the Mac's hard drive when it comes time to recycle the computer.

As to whether you need to use FileVault, it depends on your personal need for file security and keeping your data confidential. You can get a better idea of how it might fit into your computing life from Apple's current guide to the software on its site. Some versions of Windows include a similar feature, BitLocker.

Q&A: Locking Up the Mac

Q.

I'm new to Macs. What is FileVault and do I need to use it?

A.

FileVault is a data-security feature built into the Mac's OS X operating system. With FileVault, you can encrypt the Mac's hard drive to keep its contents locked up with a password, even if someone gets access to your computer. FileVault can also encrypt the data on external drives and can be used to completely erase the Mac's hard drive when it comes time to recycle the computer.

As to whether you need to use FileVault, it depends on your personal need for file security and keeping your data confidential. You can get a better idea of how it might fit into your computing life from Apple's current guide to the software on its site. Some versions of Windows include a similar feature, BitLocker.

The Early Word: Volleying

Today's Times

• Congressional Republicans on Monday made a counteroffer to President Obama's deficit reduction proposal with a plan that is far heavier on spending cuts but embraces $800 billion in new taxes, Jonathan Weisman reports.

• Democrats and Republicans are stuck on the size and makeup of the first down payment in the deficit reduction plan, Jonathan Weisman reports. The installment would replace the automatic spending cuts and tax increases that make up the “fiscal cliff,” while signaling Washington's seriousness about getting its fiscal house in order.

 Happenings in Washington

• President Obama and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. will meet wi th governors in the White House to discuss the deficit. Later, the two will have lunch in the private dining room before meeting with Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta in the Oval Office.

• The lighting ceremony for the Capitol Christmas tree will begin at 5 p.m.

Democratic Group to Offer Tax Plan With Huge Payoff

The overhaul plan, by a group that includes former White House and Treasury officials, would raise an additional $1.8 trillion in the first decade.