Digital camera manufacturers are targeting kids as young as three, with their latest products. The first-ever evaluation of kid’s cameras from the consumer-focused research magazine, Consumer Reports (www.ConsumerReports.org),  found that the VTech Kidizoom was the “best kid camera for image quality.” It was also the magazine’s “standout choice” for kids ages three to seven. The Kidizoom digital camera allows kids to take, edit, view and save photos. Its image quality was rated “fair” by the magazine, which advised that all kids cameras are toys and not for serious junior photo enthusiasts. The camera has 64MB of built-in memory, which holds about 400 photos. A built-in photo editor can add 12 silly frames and stamps, or two kaleidoscope effects to photos. It operates with 4AA batteries and retails for $35.
 

Mayo Clinic has launched a new online social network to connect its global community of patients and caregivers with others who share similar health interests. More than 1,000 members joined in its first seven days of service. The new Mayo Clinic social network is open to anyone and builds on previous social media platforms Mayo Clinic has created. Advertising free, this resource provides an environment that offers more control over privacy settings and a customizable, tailored space for conversations around health care topics among people in the same situation. Mayo Clinic has the most popular medical provider channel on YouTube, an active Facebook community and more than 200,000 followers on Twitter. Join the network at www.mayoclinic.org/connect
 

Lenovo has announced its first family of tablets —  the IdeaPad Tablet K1 for consumers, the ThinkPadTablet for business customers and the IdeaPad Tablet P1 for home and office use. The  K1 and ThinkPad Tablets are Lenovo’s first mobile Internet devices based on the Android 3.1 platform. The P1 will run Windows 7. All the tablets feature NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core mobile processors.  The ThinkPad Tablet has been conceived as a companion computing device for professionals on the go. It includes a full-size USB port, full-size SD card slot and mini-HDMI for connecting to external projectors and displays.

The ThinkPad Tablet allows users to view and edit Microsoft Office documents with the preloaded Documents to Go app by DataViz. An optional Keyboard Folio can be plugged in for fast typing and mouse control. Network administrators will be pleased that with a specially certified app, Good for Enterprise, corporate network passwords may be used to access the device and connect to corporate email. Users will also have the ability to protect confidential data with security features including SD card encryption, lost device disablement and anti-theft software. The 32GB IdeaPad Tablet K1 is $500. The 16GB ThinkPad Tablet (Wi-Fi) is priced at $509 with the digitizer pen. The 32GB ThinkPad Tablet (Wi-Fi) with digitizer pen is $589. The optional keyboard portfolio carrying case is $99. The company will release 3G versions of the ThinkPad Tablet soon. The P1 will not be available until the 4th quarter of this year.


Apple has introduced its new computer monitor called the Thunderbolt Display. The display is equipped with Thunderbolt input/output (I/O) technology and Apple is marketing it as a docking station for Mac notebooks. Thunderbolt is based on two fundamental technologies: PCI Express and DisplayPort. With just a single cable, users can connect a Thunderbolt-enabled Mac to the 27-inch Thunderbolt Display and access its FaceTime camera, high quality audio, Gigabit Ethernet, FireWire 800, USB 2.0 and Thunderbolt ports. Designed specifically for Mac notebooks, the display includes a MagSafe connector for charging. The Thunderbolt Display will be available in about two months, retailing for $1,000.