Liz Gumbinner, Author at Cool Mom Tech

What work of art do you most look like? The silly app everyone is playing with

My timeline started blowing up with bizarre side-by-side photos of selfies and museum portraits. I tracked it down as a feature of the new Google Arts & Culture app (iOS and Android) which is free, fun, and possibly has some educational value in it too. Scroll...

The best ever, super simple trick for taking better selfies

by Liz Gumbinner | Photo Apps, Tips and Tricks

Last week on family vacation, atop the San Jacinto Mountain with the scenic Coachella Valley behind me, of course tons of selfies were taken. As is the law these days. When it was my turn to pull out my phone, I realized I couldn’t get a flattering angle, and...

We found 10 of the best Amazon tech deals right now. Hurry!

by Liz Gumbinner | Around the House

Like so many of you, I’m like, whoops — 9 days til Christmas and my list is not done at all! So I just clicked over to Amazon and whoa. Deals galore. Here are 10 I think are awesome that you might want to check out too. Just know some of the “last...

Why the new Local app could make you delete Yelp for good.

by Liz Gumbinner | Shopping Apps, Travel Apps

I admit, Yelp drives me crazy for a number of reasons. And now, just in time for the holiday shopping and travel, comes a truly viable app alternative. Let’s say you live in Silverlake, you like comedy shows and galleries, and four of your friends have recently...

The Women of NASA LEGO set is coming! Because the present is female, too.

by Liz Gumbinner | Tech Toys and Random Fun

Way back in February of this year, we wrote about forthcoming the Women of NASA LEGO Set which proposed wonderful mini versions honoring software developer Margaret Hamilton; NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson; pioneering astronauts Sally Ride and Mae Jemison; and...

The TBH app: What parents should know about this hot new app for kids

by Liz Gumbinner | Fun Apps for Kids, Tips and Tricks

The TBH app has been blowing up over the past few weeks and just hit #1 in the App Store for iOS following the announcement that Facebook has purchased it. I’ve seen multiple articles referring to it a “kindness app” or an “anonymous compliment...

Watch Levar Burton read Goodnight Moon to Neil Degrasse Tyson and swoon a little.

by Liz Gumbinner | Entertainment

We love Levar Burton. Did you ever listen to our podcast interview with him? He’s the best! We love Neil Degrasse Tyson. He’s not yet a podcast guest, but we’re still hoping, because he’s also the best! One thing we’re torn on...

Hi! We’re Kristen + Liz

Kristen Chase + Liz Gumbinner of Cool Mom Picks

We started Cool Mom Tech in 2010 to help make our increasingly digital lives easier, more organized, more meaningful, and more fun, however old your kids may be.

We love that it's grown to become the go-to source for millions of parents who want commonsense info about tech delivered with a smile.

We even have the privilege of sharing our tips + tricks with The TODAY Show, CNN, HLN, GMA, Nightline, newspapers and magazines around the country, and our favorite -- regular parents who stop us at PTA meetings and ask us how old kids need to be to get a smartphone, and whether they really need to panic about Snapchat.

(Answer: It's complicated.)

We're so glad you're here! And we hope we can help you too.