Nicole Blades

Everyone likes singing karaoke. Well, everyone except maybe my husband, who prefers to do a Leonard Cohen-style speak-singing thing when it's his turn up at the mic. Still, even he would get a kick out of Hook'd , a fun social music app …

When it comes to fun educational apps for kids, the folks behind Cool Mom Tech faves Endless Alphabet and Endless Reader just won't quit. (Guess that's where the whole endless thing comes into play, huh?) The creative development team at…

Having kids means having a nightlight. These handy little things keep beneath-the-bed monsters at bay and light the way to the bathroom in the middle of the night. So it was only a matter of time before this classic plug-in got an upgrad…

Let me guess: If you add one more item to your to-do list, it's going to burst into flames and take you with it, right? I know. I'm right there with you. That's why I'm loving the MyTime app and website. MyTime takes a help me help you a…

It's no secret that not getting enough sleep can seriously affect our health and overall well-being, so it's at the top of my list of resolutions for 2015 to get better sleep. And hopefully, more of it. If you're on the same mission, che…

When we teased the idea of the Polaroid Socialmatic camera back in the spring, we could hardly contain ourselves. So you can imagine how amped we are now that you can pre-order the Socialmatic right now. Why all the excitement? Well, fir…

The holiday season involves some of my all-time favorite things: family, friends, good cheer, giving gifts, and sugary treats. And butter. But one of drawbacks of this time of year, for me, has to be the shipping stress. My family is clo…

Whether he goes for the rugged backpacker look or opts for a hip messenger style, you are sure to find just the right camera bag for your favorite photographer guy from ONA Bags . Actually, any of these finely crafted bags would look out…

We've covered plenty of Bluetooth speakers here on Cool Mom Tech, from teeny, slide-in-your-pocket speakers to rattle-the-wood desk, powerhouse ones. But when I saw that Harman Audio -- the world's largest car audio manufacturer -- was b…

Sometimes your camera can help you capture a brilliant moment. And other times, the thing of beauty is the camera itself. Case in point: the special, limited edition Diana F+ Explorer Nocturne medium format film camera. Between the coppe…

The photographers in our lives are always trying to capture the fun, inspired, beautiful, worth-a-thousand-words moments. So, this holiday, what do you get the brilliant photographer in your life to let them know you'd like them to keep …

To be honest, I was a little hesitant when I first downloaded the Pepi Ride app . But then I turned it over to my 5-and-half-year-old son, and this doubting mama loved his reaction. Pepi Ride is a fun intro to video games. There's no rea…

Jack Frost nipping at your nose? Perfect time to gather 'round the fire and get merry, toasty and bright. No need to load on the logs, though. These flames are coming from your computer. Oh, yes. Yule Log 2.0 is back for a second season,…

We know. Frozen -- and all of its songs -- will never leave us. Acceptance is key here, friends. But I have to admit, it tickles me something serious whenever I hear (or better, overhear) little voices trying to belt out the movie's big …

In my book, shopping isn't really shopping unless you're getting a deal. Doubly so when it come to the crazy holiday shopping season that officially kicks off this week. There are plenty of apps for holiday shopping, and websites with pr…

With its see-through dome, gentle glow-y light and curved corners, the new Harman Kardon Aura Bluetooth speaker system looks like something out of an art gallery or maybe even a space museum. To be honest, I wasn't sure at first if the d…

Let's face it: Our kids and these tiny screens are going to be together for the long haul. Might as well teach the ins and outs of all things digital from early on, right? I'm talking about coding for kids: teaching children how to speak…

I am looking for a compact Bluetooth speaker for my daughter for the holidays. I don't want to spend a fortune, but I do want good quality. And she's 6, so I'd like it to be something she can grow with. - Jennifer It's a definite cool mo…

The minute I slipped the SurfacePad from our innovative friends at the small company Twelve South onto my iPhone 6, it practically winked at me. All of sudden my trusty phone was not only smart, but now it was fancy, too. Well, fancier .…

We're always on the lookout for the best math apps for kids that put some fun in the fundamentals, especially for the 3- to 7-year-old crowd. Getting kids excited and interested in math from an early age just makes good sense -- good num…

These days, you can't swing a USB cable a foot without knocking over at least 40 different Bluetooth wireless speakers . And that's just the good ones. Thanks to Cool Mom Tech, I've been lucky enough to try out a lot of these same speake…

The thing about YouTube is, it can go from super fun to totally overwhelming--not to mention disturbing--on a dime. Sometimes when I'm watching my 5-year-old son watch his YouTube videos on my old iPad, all I can do is hope that we don't…

Whichever case you're currently using to cover your smart phone--even one you bought yesterday--well, I think you might just need a new one. (Sorry about that.) Because I just found Getincased , a premium custom case and accessories comp…

Just last week, I sat next to a young woman on an airplane. She was on a mad scroll on her iPhone, just thumbs moving across the slick screen super fast. She was on Tinder, and I was low-key amazed at her swiping skills. It was something…