Best Apps Archives | Cool Mom Tech

Postagram makes sending camp letters a snap. Or, a click.

by Liz Gumbinner | Fun Apps, Photo Apps, Travel Apps

If you’ve got kids in summer camp, you may know that each day they don’t get a letter from home is another reason they grow up to resent you. Kidding. But they do like to get lots of letters — and I admit, I am not the best daily letter writer. At...

Is the FaceApp safe? Read these tips from experts first.

by Liz Gumbinner | Internet Safety, Photo Apps, Tips and Tricks

Our social media feeds are blowing up photos from the FaceApp, thanks to the new FaceApp Challenge, but is it safe? If you’e missed the buzz, this hilarious (ish) app lets you upload a photo to the app, then edits it using AI filters so you can see how...

What you need to know about Harry Potter: Wizards Unite

by Kristen Chase | Fun Apps

If you’ve got a Harry Potter fan in your house, or you are one yourself, then you’ve probably already downloaded the new Harry Potter: Wizards Unite app on your phone and are ready to play. The game, which was announced back in 2017, is rolling out today,...

Forget your readers? Try the magnifier on your iPhone instead.

by Kristen Chase | Lifestyle Apps

For those of us ladies who are now of reading glasses age, I have a pleasant surprise if you happen to be an iPhone owner. You might not know that the iPhone actually has a magnifier feature that can help you in case of a reading glasses emergency. And it’s even...

15 big new Apple announcements that parents will actually care about: Privacy, organization, photo editing and more

by Liz Gumbinner | Best Apps, Cell Phones, Home Security, Internet Safety, Smart Appliances, Tips and Tricks

Yesterday, I spent a good two hours live tweeting the bigger Apple announcements at their 2019 developer conference that would be of interest to parents. Like, news about parental controls, photo sharing, and home security? Yes please! News about the 28-core Xeon...

3 great sleep tracking apps for parents. Because we need it.

by Kate Etue | Lifestyle Apps

We know it can be really hard for parents to get a good night’s sleep, but tech is here to help. We’ve found 3 great sleep tracking apps that can track your sleep, and help you build better habits to improve it. From waking up at your body’s natural...

Obé gives you studio fitness classes, right on your phone

by Kristen Chase | Lifestyle Apps

I recently fell off the Orange Theory Fitness wagon, and have been looking for something to get me moving again. So, after watching our friend Lauren Jimeson’s Obé workouts daily on her Instagram stories (Hi Lauren!), I figured it was worth a try. And well,...

The outrageous, high-tech marriage proposal that required Google Earth, GPS, and 4500 miles of travel over 6 months

by Liz Gumbinner | Entertainment, Travel Apps

We have shared a ton of clever pregnancy announcement ideas and sex reveal (FKA gender reveal, inaccurately) ideas over the years, and surely you’ve seen Pinterest boards packed full of creative marriage proposal ideas. But having just watched this video about...

16 of the riskiest social apps for kids right now that parents should know about | Guide to Digital Parenting

by Cool Mom Staff | Guide to Digital Parenting, Internet Safety, Lifestyle Apps, Tips and Tricks

While parents are still freaking out about Snapchat and the Momo challenge, the truth is there are some risky apps for kids that can fly right under our radar. Some of them seem completely innocuous — while some are clearly bad news waiting to happen. To be...

What are the best services and tools to monitor my kids screen time? 5 top picks | Guide to Digital Parenting

by Cool Mom Staff | Family Safety Apps, Guide to Digital Parenting, Internet Safety, Tips and Tricks

As part of our Ultimate Guide to Digital Parenting, answering parents’ top questions about family technology, we’re sharing the best services and tools to help you monitor your kids on their gadgets. While most routers, phones, tablets and computers have...

What are the best screen time management strategies that work for parents? 5 that work. | Guide to Digital Parenting

by Cool Mom Staff | Best Apps, Guide to Digital Parenting, Tips and Tricks

Next up in our Ultimate Guide to Digital Parenting, we tackle one of the biggest challenges parents face each day: screen time management. We know full well how hard it can be to decide how much is the right amount of time for our kids, especially as they get older....

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.